The Boston Celtics have had a more tumultuous season than last year. It’s just a fact. They were absolutely dominant last season, so it set the bar extremely high, and this year, they haven’t reached that same level of dominance. Yet they are still one of the best teams in the NBA and in second place in the Eastern Conference.
Heading into the All-Star break, the Celtics enjoyed a 7-1 run in their last eight games—a red-hot stretch after a relatively rough stretch in December and January. They’ve found a similar rhythm to the one they enjoyed in the early portion of the year, but some of the struggles that plagued them for a couple of months still continue to linger.
Here are three glaring problems and three strong points for the Celtics as the All-Star break gets underway.
Problem - Injuries
Though the injury bug hasn’t hit the Celtics with any long-term ailments, small issues have begun piling up. Jrue Holiday missed four straight games heading into the break, and Jaylen Brown missed two.
On top of that, Sam Hauser battled back injuries throughout the first half of the season, and Kristaps Porzingis had a few nagging issues, too.
Boston has been fine playing through these injuries, but they are definitely feeling the injury bug more than they were last year.
Strong point - Defense
For a while, the Celtics’ defense seemed questionable. Impressive performances from Dillon Brooks, Caleb Martin, and others led to some criticism of Joe Mazzulla’s style. But lately, the Celtics have been on fire.
The Celtics have held their opponents to 105 points or fewer in four of their last five games, including a string of the sub-25 quarters that Mazzulla likes Boston to hold teams to.
Problem - Wing depth
Adding Torrey Craig to the roster could solve this, and his debut was solid, but Boston’s wing depth is a bit shaky at the moment. Maazzulla has been testing out some Baylor Scheierman minutes lately, and Jordan Walsh and Drew Peterson earned some chances earlier in the season.
Behind Jayson Tatum and Brown, there isn’t much depth. Hauser has been hot lately, but Craig popping as a rotation guy would seriously help the Celtics moving forward.
Strong point - Double-big lineups
It was the story of the night in Boston’s win over the New York Knicks, but the Celtics’ double-big lineups have been awesome lately. And it’s largely thanks to Luke Kornet.
The Celtics are able to run two centers who can space the floor with Porzingis and Al Horford, but even when Kornet or Queta is on the court, they make it work.
The rim protection and rebounding advantages the Celtics gain with double-big lineups provide a huge boost.
Problem - Lapses
This Celtics team seems prone to in-game lapses. Most of the time, the problem doesn’t result in losses (just games becoming closer than they should be), but this is certainly a trend to take note of.
Whether it’s on defense (like the 7-0 the Celtics allowed against the Miami Heat) or on offense (where a string of isolation shots take away from the flow), these lapses occasionally get in the way of Boston’s ultimate goal.
Strong point - Jayson Tatum
Tatum has been on such a hot stretch lately that he deserves his own spot on this list. The Celtics superstar has been absolutely incredible, especially while carrying the load during Brown’s absences.
He’s been scoring efficiently, rebounding the ball at an extremely high level, and beautifully orchestrating Boston’s offense. Everything about Tatum’s performances lately has been awesome.