Over the Celtics last three games, there has been one thing which they have gone back to again and again, running it successfully and burning opposing defenses in the process: the high pick-and-roll.

Two games ago it was Jayson Tatum who was the beneficiary of this, as he utilized Daniel Theis’s growing influence in pick-and-roll situations to drop a career high 41 points on the Pelicans. Against the Bulls, it was Enes Kanter in Theis’ absence, modifying it slightly by using the high pick-and-roll to fake defenders and run a slip screen instead.

The more the team sees success from this, the more patient they are becoming. When they lined up against the Pistons last night this was the play they went to when they needed a bucket. With Theis back in the starting lineup, the Celtics ran this play countless times with Gordon Hayward and Kemba Walker being the biggest beneficiaries.

The teams ability to attack from all three levels when coming off of the high screen is a weapon that continues to hurt opposing teams. The emergence of Jaylen Brown as a legitimate slashing threat on either side of the court along with Hayward’s mid-range prowess and Kemba Walker’s deep shot making ability is borderline unfair at times.

Credit should also be given to Theis who has vastly improved his ability as the screener over the first half of this season. There are times when he will run the dribble hand-off and go straight into a pin down to set a shooter free and force a mismatch or seal the ball handler’s defender to create an open lane.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.

It forces defenses to switch preemptively, providing mismatches before the roll has taken place. For a team displaying the patience that Boston does when they come off the pick, that is a dream scenario. If an off-ball player has already found a mismatch and the on-ball defender is fighting to get over the screener, there is enough space to get off the secondary pass and attack that mismatch. Should there be no mismatch there is still space to attack on the drive or pull-up.

It’s such a rudimentary play, but it’s yielding such good results which is in part down to the level of playmaking the team has across its roster. It has been three games since the team began creating their offense out of the high pick at a higher rate. In those three games the team has collectively produced 29 assists against the Pelicans, 28 assists against the Bulls, and 21 against the Pistons.

Furthermore, Kanter’s slip screen’s have been devastating. When he slips, he is forcing both the big man and help defender to sag which in turn is providing the ball handler with a passing lane. A quick pass is drawing the mismatch from the help defender which allows Kanter to work his magic down low.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.

Using the last three games as a bench mark can be deceiving due to the quality of the opponent. Tonight is a much sterner test. Should the Celtics find success running the offense through the high screen against the Bucks, then there is a legitimate chance it becomes a true staple of the offense.

So when the Celtics are on offense tonight, keep an eye on how they operate above the break. This could be the start of their identity as a unit or it could be born out of necessity. Either way, the way to test this is to run it against the best teams in the league and tonight they have that chance.