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Team Fight Tuesday: blasé Hard Carries Boston

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Welcome back to Team Fight Tuesday here at BSE. What a weekend for the Uprising huh? Sure they got smacked by San Francisco, but who really had the Uprising winning that match anyway?

Yeah, you’d have to be really brave or really dumb to have the Uprising upset the shock.

The real story here is the amazing match against the Paris Eternal on Sunday. Starting the match 0-2, it looked like just another moment in rock bottom for Boston. Except the map that Paris had to win was none other than Boston’s home court – Eichenwalde.

Boston’s Second Eichenwalde Attack

Even though Boston is 2-2 on Eichenwalde, it has been the map where Boston likes to start their reverse sweeps. Against both Toronto and Atlanta, Boston was able to turn the matches around on this map. It’s only fitting that after a rough skid Boston would find their groove where they play best. And in true Boston form, the Uprising decided to wait till the very last moment to win the map.

The first attack was dominated by Colourhex and his amazing display of Pharah play. His 4 kills alone won them the point and left Paris reeling. However, it seemed as though Paris was ready for Chex the second time around. They opted for a Dva over the Sombra for their defensive setup. Though Sombra is quite the pain for Pharah, Dva brings much more utility and sustain in a high-pressure situation like this defense.

With an early sleep onto Colourhex Paris immediately halts the Boston assault. Shortly after both AimGod and blasé are killed. The attack appeared to have failed, and Boston would have to settle for another match loss.

That is, until Kellex revives blasé, who proceeds to put the team on his back. Time to track how hard blasé carries this fight.


blasé Punches His Way Through Paris

As blasé comes back, Paris makes the mistake of using a sleep dart to try and sleep Fusions rather than blasé. Sleep dart has an 12 second cooldown, giving blasé a large window of opportunity for aggressive play. Now the only hard crowd control Paris has left is Brigitte’s shield bash. Naturally, blasé is aware of this as well, and focuses NiCOgdh first.

Doomfist Hard Carry MeterLow

The second mistake was trying to fight a Doomfist inside close quarters. As blasé escapes to wait on his cooldowns, Kruise and Finnsi attempt to finish off Boston’s low health Doomfist. What Paris did not expect, was for blasé to punch away Finnsi and one-shot Kruise.

Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
blasé survives this.
Doomfist Hard Carry MeterMedium

Meanwhile on point, BenBest uses shatter to stun Fusions and rCk in hopes to gain a player advantage over the Uprising. Altough rCk does die, Fusions manages to live and continue contesting the point. NiCOgdh swaps to Tracer to race back to point, leaving Paris no hope for a Brig rally.

Now that two of the supports are down, it only makes sense to focus down the last one. blasé catches Greyy off to the side of point, split away from the Paris tanks. A quick auto attack and an uppercut sends the Paris Ana back to spawn. 3/3 on healers for blasé.

Doomfist Hard Carry MeterHigh

With the help of Kellex to keep him healthy, blasé then turns back towards point to pick his next victim. A half health Danye sits on the point, and blasé slams him into house behind point. blasé 4, Eternal 0.

Doomfist Hard Carry MeterGonna need a Chiropractor

Hackfist Demonstrating its Strength against GOATs

Keep in mind, this entire skirmish happens in just under a minute. It isn’t until blasé is hard focused by the two remaining tanks that his killing spree ends. Although they kill the Doomfist, the rest of Boston is back from spawn to clean up the mess blasé left.

This fight is a prime example of how Boston’s use of the Hackfist comp will propel them to the next level. As teams lean on GOATs to be their crutch, the chaos that Doomfist and Sombra create causes the GOATs composition to play sub-optimally. Spreading apart healers and tanks allows other DPS characters like Pharah to focus down isolated targets.

Ana is isolated. Image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
BenBest may have killed AimGod, but he left his own Ana exposed.

For example, as blasé punches Greyy away from the fight, he removes a healer so that Danye can’t keep pressure on Fusions. This forces Finnsi and BenBest to fall back onto point to defend the Zarya, but this rotation is too slow. Without a shield or defense matrix, Colourhex is free to deal damage to a defenseless Danye. By the time the Paris tanks reach Danye, he is already below half-health and is one-punched by blasé.

He Does it Again on Dorado

Just to prove it wasn’t a fluke on Eichenwalde, Boston runs back the triple DPS composition for point C of Dorado. After an ineffective barrage from Colourhex, blasé ults onto point in hopes to find a pick. Because rCk is actually able to hack Danye (who is also on Sombra), blasé is given a free shot to kill Danye.

Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

Again, look how split apart the Eternal are in this fight. NiCOgdh is miles away because he was punched over a wall. BenBest panics and ults in hopes to hit blasé, but instead only hits Fusions. Finnsi is de-meched from the barrage earlier, and is running around trying to get his mech back. On the other hand, Boston is grouped around the cart getting heals from Kellex’s ultimate. The high mobility of Boston’s entire comp allows them to quickly flank and then group up again. Paris does not have that luxury, and severely pay for it.

blasé continues to hard carry Boston, as he goes to roll over Finnsi, BenBest, and NiCOgdh. Another fight, another four kills for blasé on his signature hero. Let’s check in on that carry meter once more.

Doomfist Hard Carry MeterPlease don’t sell blasé

Welcome Back DPS

While I may be highlighting blasé this time around, I can’t stress enough how well each member of Boston played. Even though the first half of the match was a wash, the second half had heroic plays from each Uprising player. Chex was insane the entire time on Pharah. Kellex and AimGod got an incredible amount of picks on the enemy support line. rCk hit some amazing EMPs on Dorado and Nepal. And of course, Fusions’ shatter on Eichenwalde was the reason he received player of the match from the OWL desk.

I love this team on DPS characters because it shows the rest of the world what Huk saw in these guys. With that said, that’s going to be it for Team Fight Tuesday! This week we have our last match up of the stage against Philly, so hopefully the momentum from this match carries into the next.

Be sure to follow Brock on twitter for more breakdowns and analysis #BostonUp

Red Sox need to take advantage of upcoming stretch

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Christian Vazquez capped an exciting comeback with an extra inning walk off homer on Friday night. The Sox managed to erase a 5-1 deficit to beat the Toronto Blue Jays when Chris Sale did not have his best stuff. One would hope this exciting victory could jump start the Sox into a series win. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The Red Sox then proceeded to have a really bad weekend. They lost two out of three at home to a Blue Jays team that was 27-48 going into this series. The bullpen blew a 6-1 lead on Saturday. The offense and Rick Porcello were not effective on Sunday. The official start of Summer at Fenway was spoiled by the Jays from Toronto.

However, there is something to look forward to. Boston is now entering a rather favorable stretch of play, as five of the next seven series contain sub .500 opponents. The Chicago White Sox come into Fenway for a three game series starting Monday. The White Sox currently hold a 36-39 record. (Not to mention Boston clobbered Chicago in early May, scoring 34 runs and winning three of four.)

Following this series in The United States, Boston will travel across the Pond to London. On June 29h and 30th, Boston will take on the 49-28, American League East leading New York Yankees. Also, the Sox will be off on June 27th and 28th and July 1st. This is the last team over .500 the Red Sox will face before the All-Star Break.

The Red Sox will then leave Europe for Canada for three games with the Jays before returning back to the states. Boston will wrap up the unofficial first half of the season with 3 between the woeful Detroit Tigers, who currently sport a 26-44 record.

After the All Star Break, Boston is back for three games at Fenway with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a rematch of last year’s Fall Classic. Los Angeles currently has the best record in baseball with 50 wins to a mere 25 loses.

The Red Sox end that homestand with a four game series against the Blue Jays. Boston will then travel to Baltimore to face an Orioles team that currently sits last in the majors with a not-so-hot record of 21 and 53.

It is crucial the Red Sox make the most out of this part of their schedule if they want to cut into the Yankees lead. They already started this stretch on the wrong foot by losing a home series to the poultry Blue Jays. (Not to mention, making me change my article.)

After these 21 games with six days off, Boston crashes back to reality with four straight series against New York and Tampa Bay. If the Red Sox want to avoid that nerve-wracking, unpredictable Wild-Card Game, they need to take advantage of the next four weeks. Not only is the competition inferior, they have a lot of off days.

Bottom line, Boston cannot afford too many more poor series against under .500 teams.

Photo courtesy of Michael Dwyer, AP Photo

Follow Chad Jones on Twitter @ShutUpChadJones

This Upcoming White Sox Series Is Huge For The Red Sox

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The Boston Red Sox are coming off of a rather disappointing series with the Toronto Blue Jays. They lost two out of three at home and continue to underachieve so far this 2019 season. But fear not Red Sox fans, there is still plenty of time left to get back into the divisional race! The Red Sox welcome the Chicago White Sox to Fenway Park for a three game series, starting today. But, what people do not realize is that this series is huge for the Red Sox for multiple reasons.

