Ten takeaways from the Celtics' win over the Wizards

1. Poole party

Regardless of your personal feelings about Jordan Poole, he can quickly fill that score column. Watching him shoot threes off the dribble will probably always hurt a little after the 2022 Finals, but less painful after the Celtics raise their own banner.

In this game, the Poole party started with a splash.

JP was one of the main reasons the Celtics were in their early stages. He hit plenty of threes and finished the first half shooting 6/9 from behind the arc en route to 20 points. There were a number of difficult looks that Boston couldn't have defended much better, but Poole still knocked them down.

However, despite this great start, the Celtics easily managed to overcome an early deficit. For all of Poole's success, he was the only Wizard to make a 3 in the first half. With five minutes left in the 4th quarter, Patrick Baldwin Jr. made the only non-Poole 3-pointer of the game. This is not a recommended strategy against Boston.

2. Seeing Double (Bigs).

In the absence of Sam Hauser – while playing against an inferior opponent – Mazzulla relied on double big pairs over other options.

Boston went through a variety of combinations including Kornet/Tillman, Horford/Tillman, Horford/Queta and Tillman/Queta. In the early stages of the season against a team with no playoff hopes, this game was the perfect opportunity to test things out.

Most of these pairings were effective together. All four centers bring unique skills to the table and it's a great idea to get a feel for how they can complement each other.

It also feels like Mazzulla wants to test the limits of his scheme to see if the team can continue to generate good offense with two non-spacers on the field.

3. Tatum plays like an MVP.

Washington struggled to limit Boston's effectiveness from the 3, and instead of forcing shots, Tatum worked into a rhythm.

He started the game by taking advantage of smaller defenders and shooting over them.

A reliable back-to-basket game has been an extremely useful tool for Tatum. It felt like last season was an introduction to this version of JT, who is both comfortable and effective, playing a more physical style when needed.

His 3-ball never quite came together in this game, but he had a few impressive balls. That included this devastating welcome moment for rookie Alex Sarr to the league.

Tatum's rebounding and all-around contributions seem to be glossed over in discussions of his impact, but it is one of the big differences between him and many of the players he draws comparisons to. In just 28 minutes, Tatum scored 25 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Not that he would mind, but the Celtics' size might be enough to actually hurt his MVP case, in the sense that they end games in the 3rd quarter.

4. Derrick White, the stabilizer.

The term “connector” has emerged in recent years to describe a player who does the little things that hold a lineup together. Derrick White is one of the best connectors the league has to offer.

Offensively, he has become a consistent offensive weapon who can add value in every way possible. White is obviously a dynamic shooter off the ball, but his ability to serve as a screener in reverse pick-and-rolls is a skill that most offenses are desperately trying to emulate.

These days, the Celtics rarely need reassurance. When they do, Derrick is often the guy who stabilizes things. It's usually not his voice, but his ability to do the right play/read over and over again. His defense and IQ helped Boston heading into this game.

5. Jrue is a veterinarian.

This wasn't a big Jrue Holiday game by any means, in fact it was probably one of the least complicated performances we've seen from him in a long time.

Despite the relative lack of production, Holiday's veteran skills stood out on two possessions in the second quarter. In both cases he takes advantage of Alex Sarr's youthfulness.

On this first possession, Holiday faces a low shot clock and limited options. He can either try to get Sarr to the rim quickly or shoot over the 7-foot forward. Instead, Jrue manages to break down door number 3.

He didn't have the upper hand here, so his intelligence had to be the advantage. He clearly noticed that the shot clock was exhausted, but his decision to pump fake makes it clear that he recognized that Sarr was probably also aware of the limited time. He played man in this scenario, knowing it would require a more aggressive closeout and give him the best opportunity to make something out of nothing.

