The Boston Celtics are heading over to New Orleans tonight in what many are calling, Anthony Davis’ tryouts. Unfortunately, the Celtics have been struggling this season. They have a 10-10 record, 4-6 in their last 10. Most of their struggles have been coming on the road, as indicated by their 5-7 record, vs their 5-3 home record. Their inability to go on a win streak despite Kyrie cussing, and recent struggles, have Celtics fans wondering, “What’s wrong with the Boston Celtics”? In for me to explain to you guys what’s wrong with the Celtics, we’re going to have to take a deeper dive into several different aspects of the NBA and life. No, the problem with the Celtics is not Gordon Hayward.
First of all, why do good teams struggle?
Typically, there are several factors that can contribute to losses. I’m not talking about trap games. I’m talking about teams like the Jazz, Warriors, and Celtics, looking soft in wins and losing games they shouldn’t. Team chemistry and health are two obvious factors. Sometimes, a lack of veteran leadership can be a big factor. In the case of the Celtics, Brad Stevens and leadership can also be a huge piece of the blame. I’ll elaborate on that a bit further.
Let’s examine the Celtics’s health:
For the most part, the Boston Celtics have been healthy. Sure, I could make the argument that their sporadic injuries have derailed the team from meshing all at once. However, as you can seen below, their health really hasn’t been a factor in their losses. For the most part, they’ve been relatively healthy.
Games missed this season so far:
- Jaylen Brown: 1
- Kyrie Irving: 1
- Gordon Hayward: 2
- Al Horford: 1
- Aron Baynes: 3
This is a team that knows how to play through injuries.
The Boston Celtics are not struggling on defense:
The Celtics sure aren’t struggling defensively. Their 102.8 defensive rating is only second behind the 12-7 Oklahoma City Thunder. As of right now, their defensive rating is actually a little bit better than their defensive rating from last season. Without even checking, we can assume that their struggles are on the offensive end of the floor.
The Boston Celtics are struggling on offense:
With an offensive rating of 104.6, the Boston Celtics are ranked 27th in offensive rating. The only teams worse than them are the Suns, Hawks, and Bulls. I hate to say it before doing further research, but the common denominator between those three teams is their offense relies on one ball handler, with very little team chemistry. Could a ball dominant Kyrie Irving be a part of the problem? Not exactly, as they still rank in the top 10 in AST %.
The Celtics are 3rd highest in 3P shots attempted per game, 4th highest in 3P shots made per game, but 19th in 3P%. The Celtics are 29th in free throws attempted per game. They’re 24th in points scored per game. They also dead last, in points scored in the paint.
Could advanced analytics be the source of the Celtics’ problems?
Analytics have taught us that shooting the 3 is the way to go. Last year, the Celtics were 29th in points in the paint. They were 20th in free throw attempts per game. They were 10th in 3P attempts per game. They were also 20th in points made per game. Statistically, they’re not too far from off from last year. However, the difference between good and great can be marginal. They get up for good teams. They back down from tough teams.
There’s no other way to put it.
The Boston Celtics are soft:
The Celtics have been particularly struggling against tough teams. Whether it’s the Utah Jazz or Denver Nuggets, Boston has not been able to play its best basketball yet. Sure, they can get up for top teams like the Raptors, Bucks, and Sixers, but so can the Wizards. The Celtics don’t need a post player. They need to attack the basket. The Celtics don’t need a rim protector.
They need to crash the offensive boards. They play well off each other, pass the ball, and shoot a lot of threes. Their problems can be narrowed down to execution and toughness, things that don’t necessarily show up on the stats sheet.
Yes, the Warriors shoot a lot of 3’s. However, the Celtics are not the Warriors. Perhaps, they’re the one exception to Charles Barkley’s “jump shooting teams don’t win championships” rule:
Brad Stevens is part of the blame:
Brad has always loved to tinker with the lineups during the regular season. In reality, I can’t blame him. If there was ever a time to do it, it is the regular season. There is one thing I can’t stand about Stevens though; comments to the media like, “maybe we’re just not that good” are unacceptable. He reminds me a lot of Dwane Casey, while trying to act the Steve Kerr role. At least Kerr is honest. He is cocky, confident, and is open about how little his guys care about the regular season.
The Celtics are very similar to the Warriors, without the resume. Jaylen Brown came into the season as if an NBA Finals appearance was guaranteed. Terry Rozier is in his feelings over his contract year. Jaylen Brown hasn’t taken the step forward that I expected him to take. Gordon Hayward is looking better each game. Jayson Tatum is looking like a young player.
What the Celtics need is for Brad Stevens to raise his voice. Can you imagine? Hell, I need Brad Stevens to raise his voice. I'd get my life together and settle down by all-star break. #InBradStevensWeTrust
— The Great TPR (@TPRx11) November 26, 2018
Now let me be clear, The Celtics will be okay.
If you’re an analytical guy, you can see that the Celtics aren’t far off from where they were last season. In reality, I’m not worried at all. I have a feeling that we’re one ‘Brad Stevens raising his voice’ away from us going on a win streak. I don’t blame people for overreacting. The reality is, the Celtics and their fans had high expectations heading into this season. The rest of the NBA got a lot better over the summer. It’s time for the Celtics to stop feeling sorry for themselves and reimpose fear into their opponents. Their defense is right where it needs to be. They’re healthy. They’re still okay at home. They simply need to play a little tougher and attack the basket a little bit more. Once they stop feeling sorry for themselves and play like the regular season matters, they’ll be just fine.
They usually struggle against teams like the Pelicans. Tonight will be a good indication of how the next few weeks are going to go for the Boston Celtics.
Y'all ready for Anthony Davis' try out tonight? pic.twitter.com/M4JGlDbKSK
— The Great TPR (@TPRx11) November 26, 2018
Do you guys think there is something Stevens needs to do to make the Celtics better? Maybe tighten up the rotation, or add a veteran? Tweet me @TPRx11 and let me know your thoughts.