They Are Under .500 At Home Right Now

You read that correctly. The Red Sox currently sit under .500 at home, with an 18-19 record at Fenway Park. The obvious reason for this series being crucial is to get the Red Sox back to .500 or better at home. Red Sox fans know with this team that they play much better at home, historically. With the green monster at their disposal, they can use it for more extra base hits which will lead to more runs, which then leads to more wins. What a concept! But on a serious note, the Red Sox could use a sweep of the White Sox to get themselves back on track when they play at home.

They Have Most Of Their Top Starters For This Series

The Red Sox starters favor the White Sox starters throughout the whole series, with the exception of Lucas Giolito. The Red Sox get to see Giolito tonight while they counter with Eduardo Rodriguez. Rodriguez has done well lately as he has averaged seven innings in his past two starts. He is also 3-1 with a 4.00 ERA in six starts at Fenway this season. This season, Giolito has a 10-2 record with a 2.74 ERA. In other words, he’s a stud. It looks tough on paper for tonight, but it’s baseball; anything can happen in this game. The rest of the series, you have David Price and Chris Sale to close out the series. Price has been consistent throughout the season so far. Sale has found his form lately. However, he has not won a start at Fenway this season. Their better pitchers are throwing in this series. Therefore, the Red Sox should win at least two out of three.

The Red Sox Go To London Right After

After the White Sox series, the Red Sox hop on a plane to go to London to take on the Yankees for a two game set. Between the flight, time differences, and everything else in between, the Red Sox might not play their best games. That’s another reason why they need to play so well at Fenway these next three days. Win the series, get some momentum back, and do your best to split or even sweep the series against the Yankees. We know the Red Sox can do it, now they just have to execute.

In Conclusion

The Red Sox need a spark and this could be it. By beating the White Sox handily at Fenway, it can hopefully get them some momentum as the first half of the season winds down. The White Sox are not like the Yankees, Astros, or Indians. They are a team that the Red Sox should beat with relative ease. Don’t mess around and go get this series win!

Shotcaller

Monday Morning Shotcaller: Stage 3 Week 3

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It’s not exactly a hot take to say Boston hasn’t been great in stage 3. Going 0-4 so far, there hasn’t been much for fans to celebrate. That can all change in a heartbeat, and a win, this weekend. Next up is the San Francisco Shock and a rematch from two weeks ago with the Paris Eternal. With the fear of getting an 0-6 record looming overhead, how would the boys in blue respond?

In Thursday’s match against the Shock, you had Boston facing a surging juggernaut. San Francisco is coming off a Stage 2 golden stage, championship, and being the first team to deliver a loss to the Vancouver Titans. Unsurprisingly, they got swept. But there were positive signs. Boston played dps heavy team comps, made some solid plays, and showed much better coordination than they have all stage. Against a non-elite team like the Shock, there was hope they could win.

Then came Paris. Barely beating Boston two weeks ago, they wouldn’t be so lucky this time. And like it was drawn up by the coaches, the win goes to Boston in the form of a reverse sweep. More GOATs thrown into the mix, better job by just about everyone, and calm under pressure all added up to a Boston win.

A lot to digest here. Let’s break it down.

The Good

  • Nothing could start this more than the reverse sweep. Boston came out with a dump in their pants against Paris, but the magic was brewing as they started on Eichenwelde. The coordination between the triple DPS, supports, and tanks was firing. No one knows reverse sweeps and how to handle the accompanying pressure like Boston, so good for them. You could tell the pressure got to Paris and Map 5 was a formality as the W was locked in.
  • Blase was the best player for the Uprising this week. With Boston going full HackFist on Thursday and giving it plenty of love on Sunday, the dps man stuck in the Brig was the centerpiece of the team. He did not disappoint. Swapping onto Junkrat, Pharah, Doomfist and Bastion. This Pharah play was just ridiculous:
  • Hard to see who is doing what during an OWL broadcast. First, they have no idea what’s happening next. Second, they can only show one player/angle at a time. Therefore, we missed alot of what Fusions was doing the second half against Paris. What we did see, though, was the Eternal’s entire roster get knocked on their ass time and time again by his shatters. Clearly the Brit regrouped and hit his spots as he was in the middle of all the big plays at the end of the Paris match.
  • You have to have some balls to not play GOATs at all in a match at this point, and Boston did it against SF. Did it work? No. But would GOATs have worked against them? No way. I appreciate that the coaching staff was willing to go all in on the dps heavy comps – that will pay off as the team learns and grows from this experience.

