An Ugly Night in LA Raises More Questions for Boston

The Boston Celtics lost another terrible game on a disappointing night in LA.

On a night that was set to provide answers to Boston’s recent skid, the Celtics only received more questions. Tuesday was suppose to be the painless game on this four-game west coast trip that would end Boston’s current losing streak.

The Los Angeles Lakers are young and came into last night with just 17 wins on the year. Sure, they have talent (insert witty Kuzmania comment), but right now they’re young and raw, which should have made this an easy win for Boston.

The Boston Celtics got 33 points from Kyrie Irving, but still managed to lose 108-107. Los Angeles dared Boston to take this one away from them. The Lakers missed four free throws in the final 19.8 seconds, amongst careless giveaways in the final frame. So what went wrong? Well, a lot of things, actually.

First off, let’s address the game’s final play, including KCP’s second missed free throw.

https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/956043528286670848

Immediate reaction? Pass the ball to Terry Rozier. He was the wide open wing option, and making that pass would have really opened up the floor. Ideally, Smart passes to him, he heads towards the paint, and things go differently. But that’s not how it went down.

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Next thought? Get the ball to Kyrie. One would hope that this was on Smart’s mind, but Irving was a little too far ahead of the play, which limited Smart’s options. It was an unfortunate end to a frustrating night, so maybe it was actually fitting.

That final possession of disarray was an accurate representation of the Celtics offense without Kyrie on the floor over the last few games. I know he was on the floor for the final whistle, but when the Celtics can’t get him involved, their offense is in trouble.

Last night they played 9:36 without him on the court. During that time they were outscored by 17 points. At some point, the Celtics are going to need to figure out how to operate without their star point guard, even if it is just for 9 minutes a game. Besides Irving, Marcus Morris (+4) and Al Horford (+2) were the only players in positive numbers for Boston. That’s going to have to change if the Celtics want to get out of this funk.

Speaking of funks, let’s talk about Jayson Tatum. The 19-year-old has more responsibilities now than he did earlier this year, and hasn’t exactly flourished when it comes to creating off the dribble. As roles change, rookies will struggle to adjust, so I don’t think there’s need to panic in the Tatum department.

Maybe this is the perennial rookie wall, but I’m not completely sold just yet. Adam Kaufman pointed out Tatum’s numbers before and after his finger injury, and they’re definitely worth noting.

Don't underestimate the impact of Jayson Tatum's finger injury. #Celtics

In 15 games since the dislocation, he's shooting 44.8% overall, 31.3% from 3, and 75.5% from the line.

In 33 games prior: 50.8% overall, 51.5% from 3, and 83.6% from the line. https://t.co/cVVWJ8BZGu
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) January 24, 2018

Take this into account alongside the fact that he just had his first child. I also can’t imagine that a rookie would adjust well to playing one game in nine days while traveling to and from London. There’s a lot of factors pointing towards Tatum’s inconsistent play as of late, but I’m not so sure it’s the rookie wall.

Next: Assessing the Celtics' Trade Targets

The Celtics return to Staples Center to face the Clippers at 10:30 ET on ESPN.