Boston Celtics: Have 2020-21 Cs finally turned corner?

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Boston Celtics, but have they finally turned a corner with a month left in the regular season?

At long last, are the 2020-21 Celtics finally becoming the type of team fans were hoping they’d be at the beginning of the season?

After a very rocky last few months, the Celtics have gotten hot with a month remaining in the regular season. The Cs have won five-straight contests, seven of their last eight, and are 9-3 in their last 12 contests.

It’s not like those wins have come against mostly cellar-dwellers, either.

In their last 12 games, Boston has earned victories over teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Lakers (albeit without LeBron James or Anthony Davis, but still). They’ve also beaten the squads circling around them in the Eastern Conference standings, taking down the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks in that span.

Because of that run, the Boston Celtics are currently out of the play-in games for the playoffs and are neck-and-neck with Atlanta Hawks for the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference.

That improved play has been sparked in large part because of the massive contributions by Jayson Tatum over the last few weeks.

In Boston’s 12-game streak of improved play, Tatum has honestly been playing at an MVP level. The Celtics’ leading man has averaged 28.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in the last 12 games while shooting 40.4% from three, 49.8% overall, and 91.8% from the free throw line. Tatum has scored 30 or more points four times in his last 12 games, and he’s scored fewer than 20 points just once in that span. He also exploded for 53 points in Boston’s 145-136 overtime victory over Minnesota last week.

It hasn’t just been Tatum, though. His supporting cast have stepped up their games, too.

During that same 12-game span, Marcus Smart has been playing some of his best ball of the season, averaging 14.8 points, 5.9 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals all while making a blistering 42.9% of his 3-pointers.

For a career 32% 3-point shooter, that kind of consistent clip from three is extremely impressive.

Jaylen Brown has also been solid as of late, scoring 28.4 points a game during Boston’s five-game winning streak, including going off for 40 points in the win over the Lakers on Thursday night.

Robert Williams has absolutely thrived in his new starting role, scoring in double figures in his last two contests while averaging 10.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.0 blocks in his 10 starts over the last few weeks.

It’s no coincidence that Boston’s improved play came once Williams was inserted into the starting lineup. He’s provided a new edge for the Celtics while on the floor, and he’s been a key to helping the rest of the team find a rhythm.

As a team, Boston is playing much more efficiently and is, you know, playing as a team.

In their last 12 games, the Celtics have averaged 25.8 assists as a team while limiting turnovers to just over 13 a game (even despite 21 turnovers against the Lakers). Through their first 44 games, Boston was averaging just 22.9 assists while turning the ball over 14 times a game.

They’ve also held opponents to just 44.5% shooting from the floor across those 12 games. Teams were making 46.8% of their shots against the Cs prior to this 12-game stretch.

It’s worth noting that Boston’s recent play does need to be taken with a grain of salt. While the Celtics have gotten victories over good teams, they’ve also beaten up on weaker competition and struggled with the likes of Minnesota and the Knicks before eventually winning those contests.

The Trail Blazers have a very respectable record right now, but they’ve been on the decline over the last couple weeks and aren’t the same team they were two or three weeks ago. The win over the Lakers came without their two best players on the court, too.

Still, these are games the Boston Celtics were losing a month ago. Boston has been playing much better since the trade deadline passed, and they haven’t even been getting contributions from the players they traded for.

Evan Fournier has appeared in just four games since joining the Celtics, Mo Wagner is averaging a paltry 1.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in nine appearances, and Luke Kornet hadn’t played the last four games before logging 18 minutes in the win against the Lakers on Thursday.

The Boston Celtics have an easier road ahead than most teams over the final month of the season, and they need to take advantage of that more favorable schedule. Boston likely still isn’t going to compete for a championship this season, but seeing them potentially round a corner finally gives hope to a fan base that saw their team sitting two games below .500 just two weeks ago.

Now, the Cs have a real shot at finishing in the top half of the Eastern Conference standings and securing a top four seed in the playoffs. That seemed highly unlikely just two weeks ago after a demoralizing 113-108 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

How things can change in just a few weeks.