The Bad

  • Pretty obvious that Fusions remains the #1 target for opposing teams. While SF somehow found rCk more often than you’d like, they and Paris focused on Boston’s shotcaller. He did better surviving against Paris, and the team seems to be able to deal with Blase on comms now. That needs to keep up if Boston wants to remain viable.
  • rCk did not have a good match against San Fran. While all teams at this point are focusing Fusions, there were too many team fights in Thursday’s match that saw rCk get picked first. He’s supposed to be invisible! Monte said on the cast that the Finn was taken 1:45 to charge his EMP. Worst thing a Sombra can do is die and be slow to get the ult. Not a recipe for winning.
  • I mentioned in my preview that Boston needs to settle on a support line. They didn’t. Boston continues to alternate their supports as we saw Persia/Alemao get the start Thursday and Aimgod/Kellex on Sunday. Is this the line going forward? What’s the big picture here?
https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1141844822829031424
  • Boston’s Paris defense on Point A against the Shock started off great. Bunker comp seemed to be working for them, but once they inevitably caved they got snowballed again. They can’t keep allowing themselves to fail at regrouping on Point B.
  • I can’t blanket praise the team for the Paris match. Those first two maps were ugly, particularly control. Blase on Tracer didn’t work out. Fusions’ Wrecking Ball is still questionable. There was no answer to the Paris Roadhog. It makes it that much more surprising that they were able to come back honestly.
  • Once Colourhex lost a Widow duel to Danye on Dorado, he goes on for a 3k. Brutal. Probably the only glaring loss I saw with Colour on the Widow.

The Uprising

  • I gave some love to Blase, but lets not forget Colourhex. He flexed onto Pharah and Widow all week to great effect. His Zarya has come a long way too. He may be the most unsung hero of the team.
  • Fun to see Amplification Matrix come out on Paris Point A for both the Shock and Uprising. While us plebes question how some heroes will be used, pros always find great uses for the seemingly obscure or useless abilities.
  • As Boston started Dorado, Paris whipped out some Mei stall defense by the first building. Never seen it. Love how Boston rode it out, building up ults and plowing the Eternal in a clean team kill. That may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, as Boston never looked back through the reverse sweep.
  • Aimgod. Need I say more? Ok, how about his sleepdarts? That pick on the Pharah where she slides down the roof – a masterpiece. His well timed biotic grenades, especially that one he tossed into a graviton on Map 5 against Paris – makes you wonder why anyone thought it a good idea to let him ride the pine.
  • Best part of that sudden death map was with Paris owning the point, 5 ults in the chamber, and the casters all but calling it for them. With ult economy and positioning against them, Boston dug themselves an early grave. Leave it to the boys in blue to come back. Next time you hear people doubt Fusions’ Winston, remind them of this map where he controlled all the space on the point. Just delicious.
  • Man that play at the end, in overtime, with rCk and Kruise (Lucio). With an EMP in tow, rCk goes around the point, manually hacks Lucio, then translocates onto the point and immediately deploys the EMP. Game. Set. Match.

Outlook

Well, where exactly does a 1-5 Stage 3 record put Boston? Stage playoffs are gone, but season playoffs are still on the line. Boston is a win below that 12th spot and well behind in map differential, so each match matters. They can’t afford to drop maps from hereon out. There are plenty of positives to take out of this weekend.

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1142926179697156096

Boston is out ahead on the Sombra and HackFist meta. Blase is an S-Tier Doom and if rCk can play his best, I have no doubt Boston is the best dps team in the league. They need to play their best support players, which I believe to be Aimgod/Kellex. Lastly, they need Fusions’ best. It’s unlikely the Uprising’s support can keep him upright with the damage he gets, so the dps needs to peel and counter focus better. I’m undecided if Boston should abandon GOATs completely – it worked keeping it against Paris. I’ll leave it to Huk on that one.

Lastly, it’s the little things that bring me joy. Like seeing the Eternal’s Kruise slam and kick the desk after getting reverse swept. I could bathe in the tears of opposing, reverse swept teams. After a week that saw Vancouver and Houston go down, the league is wide open. If Boston can stay the course and iron out their inconsistency, they could shove a (Doom)fist right through everyone in the league.

