Boston Celtics
A look at what went wrong with these Celtics and what to look forward to.
Jayson Tatum and Derrick White AP Photo/Charles Krupa
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COMMENTARY
In the aftermath of the first blown 3-1 playoff series lead during the franchise’s 80-year history, the Celtics find themselves with plenty of time to troubleshoot what went wrong and also to reflect on the positive aspects of an interesting season.
Joe Mazzulla squeezed 56 wins out of a roster that was projected to win 40 games and is among the favorites to win NBA Coach of the Year because of it. His staff’s consistency during the regular-season, ability to develop young players, and the team’s willingness to play hard on a night-in-night out basis should not be ignored.
But, neither should the fact that the playoffs have been a completely different story in recent years outside of the 2024 title run. More often than not, these Celtics have been eliminated by lower-seeded teams over the last four years.
So, as the Celtics embark on what could be an eventful offseason, here’s a look at red flags from the playoff run, silver linings to consider, and the team’s biggest offseason needs.
Red flags
The play-style: The Celtics once again led the league in 3-point attempts in both the playoffs and the regular-season, and a league-high 43.8 percent of their points came from 3-point range.
They were a good 3-point shooting team during the regular-season, but not elite as they once were. They were below average percentage-wise during the playoffs.
They lost Jrue Holiday and Al Horford, who are both career 37-percent 3-point shooters. The way that Kristaps Porzingis was able to space the floor with his multi-level scoring was transformative for the Celtics offense. He’s gone too.
Plus, as they’ve showed consistently over the years, there are going to be nights when the 3-ball doesn’t fall and they need to find other ways to win. This team shoots the most threes in the league, but they don’t get to the line often and they struggle to get points in the paint.
Such a reliance on outside shooting leaves the Celtics vulnerable to lengthy offensive droughts, and is surprising considering that their two best players are big, strong, athletic wings who have the physical tools to score in a variety of ways.
Jayson Tatum’s playoff injuries: The common thread between the last three times the Celtics have been eliminated from the playoffs is an injury to Tatum.
He rolled his ankle in the opening minutes of the Celtics’ loss to the Heat in Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. He stayed healthy and they won the title in 2024. He missed the final two games against the Knicks last year after rupturing his Achilles. This year, after all the hype and anticipation around his return, he was unavailable for the deciding Game 7 at home against the 76ers.
This marks three times in a row that the Celtics have played an elimination game with their backs against the wall missing their best player.
Lack of athleticism: This Celtics core isn’t getting any younger. Derrick White turns 32 in July. Brown turns 30 in October. Tatum’s injuries have become more frequent around this time of year.
Defending quick guards like Tyrese Maxey has been an issue for the Celtics. Offensively, they were last in the league in PACE this year.
The Celtics do a lot of things well. They don’t turn the ball over. Rebounding, which at one point was a weakness, became a strength after they focused on it. They had one of the most efficient defenses in the league during the regular-season.
But, they play slow, they don’t have many guys who can create their own shots, and they don’t finish enough around the rim.
Silver linings
Player development: The Celtics developed a bunch of players who became contributors over the last few years.
Neemias Queta became a solid option as a starting center during the regular-season. Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh all made contributions.
Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet are Maine Celtics alums who have carved out important roles in the NBA. JD Davison was the G-League MVP last season.
The Celtics’ depth was a huge part of why they were able to surpass expectations this season, and its because they know how to make players better.
Strong core in place: Tatum and Brown are still one of the best duos in the league. They’ve never missed the playoffs. They’ve made two NBA Finals and won one.
White had a tough year shooting the ball, but he impacts the game in many ways and there’s a chance this was just an extended slump for him. Payton Pritchard had a strong year.
The Celtics struggled to beat elite teams this year, but they were competitive on most nights and showed they are still capable of reaching the playoffs with a high seed.
Biggest needs
A big man who can score: The Celtics need to add more variety to the ways they can score. Points in the paint were hard to come by this season, and it showed in the playoffs.
Queta spent much of the series in foul trouble and wound up averaging 9.3 points per game. Nikola Vucevic did not play in Game 7. Luka Garza struggled to crack the playoff rotation.
An offensive-minded big man could be a nice compliment to Queta’s abilities as a rim protector and off the glass.
A veteran two-guard: The Celtics could use a veteran two guard who can come in and provide an offensive spark on the nights where Pritchard or White has a tough matchup.
Anfernee Simons was pretty solid in this role before he was traded. The Celtics have depth on the wings, but they’ve gotten pretty thin at guard.
It didn’t seem like the Celtics had much offensive firepower off the bench in the Philadelphia series.
A review of offensive philosophy: The Celtics were 19th in points per game this year, the first time they’ve been outside of the top-10 since they finished 12th in 2022.
Part of that was because Jayson Tatum was unavailable for most of the year, but part of that is the way they play. Even with six games of a healthy Tatum, the Celtics were 8th out of 16 playoff teams in scoring during the regular-season.
They play a unique style, and the won a title with it in 2024, but this is the first time in a while that they weren’t a truly elite offensive team.
Having the proper pieces in place is key for making things work, but so is a strategy that maximizes the strengths of the players who are currently on the team. With an such an early exit, there should be plenty of time to take a look.
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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