Less than a minute later, Jrue found himself on an island with Sarr again:

Jrue immediately tests him with a pump fake on the 3PT line to see if he would bite again. Sarr temporarily learned from his mistake and stayed down this time. Jrue has the ability to reach from an angle to his dominant hand, but chooses to attack Sarr's top foot, forcing him to rotate his hips. With the young Big Wizards now firmly in recovery mode, Jrue creates space with a light push and sends him flying into the air again with the fake.

That kind of understanding of the game comes with time and it's something Holiday brought to the team immediately upon his arrival. He didn't make a single basket here, but he did manage to turn a 3-point deficit into a 2-point lead.

6. Jaylen Brown's emotional intelligence

Jaylen had a rough start to the game, finishing the first quarter with a fifth from the field. He made several hard shots off the dribble that were outside the flow of the attack. This isn't entirely unusual or disappointing, but the quality of the look was low and the percentages reflected that.

However, Jaylen didn't let the poor shooting deter him. He chose it and took a more targeted approach. In the second quarter, all five of his shot attempts failed at the rim.

Brown is fearsome in transition and as a driver in the halfcourt. That he was able to recognize so quickly that his hitting diet needed to be adjusted says a lot about how he thinks about the game at this stage of his career.

Another sign of this was this pick & roll rep with Neemias Queta:

His patience in manipulating and detaining the big guy while keeping his own defender in prison is extremely strong. Brown plays this perfectly and finds Queta on top for the easy lob.

After successfully playing his way into a flow, JB treated himself to another pull-up 3 as a reward.

7. Is there reason to be concerned about Horford?

The answer is a resounding no.

Horford finished the game with zero points and just two FGA. He wasn't significantly involved offensively, but still managed to be useful. This is highlighted by the fact that he finished the game at +17. In many cases +/- doesn't tell the whole story, but for Horford it is an accurate representation of the contribution in a way not always reflected in the box score.

For example, take a possession like this:

Horford creates excellent protection that completely takes Pritchard's defenders out of the game. He isn't credited with an assist, but one could argue that his screen deserves one considering it leads directly to a wide-open look.

He contributed some rebounds to eliminate the possession and had his moments on defense.

In his 18th season, it's more important than ever to ensure Horford's workload is manageable. When there are nights like this in the regular season where very little production is required of him, that should only be seen as a positive. Having three capable centre-backs behind him should continue to be a big boost for him.

8. Lightning from Queta

As mentioned, it's a huge advantage that Boston can produce four quality players while its borderline All-Star center takes a break. Queta played just under 14 minutes in that game, but was full of insight into the type of contributor the Celtics hope to help mold him into.

Queta makes a lot of energy plays and has a high motor when it comes to going after offensive rebounds. Any team would love to gain extra possessions on the glass.

I find it useful to take note of those possessions where he's playing alongside a legitimate NBA center and can get the most out of them. The defense is still being worked on and more playing time should help him develop, but there were still a few occasions where he was able to stop Valančiūnas.

Now that he's in Boston full-time, his role will only increase if he's able to deliver performances like this.

9. Payton Pritchard's Sam Hauser impression

After an inefficient first game, Payton Pritchard returned to his usual sniping demeanor.

There was a Sam Hauser-sized hole in the rotation, and Pritchard filled it. 3PT shooting isn't exclusive to Hauser, but the type of look Payton got tonight was reminiscent of Sam's typical shooting styles.

It was a lot of motion shooting and screens en route to five three-pointers for Pritchard. One of the best looks of the night was a relay effect from Holiday and Kornet to free him.

10. Scheierman's first NBA points

With the departures of Oshae Brissett and Svi Mykhailiuk, Garbage Time needs a new hero. Right now, it looks like this could be Baylor Scheierman's chance to shine.

He missed with a pair of three-pointers, but got his first NBA bucket on a transit layup that was enough to give him the game ball.

Rotation minutes are rare, but with Boston consistently leading by over 20 points, Baylor has a chance to play longer than usual. Considering he's on a standard contract, there's no limit to the number of games he can play for Boston this season, but in the long run it will be best for his development to make the most of those minutes and eventually Spending time in Maine.