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1142989499879890945

For more Boston Uprising content and gameday banter, follow Loadscr33n on Twitter #BostonUp

Red Sox

RED SOX – WHITE SOX SERIES PREVIEW

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Every time things are looking up for this team, they go and shoot themselves in the foot. The series against the Blue Jays wasn’t just bad, it was nearly a disaster. Only a late rally in Game 1 of the Blue Jays series prevented this from being a home sweep. Now with an 18-19 record at home, the Red Sox welcome a White Sox team containing one of the hottest young starters in the majors right now.

6/24 Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Lucas Giolito (R) 7:10 pm NESN

6/22 David Price vs. TBD 7:10 pm NESN

6/23 Chris Sale vs. Reynaldo Lopez (R) 1:05 pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

The series loss to the Blue Jays is on the pitchers. Sale gave up four runs in five innings, the bullpen allowed all eight in Game 2, and Porcello allowed five in six innings on Sunday. Yes, the offense failed to fire on Sunday, but they scored 14 runs in the first two games. To have seven runs scored, the starter to blank an opponent over five innings and lose is a disaster. In the same vein, Porcello simply cannot allow five runs to be scored and expect to win. 15 runs in three games should have been enough to win this series. The fact it was not lies with the rotation and the bullpen. Now they need to bounce back.

Giolito is reminding everyone in baseball why he was so highly touted as a prospect. The 24-year old pitcher has been superb in 2019, with a 2.74 ERA entering this start. In 85 1/3 innings, he has struck out a whopping 105 batters while walking 29. To put that into context; his 2019 K/9 is 10.97 and his BB/9 is 3.06, compared to career numbers prior to this season of 6.4 (K/9) and 4.3 (BB/9). It gets worse when you look at his splits, as he performs better on the road than at home, with a 2.49 ERA and a .180 batting average against away from home.

The counter to the good performances of Giolito is the struggles of Lopez. Another highly touted prospect, Lopez has a 6.23 ERA this season in 86 2/3 innings. Lopez’s struggles have come in the form of the home run, allowing 2.18 HR/9. He has been slightly better at preventing home runs on the road, but other numbers have been worse. His batting average against on the road is .308, and opponents slugging percentage is up at .573.

HITTERS

The Red Sox will be seeing two right-handed pitchers in this series, which is a promising situation for their offense. Against righties, the Red Sox have the highest batting average in the majors, the fourth highest wOBA, and the seventh best strikeout rate. Home runs have not been free-flowing, as they rank 13th in that category. However, they rank second in the majors in runs scored against righties, with 321 runs scored.

In stark contrast, the White Sox will find three left-handed pitchers waiting for them in Boston. The White Sox have seen the seventh-least amount of PA this season against lefties, and their success has been mixed. On one hand they rank ninth in the majors in batting average against lefties, but equally, they rank 26th when it comes to ISO, and 20th in slugging percentage.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pitching: Three lefties in one series is certainly interesting. In a way, it is a bad time for the Red Sox not to need their fifth starter, due to the trip to London, because Johnson looked good last time out. However, they now get to throw their best four pitchers at opponents for the next nine games. Most teams would kill to not need their fifth starter for the next two weeks. Now the Red Sox need their starters to step up and take advantage.

Hitting: This is the series where Mookie Betts is going to turn his form around. The Red Sox talisman has struggled in June, with a .213 batting average. However, with two righties lined up, and potentially a third, he has a chance to get right. Betts’ has a .280 batting average, and has hit 11 of his 12 home runs, off righties. The same goes for Devers, who is having his worst month, but has 10 of his 12 home runs off right-handed pitchers. Before a big series in London, the Red Sox need these two to get themselves back in form.

EXPECTATIONS

Right now at Fenway Park nothing is a given for the Red Sox. They have not won a home series in June, going 4-7. In fact, they have not won a series at home in over a month, with their last victorious series coming when the Colorado Rockies visited. At least one game in this series will be tough to win, with Lucas Giolito on the mound, but Chris Sale against Reynaldo Lopez should be a very winnable game.

The Red Sox are travelling to London in four days time to take on the Yankees. If they do not win two games in this series, there is a very real chance they could head to London down double-digits on their biggest rivals for this division. If they can take a game off Lucas Giolito Monday, then a series sweep, and the confidence that comes with it, will be there for the taking.

