NBA Boston Celtics vs Detroit Pistons player ratings

If you're a Celtics fan, the first three games of the season have been entertaining. Who would have thought (not Jaylen Brown) that it would be the Pistons who gave us the best test yet. After the first quarter and the start of the second quarter I thought it would be another 30+ point loss. Then Detroit went on a big run late in the half, going on an 11-0 run to close out the game.

In the second half, Detroit continued to make timely baskets to stay within striking distance and eventually took the lead. Luckily, we are the best team in the world and have found a way to prevent this bad Loss.

My ratings, based on my expectations, range from AF to C and are considered an “average” game for this individual player. There is no +/-, just the letter.

Jayson Tatum: A

Season stats: 31 ppg, 7.5 reb, 8 ast, 1 stl, 0.5 blk,

Tonight: 37 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.

I'm not sure Tatum will ever say publicly that he uses his Olympic bench press as motivation, but THANK YOU, STEVE KERR! Tatum has been on a mission through three games. If you score 17 of the team's first 26 points, you're a man on a mission. His three-point shot looks lethal and his decision making was outstanding.

Tatum was one of the many Celtics who went cold in the second half, which brought Detroit back into the game. But with 29.3 seconds left, he secured the victory with a turnaround jump shot.

With a 37-point game from Tatum and 6 of 13 from distance, he is clearly in the running early Leadership for MVP.

Jaylen Brown: C

Season stats: 25 ppg, 7.5 reb, 2 ast, 2.5 stl, 0 blk

Tonight: 24 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks

After his comments about the Pistons, I expected Brown to explode out of the blocks, but he did anything but that. Jaylen struggled on offense and made little significant progress on defense until the end of the game. Brown shot 6 of 24 from the field and it was easily his worst offensive effort in three games.

These ratings refer to the entire game and not the last four minutes. However, Brown stepped up his defense as the game entered its decisive phase, making free throws down the stretch. He also made up for his poor offense with 10 rebounds.

Derrick White: A

Season stats: 21.5 ppg, 3.5 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 0 blk

Tonight: 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 3 blocks

One of my keys to the games was winning the rebound matchup, and I thought White did a great job on the six-board glass finish.

White was aggressive on offense and didn't just stand in the corner. He ran the court and made some timely cuts; one led to free throws as the Pistons went on a big run in the second quarter.

In the third quarter, White seemed to be the only one keeping Boston in the game.

Despite being dunked by Cade Cunningham early in the second half, White was able to block him well at the rim in the first half and then made another monster block at the rim with 49.9 seconds left to preserve the lead.

Jrue Holiday: C

Season stats: 12.5 ppg, 3 reb, 2.5 ast, 0.5 stl, 0 blk

Tonight: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 0 steals, 1 block

It wasn't his best game. He was tasked with guarding Cunningham, so defense was always his focus. It just seemed like he never got into an offensive rhythm. He forced a few shots early in the game, but never really had an easy shot early on.

He came to life in the fourth quarter. His first two throws were consecutive three-pointers. His first three-pointer was in the corner, cutting the lead to three with less than four minutes left. On the next possession, Holiday tied the game at 112 with a deep triple. Then he had a big streak with 1:30 left when the game was tied.

Al Horford: B

Season stats: 5.5 ppg, 4 reb, 3 ast, 0.5 stl, 0.5 blk

Tonight: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 0 blocks

Strong start for Big Al with two of his first three threes. After his hard shot in the last preseason game against the Raptors (the only preseason game he played), I was worried it might take a few games for his shot to flow. Maybe I underestimated what a professional Horford is and should have known he would be ready come the season.

Seventeen points in the first half is a lot more than I expected from Al, but with Porzingis out until December, there will have to be games where Horford scores more than 16 points.

Horford remained quiet in the second half. I can't blame him as the entire team was floored. I think he helped move the ball better when he replaced Kornet late in the fourth. Overall, it was a solid game from Al.

Payton Pritchard: C

Season stats: 9 ppg, 2.5 reb, 3 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk

Tonight: 19 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks.

He made two three-pointers early in the game that got him into an early rhythm that carried him for the rest of the half. We all know Payton Pritchard goes on offense right away, and Detroit saw it firsthand tonight (for two quarters). Payton scored 10 points in the first quarter, followed by back-to-back three-pointers early in the second quarter, giving him a quick 16 points.

Pritchard was another player who went missing in the second half after standing on a heater in the first. That was the hardest grade, but I chose a C. In the first half he was at least a B, but in the second half he got worse.

Luke Kornet: D

Season stats: 4 ppg, 3.5 reb, 1 ast, 0.5 stl, 0.5 blk

Tonight: 0 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Luke had problems sometimes. Detroit is a physical team and didn't believe Luke could provide the intensity needed. He put up some good screens to relieve pressure on people, but I think he was below average tonight.

Xavier Tillman Sr.: B

Season stats: 5 ppg, 4 reb, 1.5 ast, 0 stl, 0 blk

Tonight: 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 0 blocks

Solid game from Tillman. I thought he defended well and made a big three-pointer when the game was tied at the end of the third quarter. He has to be ready for shots like that, and it was good for him to see one hit.

Early in the fourth quarter, Tillman had a great sequence where he got a steal, then grabbed an offensive rebound and assisted Payton Pritchard on third down. He was one of the few who played well from start to finish.

He remains undefeated against the Pistons.