We’re back! Welcome to the Celtics’ Top-5 Highest IQ Plays of the Week!
Sure, we love the high-flying dunks and the deep, off-the-dribble step-back threes, but this is a place for the under-the-radar plays that might not get the credit they deserve. The plays that get the basketball sickos and nerds out of their chairs. The plays that even YOU could make in your weekly rec league game.
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Each week, the plays will be ranked from five to one—one being the smartest—and will only be taken from games that occurred within the past week. For this week, games from February 27th to March 5th are considered. The Celtics went 3-1 this week, with wins over the Nets, Sixers and Bucks, but a loss to the surging Hornets.
5. Grand theft White (Alvarado)
Jose Alvarado has made a reputation out of sneaking up from behind ball-handlers for steals—he even has his own nickname (Grand Theft Alvarado) that represents this niche skill. But Derrick White has some sneaky defensive tactics as well (and sadly no nickname to show for it). He has a knack for noticing the exact moment the ball-handler loses sight of him and picking the perfect time to pounce from behind. Then, once he makes the steal, he throws a timely and accurate bounce pass to Pritchard at the rim. I love you, DWhite.
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4. Learning from your teammates
Look familiar? An underrated part of playing with Derrick White is that his teammates can learn from him. Pritchard has seemingly studied White’s uncanny ability to sneak up behind ball-handlers, because the way he does so on this play is quite Derrick-esque. As soon as Edgecombe turns the corner, PP locks in on his eyes—he’s staring at him to clock the exact moment he turns his head and loses vision of the right side of the floor. And as soon as VJ turns away, Pritchard pounces. Grand Theft Pritchard?
3. Physical flopper
When you’re physical and intense in every basketball movement you do, as Hugo Gonzalez is, you’re bound to force the opposition to be extra aggressive. And you know what pairs well with the opponent’s overzealous physicality? Flopping. Here, Hugo notices that Turner runs into the screen with a little extra oomph, and he takes advantage by throwing himself into Myles’ body and causing an illegal screen. As if Gonzalez isn’t already enough of a nuisance on the offensive glass and as a point-of-attack defender, he might slowly be figuring out the NBA’s hidden flopping tricks, which will only make him more annoying to face.
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2. Utterly classic Derrick White
All I can do is smile watching the absolute brilliance of this play from White. To start, Derrick’s weak-side help positioning is—to nobody’s surprise—exquisite. He plays both the roll and corner pass without overcommitting to either. And when the pass is thrown, White intercepts the ball and throws it off of Grimes in mid-air without skipping a beat. Oh, and then he extends an apologetic hand to Grimes, who he hit in the face in the process. He’s a nice guy, but he’s also an evil genius. Special stuff from White, one of the league’s smartest players.
1. The peel switch of my dreams
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This could basically just be a Derrick White high-IQ plays article, but I’m here for it, because he and Scheierman execute one of the better peel switches I’ve ever seen on this play. It starts with Baylor, who does an excellent job waiting for the perfect moment to insert himself into Miller’s driving space. If he goes too early, he doesn’t give White enough time to get out to Bridges, but if he goes too late, he risks allowing Brandon an easy pull-up jumper. Once White notices that Scheierman takes Miller, he beelines to Bridges and comes up with the steal. It might be difficult to notice in real time, but this exchange makes Brandon Miller’s decision significantly more complicated.