How Can Xander Bogaerts be the Best Shortstop in the AL and not an All-Star?

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Once again, Xander Bogaerts has been criminally underrated. For the second straight year he’s tearing it up. He’s currently in the midst of a career year and shows no signs of slowing down. So how the hell is he not the starter in the all-star game for the American League at shortstop? How is he not even in the top three?!

Obviously, fan voting will never be perfect. However, when a player has been as good as Xander has, there’s no reason to leave him off of your ballot.

Numbers Never Lie

He’s first in doubles, walks, OBP and RBIs amongst all shortstops in baseball. He also ranks within the top five in OPS, runs, hits, home runs, batting average and slugging percentage. Oh yeah, and of any player in baseball, only Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger, Max Scherzer, Christian Yelich and Ketel Marte have accumulated more fWAR.

Every possible category, Bogaerts is in the lead or right behind the leader. With Xander’s improved defense and more disciplined plate approach, he is ranked fWAR wise as the best shortstop in the league.

So how is he not getting all-star love? Somehow Carlos Correa was deemed more worthy than Xander. Red Sox rival Gleyber Torres is probably deserving to be in the final three, but not ahead of Xander. The only player who plausibly should/could have more votes is Jorge Polanco. Like Bogaerts, he is in the middle of a career year, and does slightly have the edge on Xander in a couple categories.

Regardless, a .923 OPS is top 20 in all of baseball, and the fact that it’s not enough to get Bogaerts on the final ballot is absurd.

It’s Just an All-Star Game…

At the end of the day Xander Bogaerts is a two-time World Series champion who’s fresh off a huge payday. So really, he won’t lose much sleep over this snub. It’s the All-Star game, it really doesn’t hold much value or merit anymore. Nonetheless, it clearly irked Bogaerts (reasonably so) and reignited a debate regarding fan voting.

Above you can see Xander talk about the frustration of the selection process and how it’s affected him. At the end of the day, he’ll realize that it really isn’t a huge deal to be voted in. As a matter of fact, there’s still a good chance he makes the team as a reserve/replacement.

But still, it sucks for Xander, who is one of the best players on this team, and right now, the best shortstop in baseball. He was robbed of an all-star spot, and these are just the facts.

Bogaerts is notoriously better in the first half of the season. The rest during the all-star break that he’ll get since he was snubbed will light a fire in his stomach. This whole situation can motivate him to put together an impressive, full season like the one he has so far.

Bogaerts
Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Bruins First Round draft pick John Beecher: What You Need To Know

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On Friday night the Boston Bruins selected 18 year old Center John Beecher of the US NTDP. Beecher is committed to play for the University of Michigan come fall.

I mentioned Beecher as a potential prospect for the Bruins to select in the second part of my Bruins offseason outlook.

The Rundown

The numbers for John Beecher throughout his US NDTP career don’t exactly jump out at you in the stat book. But don’t be alarmed, he was on the team for a reason. Beecher has good skating and scoring abilities, but not quite as good as the other centers on the team. Never getting to play the role of more than a third line center, Bleecher still had a stellar career. Bleecher was stuck in the shadows of other elite center prospects Trevor Zegras, Alex Turcotte, and the first overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft Jack Hughes. Hughes, Zegras, and Turcotte all tend to be more along the lines of the scoring and playmaking type. Beecher can do a little bit of everything, but he also brings something to the table that most players at his age and position cant: Size.

Tale of the tape

Beecher weighs in at an impressive 200 pounds while standing 6’3. At the young age of 18, he’s already got a leg up on the competition. Size isn’t something you can teach, but skating, shooting, and defending all are things you can. Beecher’s size has already become something that he uses to his advantage. The ability to shake off defenders, stride passed defenders, and bully defenders in front of the net have all become a part of Beecher’s offensive game. Beecher’s size helps on both ends of the ice however. Paired with his good skating skills, his size also tends to be a nightmare for opposing teams while he’s on the forecheck. A large body that isn’t afraid to bang on the boards, Beecher could someday become a key part in the Bruins forecheck game. Beecher is also known for his willingness to block shots.

