What has been the biggest struggle for the Boston Celtics so far this season? While they have indeed had quite a good campaign so far in 2022-23 by most measuring sticks. for a team with an eye to returning to the 2023 NBA Finals, that has not been good enough.
There have been some depth issues in the front court, a bit too much depth in the backcourt most nights, and perhaps some concern over the variety of offense the ball club uses — or to be more specific, the lack of it. But none of these things have been Boston’s biggest concern according to Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz.
“The Boston Celtics are the toughest team in the NBA to try to uncover flaws for,” suggests the B/R analyst.
Can you name the players — and better yet, the seasons — Boston had a player named Finals MVP? https://t.co/K2ZRmuO2DM
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 21, 2022
“Despite the talent on the roster, however, removing Tatum would make the Celtics unremarkable,” he claims, however.
“In 771 possessions without Tatum, Boston has a net rating of plus-1.4, ranking in the 59th percentile, or about league average.”
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on Joe Mazzulla, Will Hardy's early coaching success https://t.co/oWrFHYrg6Y via @thecelticswire pic.twitter.com/j3SSbHBzbw
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 20, 2022
“With its superstar, however, this figure jumps to plus-9.3 and is in the 93rd percentile,” relates Swartz.
“Finding ways to still beat opponents shouldn’t be this difficult, especially with another two-way force at forward in Jaylen Brown. Despite his almost equally impressive production (26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals), Boston is actually 7.6 points per 100 possessions worse with Brown on the floor.”
“Trying to find ways to maximize Brown when Tatum rests will be crucial to the Celtics’ success, especially in the postseason,” suggests the B/R analyst.
HoopsHype put together a league-wide exercise of the best five players a team has recently moved on from contrasted with the best players they have now. https://t.co/eRwgjaLIq3
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 20, 2022
With the team yet to play double-digit contests with Timelord back in the fold, we think it may be a bit soon to make such a claim, particularly given the team’s record thus far, recent road bumps included.
But as Swartz notes, the Celtics are the toughest team in the NBA to try to uncover flaws with, and this has indeed been among Boston’s weakest points so far.
See what the golden era of the Celtics looked like under the leadership of Bill Russell. https://t.co/S58ajHJSBC
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 21, 2022
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