BOSTON — After a strong showing out west, the Celtics had a chance to get right at home. Two letdowns later, there might be more questions than answers for the defending champs.
The Kings extended their lead in the fourth quarter of a blowout on Friday before the Pelicans’ squandered theirs when CJ McCollum narrowly missed a chance to win it at the buzzer. Jayson Tatum and the Celtics escaped on Sunday after he missed two game-sealing free throws.
“It’s just a funky stretch, I guess,” Tatum said. “Shoutout to the Pelicans. They played really well tonight. I don’t think they play like that all the time, but it’s a good test for us … expect everybody’s best shot … I remember my rookie year, we weren’t 8-30 or whatever, but I remember when we played the Warriors, it was a big deal. ‘They won the championship last year. This is a big matchup. This is a big game.’ So just understanding where we’re at, our place in this league, and I think it’s just gonna make us better that regardless of who we’re playing, we gotta expect the best from them.”
Boston witnessed many staggering shooting performances against them in the first half of 2024-25, Dejounte Murray’s the latest, and their opponents’ three-point efficiency increased to 41.2% since New Year’s Eve.
The Celtics have also struggled to recreate the magic their starting lineup produced a year ago, falling to a -8.9 net rating with that group on the floor following Sunday’s narrow win. Performances have dropped all over the roster and while effort emerged as a problem recently, the Celtics also fought themselves — missed layups, free throws and two bizarre out-of-bounds plays by Derrick White exaggerating their recent issues against New Orleans.
It’s all created reasonable doubt with this team. Defensive issues formed early while Boston experimented with forcing more turnovers. They’ve see-sawed trying to plug different holes on that end with the long run defensive numbers admittedly improving over last year. They’ve awaited a regression on offense after shooting over 38% last year to lead the league alongside Oklahoma City. They remain stuck closer to the NBA average now, just above 36%. That’s made them more ordinary despite a 28-11 start and a shot profile that Joe Mazzulla approves.
“Last year, to this point, the offense was actually worse from an expected basis, but the actual was better, and they were shooting 39% as opposed to 29% (from three) … we have to be better, but it’s essentially in a training camp form with this particular group,” Mazzulla said addressing the offensive production. “I don’t really have an answer for that. What I do know is we have to keep up the process of fighting for the best shot, giving up the best shots, making the necessary plays to win, executing, building trust, building accountability amongst each other, we just have to continue to work that process with each other.”
The differences over last year should have the team asking more questions internally as it assesses itself ahead of the trade deadline. Kristaps Porziņģis admitted several times that his return from surgery and multiple injuries since added to the recent inconsistency. He’s rapidly improved on offense across recent games, but the Al Horford starting lineup fared better to begin the year. Would a switch-up work there?
Games where the Celtics looked slower and less athletic than their opponents, including the Thunder loss, begged for Neemias Queta’s presence in spots where three healthy centers in front of him prevented him from playing. They could use a depth wing, and have an open roster spot along with limited trade flexibility if they want to make a move.
Regardless of what they do, the top-seven rotation will decide their fate. We’ve discussed the differences compared to last year. Sam Hauser, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday’s bumps and bruises have clearly limited their effectiveness. Jaylen Brown, who dealt with a shoulder injury, fell to the worst shooting efficiency since his rookie season this week as he adjusted to first quarter exits. Tatum, who scored with staggering efficiency in the first half, had to balance taking over with playing the right way.
Because that’s how they did it last year.
It’s clear, at the halfway point, that if the Celtics do repeat it won’t be how they did so last season. Oklahoma City and Cleveland’s scorching starts have made at least some of the Celtics’ postseason path starting on the road look inevitable. Maybe that’s for the best — heightened awareness against those foes and Boston’s home record that’s already worse than last year’s could galvanize this group when the postseason they’re clearly waiting for arrives in April. But the habits that set up playoff success have to become more consistent now, and they’re still trying to figure out exactly who they want to be on both ends.
“There are two great teams in the league that are having historic seasons. They become they become the reference point of ‘oh, you’re not as good because you’re not them,’” Mazzulla said on Sunday. “They’re great. Great teams have historical years and we’re on our own path that we have to be able to work through. Just because we were this last year, you can’t take for granted the details, habit, execution, togetherness, trust. All that stuff has to be rebuilt, and I think sometimes when you have the same team, we have this expectation that we’re just gonna pick up there and it’s different. Different year, people are in different spaces, so we have to re-establish that and you have to work that. It just takes time.”
Lately, they’ve shot fewer threes while wanting to be that shooting team from one year ago. They’ve struggled to manage opponent shooting because of those uncharacteristic performances against them. The effort issues on defense bring me back to 2023, and despite no dysfunction that clearly afflicted that group is visible this time around, the general lesson from that spring about how red flags during a seemingly rock-solid regular season can pop up later might prove applicable. Mazzulla defended that team’s statistically strong defense all year until admitting, down 0-3 in the Eastern Conference Finals, that they lost their defensive identity.
While that wasn’t the issue on Sunday, the first step toward righting the ship could come from a jolt. My mind goes toward an Oshae Brissett or Lonnie Walker IV reunion. Both players could infuse needed energy, whether through rebounding or shooting, and they became well-liked during their stays in Boston. They’d also come at half-off minimum salaries and luxury tax hits, though Walker would require a buyout from his Lithuanian club.
Things haven’t felt right to begin 2025, part of it comparing themselves to the high standard from a dominant 2024 run fueled by urgency, part coming from the natural difficulty in recreating that. Then, there’s a scarier combination that they’re not as good and the league has caught up. The truth is some combination of all four factors.
Regardless, this recent stretch should serve as a wake-up call that hasn’t totally hit them. They’re getting there, as Mazzulla acknowledged on Sunday.
“The ultimate compliment is we’re 28-11 and these are the types of conversations that we’re having,” he said. “So, it’s a beautiful place to be in. I’m serious, I think it’s great. It’s a great standard and a great expectation to have and we have to deliver. So, we all know that … what’re we the third team in the league now? Which isn’t great, but it sounds like a morgue in here and that’s how it should be, because of where we’re trying to get to. It’s the ultimate compliment and we just continue to work through it.”