Offense

One thing that comes as a surprise to many when looking at the size of John Beecher is his playmaking ability. His height, wingspan, as well as his skating abilities make it easier for him to make a play. The ability to shake off defenders makes it easier for Beecher to cycle the puck. Beecher’s ability to cycle the puck could eventually find him on the power play at the NHL level. The speed and footwork for Beecher are very good for his size. He can keep up with most guys at the NHL level when fully developed. While being able to out skate some players, he can also out battle players as well. Beecher has a good sense of control with the puck around the goalie. His puck control, combined with size, and good hands could someday be a nightmare for opposing teams.

In Conclusion

PATIENCE. We already know that John Beecher’s size is NHL ready. But given his young age of 18, his skills might not quite be there yet. Skating D-1 college hockey, and eventually skating with Providence in the AHL will provide excellent learning opportunities for Beecher. Going back to the point that Beecher was in the shadow of other centers, it will help if he can center a top or second line. Seeing him with top line talent could show off his playmaking abilities, as well as his scoring ability. All in all I think the Boston Bruins made a very solid pick tonight. Being able to land a talent like Beecher should have the Bruins very happy with their 30th overall selection.

The second through seventh rounds of the 2019 NHL draft will take place on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins will pick four times on Saturday as of Friday night.

Boston Bruins offseason outlook part two; Free agents and more

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After falling one game short of winning the Stanley Cup, the Boston Bruins can set themselves up for another run with some good additions.

As the team looks to win now, the future starts with the draft

The first round of the NHL draft is Friday night. The Bruins hold the 30th pick in this year’s draft. Now that the league has announced the salary cap will be $81.5 or $82.0 Million, however, it is more likely that we see a trade. A trade involving the Bruins first round pick Friday night could be one way for the team to clear some cap space. Assuming that the Bruins keep the pick, there are a lot of options on the board for them. Looking at the Bruins minor league system, there aren’t really any glaring holes that need to be addressed. The Bruins goalie depth is good enough for them to stay away from a goalie in the first round, and maybe in the 2019 draft as a whole. Given the young D core that the Bruins have assembled, I think we see Boston take a forward.

Whos caught the eye?

Forwards John Beecher, Bobby Brink, and Michal Teply are some realistic names for the Bruins to possibly take at 30. A play maker (Teply), a shooter (Brink), and a banger (Beecher). All three are well rounded, but the mentioned skills are the ones that stick out. All three players would certainly impact the Boston Bruins one day.

Money talks

As mentioned in my first offseason outlook article, the Boston Bruins have a good amount of money to spend on their own free agents before they look elsewhere. With key players like Carlo and McAvoy to bring back, the amount of money that the Bruins can shell out during free agency is limited. Marcus Johansson is a name that will be swirling around the Bruins until he is signed. Johansson will likely hit the free agent market and test the waters, as he should after a good year. Free agency will be very interesting for the Bruins. Their biggest need is a top six forward. The amount of money that the Bruins will be able to give a player capable of fitting a top six role might not be enough to seal the deal. Johannson is likely the most suitable player for the Bruins to target and ultimately bring back.

Outside help?

Another very interesting name that could be tied to the Bruins is former Anaheim Ducks star Corey Perry. After being bought out by the Ducks, Perry is now a free agent. Perry, a right wing, would fit well in the Bruins lineup, as well as the Bruins style of play. Perry is 6’3 and plays more of a power forward roll. Will he fit with the playmaking skills of David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk? I would certainly love to find out. Milan Lucic is another name that a lot of Bruins fans keep bringing up. Lucic was a crowd favorite who also played a top six power forward roll. Still under contract with Edmonton, it would take a buyout for the chance to come back to Boston. Similar to the Bruins situation with David Backes, it just doesn’t make much sense for the Oilers to buy him out.

Let the dominos fall

The NHL draft and free agency are both things that involve young players and money. Two things that the Boston Bruins have, kind of. With players lingering on the edge of the NHL, the Bruins have enough talent to ship out along side an undesirable contract like David Backes. The Bruins also have enough talent to go get a proven veteran on draft night in a trade that could involve the Bruins 30th overall pick. Don Sweeney and the rest of the Bruins front office will be VERY busy over the weekend.

Boston Celtics: Draft Reactions

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Draft Night

The 2019 NBA Draft was hosted by Brooklyn Thursday night. Perhaps fitting, the Nets were the team that helped the Boston Celtics get famously draft pick rich. Boston entered this draft with three first round picks (14th, 20th & 24th) and a second round pick (51st). Boston came away from the draft with the 14th, 22nd, 33rd and 51st picks. Justin Mantegani wrote an in-depth analysis of the Celtics draft for Boston Sports Extra. I will briefly gloss over Boston’s draft picks here for reference.

