Boston Celtics Need Everyone to Step Up, Not Just Thomas

It wasn’t pretty Thursday night, but Isaiah Thomas isn’t the only Celtic who had a bad day

The Boston Celtics lost ugly in Washington Thursday night, shooting only 35.1 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three. They lost by 27 and were never in the game. The Wizards managed to dominate start to finish, including a 22-0 run.

Only three Celtics scored in double figures, while none scored more than 20. Al Horford managed to lead the team with 16, while Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder scored 13 and 14 respectively.

The Celtics, having won six straight games, were bound to have a bad game at some point. However, this performance showed the Wizards could take advantage of issues that had plagued the Celtics all season.

The Wizards held a +12 rebounding margin and did not let homas be hidden on defense. Although Thomas tries on defense, he is still a liability on that end of the floor.

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As for rebounding, although every player who received minutes grabbed a rebound, only one player grabbed more than four. That player was Crowder, who had seven. Horford only managed two, Jonas Jerebko only got three, and Amir Johnson only grabbed four. Kelly Olynyk only had one.

When your four primary big men only combine for 10 rebounds in a game, it’s not a recipe for success. The Celtics looked helpless on the glass, allowing 13 offensive rebounds while only getting eight themselves. Although the Celtics have had problems on the boards all season, but this was a troubling performance in game that could have put Washington away for good. The big men will need to be better on the glass if the Celtics want to win.

Washington was also able to exploit the Celtics lack of high volume perimeter scoring ability outside of Thomas. Avery Bradley was only able to add 7 points while Marcus Smart only chipped in nine. Bradley played 28 minutes while Smart played 25.

It wasn’t just Bradley and Smart either. Gerald Green also only scored eight points in 26 minutes, and Jaylen Brown netted six points in 19 minutes. The only other perimeter players to play, James Young and Terry Rozier, played 10 and 9 minutes respectively while adding three and two points, respectively.

These players need to step up their scoring if the Celtics want any kind of chance to win another game in the series. Washington hounded Thomas all night, and did not let him get off any clean looks. The Wizards even triple teamed him coming off of pick-and-rolls. Thomas will not be able to get clean looks unless his supporting cast steps up. If his teammates are able to help alleviate some of the offensive pressure, Thomas and Celtics will be in good shape.

Without players helping Thomas on offense, the Wizards will be able to continue to dog him defensively. If Bradley and Smart are able to get going on offense, Washington will no longer be pressure Thomas as much as they are. Once some of the defensive focus is off Thomas, he will be freed up to make plays.

Next: Boston Celtics Must Start Better on the Road

Everyone needs to step up, as every major piece on the roster, except Crowder, seemed to have a significantly off night in some area or another. Stevens will have plenty of time to review the film and make adjustments before the next game on Sunday. With the way the Celtics played Thursday, the extra day could come in handy as they look to take a 3-1 lead. There will need to be adjustments if Boston wants to advance, and everyone will need to step up in order to do so.

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