Hardwood Houdini
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It’s Time for the Boston Celtics to Show more Improvement

By Michael James

Nov 30, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Terry Rozier (12) makes a fade away shot while guarded by Detroit Pistons shooting guard Darrun Hilliard (6) during the fourth quarter at TD Garden. The Detroit Pistons won 121-114. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Terry Rozier (12) makes a fade away shot while guarded by Detroit Pistons shooting guard Darrun Hilliard (6) during the fourth quarter at TD Garden. The Detroit Pistons won 121-114. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Celtics need to start showing more of the improvement that was expected

The Boston Celtics have dealt with their fair share of injuries to start the 2016-17 campaign. Marcus Smart missed the first week of the year with an ankle injury he suffered in the preseason. Al Horford and Jae Crowder both missed a substantial amount of time with a concussion and low ankle sprain respectively. Those injuries made it difficult to form a real opinion about this highly anticipated Celtics team.

The signing of Horford was seen as a perfect fit to a Boston team that needed an all around big that could take them to the next level. That along with the expected development of Smart and Terry Rozier, the Celtics had high expectations coming into the season.

Everyone is healthy now. Horford is finding his fit within the offense while developing chemistry with Thomas. Crowder and Smart are both showing off their improved shooting strokes, which adds much needed space to Thomas’ driving style of play. Avery Bradley‘s performance puts the Celtics backcourt as one of the league’s best. However, The Celtics have not completely gelled as a team yet. They have lost games they should have won, and have not been able to sustain a high level of play for multiple games. While it is still early on in the season, you want to see the new additions and young players mesh together with the core pieces of the roster sooner rather than later.

At this point, we’re seeing the preliminary stages of a team growing together. That is why the Celtics have not seemed to thoroughly impress so far this year. Thomas and Bradley are playing at a much higher level than previous seasons, but the remaining players have left something to be desired.

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The Celtics mostly need time for everything to come together, but in the mean time, there are areas lacking in production that could accelerate that process. I would really like to see Rozier play with more consistent aggressiveness. He is a completely different player when he plays with aggression. Also, Horford should take more shots. I understand that he is a team oriented player and prefers the extra pass to making his own shot. However, Horford is far too talented on the offensive end to not take at least ten shots a game.

I would like to see Bradley and Crowder drive to the basket more too. The floor is already spread due to the addition of Horford, and Thomas is the only player on the team who consistently gets to the line. Both players are more than capable of being able to be effective slashers, and getting to the free throw line more would benefit everyone involved.

Next: Is the Small Forward Position a Problem for the Boston Celtics

At the end of the day, I have no doubt that the Celtics will turn into a legitimate threat to the Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference crown. The team just has not gelled yet. We have seen flashes of what they can really become, but the Celtics are still developing. Moving forward, I expect to see Boston make strides and start to do the things that great teams do. Winning the games they are supposed to, and playing great basketball consistently are things that the top teams do. Look for the Celtics to start doing that as the season goes on.

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