Celtics player grades vs. Miami Heat

When Miami started the game on a 7-0 run, I thought it was going to be one of those games where Boston was going to have to grind to find a way to win. Coming off of a back-to-back, a dogfight is the last game these players needed. Then the Celtics went on a 14-2 run to establish control and outscored Miami 60-45 in the first half with 10 threes, and 15 assists on 21 field goals.

My ratings which are based on my expectations will range from A-F with C being considered an “average” game for that individual player. There’s no +/-, just the letter.

Jaylen Brown: A

Season stats: 24.7 ppg, 6.3 reb, 4.3 ast, 1.1 stl, 0.4 blk

Tonight: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks

Jaylen was aggressive from tip-off. Although his shot didn’t fall right away, he made it a point of emphasis to get to the paint and get to the free throw line.

It’s one thing to get to the free throw line, it’s another to make them. Brown this season and in the past has had his issues at the charity stripe, but on Monday he drained 9 of his 10 free throws.

Brown had 16 first-half points to pace Boston and finished the second half strong with another 13 points. He had a big three early in the third quarter to snap Miami’s 7-0 start which put the Heat back in their place.

Derrick White: A

Season stats: 18.3 ppg, 4.7 reb, 4.4 ast, 0.8 stl, 1.1 blk

Tonight: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks

With Jrue Holiday out, White was the primary ball handler. White did a great job of moving the ball registering three assists in the first six minutes of the game and seven first-half dimes.

White has been Mr. Consistent all season because you know what you’re going to get from him on a night-in, night-out basis. On a night without Porzingis, Holiday, and Horford, he was going to have to step up his playmaking ability and he did that while maintaining his defensive intensity.

In the fourth quarter, Derrick just destroyed any hope of Miami coming back with back-to-back threes. I hope his pockets are always filled with threes.

Jayson Tatum: C

Season stats: 28.9 ppg, 8.5 reb, 5.7 ast, 1.4 stl, 0.6 blk,

Tonight: 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steals, 0 blocks.

I was close to giving Jayson a D for his performance but with his shot not falling, he was able to find a way to make an impact by crashing the glass. Finishing the game with a double-double with 11 rebounds and 18 points.

During the game, Tatum struggled from three and instead of trying to attack the paint, he continued to shoot threes which didn’t help. Also, six turnovers are way too much for your superstar. But I still think he played well on defense to justify an average game.

Jordan Walsh: C

Season stats: 1.5 pg, 0.9 reb, 0.2 ast, 0.3 stl, 0.4 blk

Tonight: 0 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks

The second-year player out of Arkansas got his second career start. Walsh struggled at times to keep his defender in front of him and didn’t give Boston much on the offensive end. Still great experience and more reps under the belt and his athleticism will always help him find minutes on the floor but wasn’t that great of a night for Walsh.

Luke Kornet: A

Season stats: 4.1 ppg, 4.1 reb, 1.5 ast, 0.5 stl, 0.9 blk

Tonight: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 6 blocks

Luke started the game strong, scoring the team’s first four points with a dunk and a post move against Bam Adebayo. Then Kornet went into DPOY type of energy finishing the game with six blocks. His sixth block led to a Jayson Tatum three which brought the fans out of their seats. Overall, it was a great game for Luke who needed to play well with Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis out.

Payton Pritchard: A

Season stats: 16 ppg, 3 reb, 2.9 ast, 1.1 stl, 0.1 blk

Tonight: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

I’m starting to run out of words to praise Pritchard. Checked into the game and scored 10 quick points on 4-of-5 shooting, he’s established himself as a certified bucket in the league. He became the first Celtics player to score 20+ points in four straight games off the bench since Isaiah Thomas in 2015.

Of course, he secured another buzzer beater to add to his resume to close the third quarter getting into his bag before hitting a lefty layup.

Neemias Queta: C

Season stats: 6.4 ppg, 5.2 reb, 0.8 ast, 0.2 stl, 0.9 blk

Tonight: 4 points, 7 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 2 blocks

Struggled with foul trouble early but did a great job attacking the boards. Was expecting a bigger night from him offensively with KP and Horford out, but didn’t have much to offer. Still a solid game from the Portuguese man.

Xavier Tillman Sr.: D

Season stats: 1.4 ppg, 2.2 reb, 0.5 ast, 0.2 stl, 0.2 blk

Tonight: 0 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks

The X-man didn’t make as much of an impact as others. Played hard on defense but stood out. I still believe he’ll make an impact later in the season/postseason but for today’s performance think he was a bit below average.

Drew Peterson: B

Season stats: 2 ppg, 1.2 reb, 0.2 ast, 0.5 stl 0.5 blk

Tonight: 7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 0 blocks

After a solid performance against the Cavs, Peterson did his job tonight. Was very active on both ends of the floor. Peterson showed his range with a corner three in the fourth quarter but used his 6’9 height to snag seven rebounds.

I liked his stare down at Miami’s bench after burying a three in front of them.

Baylor Scheierman: C

Season stats: 1 ppg, 1.5 reb, 0.2 ast, 0 stl 0 blk

Tonight: 0 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 0 blocks

The rookie played solid on-ball defense when guarding Jaime Jaquez Jr. Had a beautiful assist to Jaylen Brown for a corner three when he found himself stuck in the paint. Other than that, didn’t do too much to stick out, but like Walsh, these minutes are valuable to his development.

JD Davison & Jaden Springer: N/A

Not enough time for either to make an impact, but Springer did have a nice steal late in the quarter.