We are now a quarter of the way through the NBA Season, and it is fair to say that the Boston Celtics are underachieving. There are a lot of things to point to that are causing this, but the biggest piece of the pie is the youth on the team. One thing that is for sure, though, is that there is still plenty of time left in the year. I still believe they will figure things out, especially with a coach like Brad Stevens. A lineup change was key, and now that is has been done I think there is reason to expect things to change.
The youth on the team consists mainly of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Terry Rozier. These were the three leading scorers for Boston in the postseason last year, which might have given them all a false sense of their roles on this current team. Now the Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward back from their injuries, they have essentially taken Brown’s and Rozier’s spots. Tatum really has not been much of a problem, probably because his spot/role has not changed all that much. Brown, at times, attempts to force shots rather than making an easy pass, while at other times he is passive when he should be more aggressive. Rozier has been similar, as he dribbles way too much and also has been reluctant to give the ball up at times.
Another piece of the blame pie has to go to Brad Stevens, who used to be perceived as a coach who could do no wrong. It is his job to fix this problem with the young guys and figure out a way to get everyone to build chemistry together. The fact that this is still an ongoing issue has to be partially his fault. He was great at Butler, and he has been great with the Celtics who usually have had role players and young guys. This is the first time in Brad Stevens’ career that he has real all stars and guys with big egos, and it has definitely been a struggle. It has always been obvious that he is great at coaching the game of basketball, but managing personalities and keeping everyone bought in is also part of the job.
With Gordon Hayward coming off of the bench now, things might start to turn around. Jaylen Brown will get back to his role from last year and hopefully he will get comfortable once again. Gordon Hayward will be the main scorer off of the bench, which will give him a chance to ease back into things and eventually get back to his all-star status from the past. Sometimes it just takes a few good games to string together for a player to get hot and gain confidence. Although the Celtics needed a lineup change, I do not think there is anyone out there who does not want the lineup in the playoffs to be Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford. Look for Boston and Stevens to buckle down and set things straight before things get out of hand.