-
Andre SnellingsESPN
As you watched the 2022 NBA Finals, you could clearly see that the Celtics would benefit from another floor general. They were not able to bring in their two best players. Jayson Tatum Jaylen BrownThese were the natural team offense creators.
Although they were among the best finishers in the NBA’s NBA, creating teammates for off-the-dribble play didn’t seem to be a natural skill. The Warriors capitalized on that. Tatum and Brown had 7.9 combined assists in the regular season and 5.6 combined turnovers. In the playoffs, that number was 9.7 combined assists. Tatum and Brown took more responsibility for team creation.
This was evident in the Finals where Tatum and Brown combined averaged 10.7 combined assists, and 7.2 combined turns, but saw their scoring averages drop from 50.5 combined PPG (on 46.2 FG% during the regular season) to 45.0 combined points with 39.8FG% in Finals.
It was clear that Tatum and Brown had to assume more offensive team creation responsibilities. This negatively affected their ability to score volume and efficiency.
Enter Malcolm BrogdonVeteran point guard who has shown strong floor generalship (7.1 APG in the 2019-20 season), as well as exceptional shooting/scoring ability (21.2 PG, 2.6 3PG and 38.8 3P% for 2020-21) throughout his career.
The Celtics will use him this season as a sixth player, after last season’s Defensive Players of the Year. Marcus Smart You are still at the beginning.
Brogdon’s average PPG is 13.3 (35.0%, 38.13%, 94.7FT%), 3.7APG, and 3.2RPG in 22.8MPG. These are his lowest tally stats and his lowest output of minutes since his rookie season. After ranking 48th last year, he is currently ranked 139th in NBA fantasy points per match.
Brogdon has had a significant impact on both the Celtics as well as fantasy leagues this season. This is due to his influence on the Celtics’ approach.
There are two options: Smart (34.2 MPG), Brogdon (22.8MPG), and Derrick White (26.2 MPG): The Celtics now have 2 lead guards who are on the floor for the majority of the game. The guards average 11.6 assists per games and take on the majority of the Celtics’ playmaking duties. This has had an amazing effect on Brown and Tatum.
Tatum and Brown average only 6.3 combined assists per season. This would be their lowest assist output in the past three seasons since they combined for just 5.1 APG in the 2019-20 season. Tatum and Brown combine to average 56.1 PPG (and 5.8 3PG respectively) on a 50.9 FG% pace.
We’re only six games into the season, so there are hot streaks. However, the metrics and eye-test results thus far match the expectation.
Tatum shoots 42.6% from behind the arc this season, a career high pace. But, almost 70% of his 3-pointers (up from 56.5% last year and 46.5% the previous season) are assisted. Brown’s 3-pointers this year are assisted at 93.3%. This is an increase of 75.9% and 79.8% respectively. Tatum & Brown have been able to focus on finishing, after having gotten rid of the need for their own offense.
They are also finishing stronger than ever before.
Standard ESPN leagues have Tatum putting up 52.3 fantasy point per game (FP/G). This is good for 9th overall. It’s up from 44.7 FP/G last season to rank 16th. Brown, meanwhile, is currently at 40.3 FPG to rank 29th. This is an increase of 37.0 FPG and the 42nd position last season.
The Celtics also look stronger than ever before. According to the Basketball Power Index, they are early champion favorites with a BPI score 5.4, which is number one in NBA.
What can Brogdon do to help you?
His averages so far are not sufficient to replace him if he’s part of your fantasy team. However, his presence on the Celtics and subsequent changes to how they play has had a tremendous impact on his fantasy prospects as well as the futures championship value for his team.