The Celtics picked guard/forward Romeo Langford from Indiana University with the 14th pick. Langford has been described as both a shooting guard as well as a small forward. After a series of trades, the Celtics picked power forward Grant Williams from the University of Tennessee with the 22nd pick, and point guard Carson Edwards from Purdue University with the 33rd pick. Finally, the Celtics picked LSU Tremont Waters with their 51st pick. The Celtics finished the night by signing DePaul guard Max Strus to a two-way player contract. It was also reported today Boston signed University of Central Florida center Tacko Fall to a contract with an Exhibit 10 clause.

The Boston Celtics took Romeo Langford of Indiana University with their first pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the 14th overall pick. Langford is a special talent, but not necessarily what the Celtics needed.

Draft Reactions

Depending on the source, or your personal feelings about the direction of the team, the draft stirred mixed reactions. Many fans were confused by moves during the draft, such as certain trade swaps and trading Aron Baynes. Some approved gaining cap space, while some worried the acquired 2020 Milwaukee Bucks pick would be the worst pick in the 1st round. Everyone is correct.

The Celtics did acquire more draft picks, but will they end up being valuable? Trading Baynes did free up $5.5 Million in cap space, but now Boston has one center on their roster: Robert Williams. The second-year player averaged 2.5 points per game and 2.5 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game in 32 games.

Theis Celtics
Second-year center Robert Williams remains the only center on the Boston Celtics roster. (Credit: Getty Images)

What’s Next

The Boston Celtics salary cap possibilities depends on several variables. Suffice it to say they’ll have ~$32.3M in “practical” salary cap space according to Spotrac.com. Considering the roster Boston likely enters 2019-2020 with, including the four draft picks and additional contracts, have an average age of 22.3 years. In fact, Jayson Tatum is the same age as three of the Celtics 2019 picks and/or post-draft signings. You might call the Boston Celtics a youth movement.

Does this mean the Celtics are rebuilding again? It does seem odd to add three guards and a small forward to a roster with four established guards and small forwards. Boston added a power forward but subtracted an established center. Rumors abound regarding the possibilities of the Celtics signing Nikola Vucevic, but is that enough? Vucevic made $12.7M last season and will likely command over $20M going forward. Vucevic also has many suitors, which doesn’t help the Celtics leverage. Unless Boston plans to play small ball – really small ball – they have to do something. It started with a few solid draft picks, but then took an odd turn. Time to keep the faith, Celtics Nation.

Evaluating The Celtic’s 2019 draft haul

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The 2019 NBA Draft has come to a close, and now teams can reassess what they have before free agency starts. The Celtics participated in an assortment of trades and brought home an interesting pool of prospects and assets. Here we’ll evaluate the haul that the C’s brought home.

Via cbssports.com

Prospects: Romeo Langford, SG; Grant Williams, PF; Carsen Edwards, PG/SG; Tremont Waters, PG Grade: B-

The Celtics draft translated from 14, 20, 22, and 51 into 14, 22, 33, 51. The talent brought in is an intriguing mix. Romeo Langford is not exactly what the Celtics needed. He’s a talented scorer and an excellent young wing, but the Celtics already have a bunch of those. Williams and Edwards are Brad Stevens-like players. Williams is a stretch 4 who like to bump-n’-grind in the paint. He also plays great defense. Carsen Edwards brings huge amounts of offensive production and is a hard-nosed player. Waters is a good passer, but didn’t make much sense after the Edwards pick. Any type of center, or any guy over 6’8″ would’ve made more sense. The Celtics also missed on trading up for a guard and grabbing a center like Brandon Clarke, which was desperately needed.

via nbcsports.com

Assets: Milwaukee 2020 1st Round pick (Top-6 protected), $5.45M in cap space Grade: A

Despite what some might call some missteps in the draft, the Celtics made sure to get some assets as well. By giving Aron Baynes to Phoenix when trading the Ty Jerome pick, the Celtics pick up another $5.45 million in cap space for a stacked FA class. In that same trade, Danny Ainge acquired another future first-round pick to help build this young team. Creating close to $30M in cap space and starting to fill the chest of draft picks is genius. The Celtics got high value for next to nothing in return. With an uncertain future, the Celtics combined young, raw prospects with solid assets to continue to build for the future. Only time will tell what Danny Ainge and the Celtics can turn this haul into.