Boston Celtics Finally Get Back to Practice

The Boston Celtics finally get to assess the crazy stretch by getting back to practice for the first time in a month

The Boston Celtics struggled a lot during one of the most cluttered stretches you will ever see. The Celtics were playing all kinds of back to backs, multiple three games in four nights, and even a stretch of eight games in 12 days. The Celtics defense was falling off, and everyone was taking their turn struggle.

It looked like the Celtics were going to lose the number one seed, and it felt impossible to adjust. The Celtics never got a chance to settle and assess what was happening, because they did not get a chance to practice for a month.

There were injuries, the players were worn down, and the Celtics could not make the adjustments that would allow them to overcome the issues they were having. Today, that stretch has finally ended, and Brad Stevens even compared this first practice to the first day of training camp.

The Celtics struggled tremendously during that stretch, but they now get a chance to gather themselves, knowing that they are going to be getting plenty of rest with the remainder of their schedule. And, oh yeah, despite all those struggles, the Celtics still have a 2.5 game cushion in first place.

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The Celtics went through what should be the worst stretch of the entire season for them, and they still find themselves in a phenomenal position. This was the stretch they knew they needed to survive. It may have looked like they were going to collapse, but now they get to try and reset things knowing that they are in the best position to get that home court advantage.

The best part about getting back to practice could also end up being Jayson Tatum. Tatum was one of the only consistently good things during this brutal stretch, and it is becoming clear that he needs to be more involved, and should emerge as the clear second scoring option beside Kyrie Irving.

The problem is that the Celtics will have to adjust as a team if they want to change Tatum’s role like that. They want to get him more involved which means getting more players comfortable when he has the ball in his hands, and finding more offensive sets with him as the primary option.

There is still a long learning process with Tatum, because Brad Stevens can still discover all the different things he will be able to do on offense. Getting back to practice will give Stevens the freedom to discover the different ways he wants to use him.

Even without the practice, we could see the change in Tatum’s role. Now that they get the time to polish things off and establish things that they are more confident in, we could see a massive surge in what Tatum is doing on the court.

The only thing the Celtics need to watch out for is letting the easier schedule cause them to get tentative. The Celtics struggled in a lot of ways during that stretch, and those issues are not going to be magically fixed because of a better schedule.

The better schedule will put them in a better position to overcome these issues, but there are still many adjustments that need to be made before the Celtics can consider themselves true title contenders.

Next: Tatum making his ROY push

Fortunately, the Celtics get one of their easier games immediately after practice. They are fresh off one of the biggest victories of the season against the Rockets, and now they need to carry that momentum to a commanding victory against an opponent they know should not even be keeping it close with them.

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