The Boston Celtics have dropped three consecutive games and Marcus Smart is not happy.
Then again, no one on the Celtics is happy about the 2-5 start.
The latest loss came Monday as Boston collapsed in the fourth quarter en route to a 128-114 loss against the Chicago Bulls.
Chicago outscored Boston by a total of 39-11 in the quarter.
Smart was speaking with the media after the game when he decided to offer up a straightforward complaint toward two teammates in particular: Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
The comments begin at the 3:49 mark of the following video.
Smart starts out by saying that every team in the NBA knows that Brown and Tatum are the focal points of the Celtics offense.
He then goes on to offer the harsh criticism of saying neither young star wants to pass the ball even when opposing defenses are trying to force them to do just that.
Marcus Smart shares his thoughts after the Celtics' loss to the Bulls. pic.twitter.com/6bBBcKSKTw
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 2, 2021
A Constant Learning Curve
The veteran Smart does go on to say that Brown and Tatum are both still learning.
That is true as the former is 25 years old and the latter is 23.
Smart is the wise veteran at age 27.
The loss against the Bulls saw the duo combine for 48 points on 40 field goal attempts.
Yet Tatum’s night stands out as a huge negative given his minus-24 mark while on the floor.
That was the worst mark anyone had on either side.
The Celtics are 2-5 but that is no reason to panic.
If anything, Smart’s comments could be a wake-up call early in the season for the Celtics to get on track.
If Brown or Tatum take offense to the idea of passing more, that is on them.
What is being done now is not working and the Celtics may need a more team-centric approach to get back to .500.
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