After an eventful offseason with a few trades and major personnel changes, many people expected the Boston Celtics to emerge as front-runners in the Eastern Conference.
That certainly hasn’t been the case.
The Celtics are going through a rough phase and are having a heck of a time figuring themselves out, even with a great team and distinguished coach.
Right now the Celtics are ninth in the East and sitting exactly at .500 at 14-14.
That’s a far cry from the top of the standings.
Time is running out for the Celtics this season, especially with multiple major problems plaguing them.
Jaylen and Jayson
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are two of the best players in the entire NBA and should be creating one of the finest backcourts in the entire league.
However, these two are just not playing together as they should be.
Individually they are creating 21.2 points and 26.2 points respectively, which are impressive numbers.
However, they are often lacking chemistry together and don’t seem to be playing as a cohesive unit.
They haven’t played together enough this year and, when they have, their time has been filled with some missed opportunities and unwise shots, and clumsy plays.
They are similar players – perhaps too similar – and aren’t complementing each other enough.
Now, the good news is that they might be finding their footing and getting better – but is it too little, too late?
The truth is that the team should probably only have one Jay: Tatum or Brown.
Sure enough, the latest rumors say that the age of Jaylen and Jayson is probably coming to an end.
“I think this is definitely the beginning of the end for the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown pairing…I think sometime in the next 12-18 months we’re really going start to hear conversations about the future of Boston with Jaylen Brown heading out the door.”
– @JakeLFischer pic.twitter.com/LSbr7HXVyq
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) December 13, 2021
Based on how this season is going, that might be for the best.
Defensive Effort
Marcus Smart, Al Horford, and Brown have all been known as terrific defensive players but they’re aren’t showing it this season.
Their defensive rating (107.1) is not nearly good enough, especially when you consider that head coach Ime Udoka joined the team because of his strong defensive reputation.
It’s not that the Celtics have horrible defense, it’s just that their defense isn’t nearly good enough based upon the team they have.
When the season started, the Celtics were mired in multiple overtimes, showing the lack of urgency when it comes to defense.
Additionally, they rank toward the bottom of the league when it comes to allowing opponents to secure defensive rebounds.
All of this shows that the Celtics just aren’t doing enough to strengthen their D.
With the lineup they have, there is no excuse for that.
Lack of Effort
The biggest issue facing the Celtics is absent-mindedness.
The Celtics are becoming known for some sloppy plays and simple mistakes that are costing them games.
The other night against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Celtics turned the ball over 23 times.
That’s an astronomically high number yet still their second-most so far this season.
Turnover bug got the Celtics last night 🐞 pic.twitter.com/tg7nu7BaME
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) December 9, 2021
The Eastern Conference is tough this year and the Celtics need to be tougher if they hope to go far into the postseason.
Unless they repair the issues bothering them, Boston is going to be lucky to make it to the playoffs.
