The Celtics sit atop the standings at the All Star Break. So what do they need to do between now and the playoffs? I asked the staff for what they want to the team as a whole to work on.
Ben Dupont
Boston has to get more consistent on the offensive end. Some of their recent no-shows can be chalked up to shooting luck, but there doesn’t seem to be a game plan when shots aren’t falling. If this team goes to the pick and roll more often and is a little more creative in getting Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis the ball in the post, no one will be able to stop them. Trying on defense and boxing out would be good too, but I assume that the players will do that better in the playoffs.
Trevor Hass
The Celtics have looked great defensively at times and average at others. Now’s the time to evolve from a very good defensive team to a truly great one. They have the personnel to do so, and their growth in that area could be the difference in the end.
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Tim Sheils
Offensive consistency is my biggest concern for the Celtics, specifically in late-game situations. While Boston has touted one of the best offenses in the league this season, they’ve still had moments of stalling, whether it’s the threes not dropping or the ball not moving enough. There’s no doubt that they’ve got the firepower, but it’d be better to see the team react better in those types of situations. If that means cranking up the defensive intensity to create offense, or attacking the paint, whatever it needs to be.
Sam LaFrance
Going to tail Trevor on this one. It feels like the Celtics could certainly improve on the defensive side of the ball, to me. Sure, you can point at it being the slog of the regular season and all, but there have been a handful of games lately that have just left me scratching my head (even when they win). A lot has been made of the Cs hanging outrageous amounts of points on their opponents by halftime. The issue is that, often times, despite scoring ~70 points before the break, they’re still only up single digits.
As I’m writing this (Wednesday before the second Nets game), they’re coming off of two solid defensive outings. The win in Miami really impressed me because they won that game BECAUSE of their defense. They couldn’t buy a basket in the final minutes, yet remained focused and out worked the fellas in the “Heat Culture” unis. Tuesday’s win at Barclays was the ideal first half. They scored 72 points AND built themselves a lead by doing it.
So, maybe I really just want to see good defense at the same time as good offense?
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Mike Dynon
Everyone knows the Celtics need to close games better. Through their first 54 games, they were 22-4 in games decided by 10 or more points, but just 4-4 in games decided by 3 or fewer points. Also, the team plus/minus in the first 24 minutes per game was +6.8 points; in the second 24 minutes it dropped to +2.6. Letting leads slip is not something to toy with in the postseason. But with all that said, the most important factor is health. With a comfortable lead in the standings over both East and West, I hope to see Tatum, White, Brown and Holiday get a small reduction in minutes and even a night off occasionally.
Adam Taylor
Defense: Staying locked in. Sometimes, we see this team rotating with purpose and playing with genuine physicality. Other times, it feels like they’re mailing it in on that side of the ball at times.
Mazzulla is trying to add multiple different coverages. There’s a lot to learn and a lot to remember. However, having different systems and “looks” will be important during the post-season. Focusing on getting the defense right, and elevating it to another level is the biggest upgrade this team can make in the final months of the regular season.
Jack Simone
Just focus. When this Celtics team is locked in on both ends, they are the best team in the NBA. Period. The only thing that gets in their way are spurts of slippage where they allow easy baskets, give up transition opportunities, or fail to execute their offensive gameplan to the best of their ability. All season long, the Celtics have preached a day-to-day mindset, so it seems likely the focus will improve in the postseason. But we need to see it.
