#Garrison matthews full#

Two years in the league means the secret is out: when Mathews is in, make him guard in ball screens. With Mathews as the primary defender, his opponent shot 56.1% at the rim, and he was overall torn apart when having to guard the pick-and-roll. He’d rather kick it out or take a step-back than face physicality or length at the hoop.ĭefensively, Mathews’ Synergy statistics rate out poorly - often times not definitive proof of subpar defensive acumen but a confirmation of the eye test. Last year, only 12 of his 163 attempts (6.3%) in the half-court came at the rim, and four attempts were runners. Offensively, he’s going to be purely a jump shooter. It’s important to understand the limitations Mathews brings to the table. New head coach Ime Udoka will be tasked with integrating a great deal of new faces into a lineup built around Tatum and Brown while ensuring the playbook doesn’t devolve into “stand around and watch our young stars work.” By adding guys like Mathews, Josh Richardson and Aaron Nesmith over the last few years, Stevens and his crew are not-so-subtly mandating movement within the offense. If such a warning sounds familiar to Celtics fans, that’s because it is. That number was closer to 30% his first year.

Last year, with both Beal and Westbrook in town, only 18.6% of Mathews’ attempts came from handoffs or screens. Placing Mathews as a pawn who stands in the corner isn’t the optimal usage of such a lethal movement threat. Mathews struggled at times in Washington because of the ball dominance of both Westbrook and Beal. He’s lethal on broken plays and in transition, finding his way to the 3-point line and hunting extra passes to fire up a shot: In one of those starts, against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Mathews got going quickly. Volume wasn’t quite there for Garrison, but he shot a blistering 43.8% from deep. He started the next 21 games for Washington, playing fewer than 20 minutes a night but providing much-needed floor spacing next to Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal and a spatially-challenged starting group. In the first four games after he moved to a less prominent role, the Wizards were 1-3 and changed their rotation to get Mathews into the starting lineup. From January 9th to February 3rd, Mathews was a mainstay in the rotation, averaging 11.2 points per game while shooting 41.7% from 3 on over five attempts a night. Last year, Mathews got to play in 64 games during the COVID-shortened season, a biproduct of both the increased trust in him from the organization and repeated injuries to the Wizards. Brooks also recalled the story of Mathews’ pre-draft workout with the Wizards, where he left his impression by setting a record in their conditioning drill and running, as Brooks said, until “I thought his lungs were gonna explode.” Scott Brooks, former Wizards head coach, lauded Mathews as “the poster boy” for playing hard.

Mathews comes to Boston lauded not only for his shooting acumen but his work ethic.

#Garrison matthews full#

A prolific scorer at Lipscomb and former Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, Mathews is hoping to stick in the NBA after the Wizards, chocked full of bodies thanks to the Russell Westbrook trade, simply couldn’t spare the roster space to retain his services. He has five-times more threes (95) than career turnovers (18). Over two NBA seasons, Mathews has shot 95-244 (38.9%) from deep. But Mathews is proficient in a niche area that is vital in today’s game: he’s a specialty 3-point shooter.

Standing 6’5”, Mathews will turn 25 before November arrives, meaning he’s no spring chicken despite being a newer name in the league. With Mathews also eligible for a two-way contract, my odds are on him sticking around in Boston longer than just the next month. There’s zero risk involved for Brad Stevens and the Celtics with the non-guaranteed nature of the deal, and far more upside than those outside of DC have seen. Mathews is elite in his role and worthy of the 15th position on the Celtics bench. With little promise of a roster spot, the move brought a giant smile to my face. Quietly on Friday, the Boston Celtics announced the training camp and non-guaranteed signing of Garrison Mathews, formerly of the Washington Wizards.