There are 3 things holding the Boston Celtics back from legitimate championship contention
The Boston Celtics came into the 2020-21 campaign with the fourth-best chances of taking home the Larry O’Brien trophy come year’s end, according to Vegas oddsmakers.
Through 50 games played, however, they find themselves boasting a measly .500 record of 25-25, and are 6-8 since the All-Star break.
The eighth-seeded Cs have endured various problems and hiccups along the way which, in turn, have prevented them from being considered legitimate championship viers to this point.
Today, we present to you the 3 biggest factors that we believe are holding Boston back from being considered contenders:
(**SCHEDULED PRIOR TO TUESDAY’S GAME**)
Factor holding Boston Celtics back No. 1) Bench scoring
Last season, one of the biggest problems pertaining to the Boston Celtics was that they were a tremendously top-heavy team and, sadly, this aspect of their rotation has managed to roll right along into 2020-21.
Ultimately, star power does bode well when it comes to vying for top-tier status in this league, but, unless you have a LeBron James in tow, it takes an entire team effort in order for an organization to be viewed as a legitimate contender.
Unfortunately, Boston’s depth behind their top five is rather concerning and, in turn, will certainly spell trouble for the team down the line if they can’t figure things out, especially in the scoring department.
On the year so far, the team’s bench ranks in as the fourth-worst scoring unit in the entire league and ranks just 20th in offensive rating.
Though the Celtics did manage to bring in the nearly 20 point-per-game scorer in Evan Fournier at this year’s deadline, even he has fallen victim to their lackluster second-unit production, as his scoring average has dropped by more than eight points — though perhaps this is just a learning curve as he gets familiar with Brad Stevens’ scheme.
While we do see solid potential with the team’s new acquisitions in the French sharpshooter and potentially even Luke Kornet, should things remain the same, so too should their lowly league status.