What NBA analysts are saying about the Celtics’ recent struggles

After losing two consecutive games to the last two Eastern Conference teams, the Celtics managed to get rid of the schneid on Tuesday night, defeating the Nuggets 112-99. However, they still lost more than they won last month.

Boston has 6-10 in the last 16 games, giving the Celtics a record 14-13 this season. The Celtics’ struggles have been one of the NBA’s top stories, considering hopes of entering the season, in addition to last season’s run to the Eastern Conference finals.

NBA reporters and analysts recently observed and assessed the problems with the Celtics, which started around the time that Jayson Tatum lost five games due to COVID-19.

“I know Brad Stevens recognizes that Jayson Tatum is fighting, but in fact he has played it for more minutes since he returned from COVID,” said Windhorst. “It is because they have no depth. Marcus Smart is out. They found no way to replace Gordon Hayward. They had some other injuries. Kemba Walker does not play back to back because of injuries. Walker’s reserve, Jeff Teague, threw the ball so badly that it was taken out of rotation. “

The Athletic’s John Hollinger came to an assessment similar to that of Windhorst. Looking at the numbers, Hollinger noted that the Celtics are beating their opponents by 8.9 points for 100 possessions in which Tatum and Jaylen Brown are on the court together.

There is a noticeable difference when only one from Brown or Tatum is off the court. The Celtics lose the score by one point for every 100 possessions when Brown is out of bounds. It is even worse for the Celtics without Tatum. They are exceeded by 5.3 points per 100 possessions when Tatum is not on the ground. Boston’s offensive rating also drops from 114.9 points per 100 possessions with Tatum on the court to 107.3 points per 100 possessions with Tatum outside the court.

“Going back to the big picture,” wrote Hollinger. “The problem with Boston’s supporting cast basically comes down to two things, both of which are possibly solvable: Kemba Walker is not Kemba Walker, at least not yet. The bank is bad. “

Hollinger questioned some of the previous Celtics decisions that led to this point, such as signing Tristan Thompson with a $ 19 million two-year contract and allegedly taking down the Pacers on a subscription and switching to Gordon Hayward.

“What remains now is a horrible evil,” Hollinger wrote of the Celtics bench. “The two veteran Boston free agents, Tristan Thompson and Jeff Teague, have been very disappointing. Reserve strikers Grant Williams and Semi Ojeleye are equal, strong and useful defenders in small doses, whose severe offensive limitations are quickly exposed in more prominent roles. Lottery winner Aaron Nesmith was supposed to provide a 3-point grapple and tear gun, but he proved not ready to say the least. Payton Pritchard, at the end of the first round, was the only reserve to deliver a satisfactory rotating caliber game. “

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix blamed Celtics basketball operations president Danny Ainge for the current state of the squad.

“‘Trader Danny'” has done some great business in his nearly two decades with Boston, perhaps none greater than the 2013 Brooklyn robbery that brought back the recruiting capital that ended up winning Brown and Tatum, “wrote Mannix. “But in recent years, Ainge has talked about more negotiations than he has executed. The Celtics kicked Kawhi Leonard’s tires. They were heavily involved in negotiations with New Orleans for Anthony Davis. Armed with young players and choices from Brooklyn, Boston seemed to be in the mix for Worldwide.

“But they never pulled the trigger.”

All three came to the same conclusion about what the Celtics need to do: make a move for someone, anyone.

“Celtics really need bodies,” said Windhorst. “They don’t just need their stars to play better, they need some depth. It almost asks us if this team, which almost never seeks to make mid-season moves, will make a mid-season change to reinforce that depth and try to give Jayson Tatum a little rest. “

Fortunately for Boston, he has a few things in the asset locker if he wants to make an exchange. The Celtics have five players who were selected in the first round of the last three NBA Drafts. Although they no longer have anyone’s choices in the first round, they still have all theirs for the foreseeable future. The Celtics also have negotiable contracts with Thompson and Daniel Theis to help facilitate a move.

Arguably, their greatest asset is the $ 28.5 million business exception they acquired from Hornets for Hayward. The exception allows the Celtics to essentially acquire anyone who wins $ 28.5 million or less this season, which means only 31 players in the league. The only problem is that they have about $ 19.5 million under the tax apron, which they cannot exceed.

Hollinger released some potential names for the Celtics to negotiate. He thinks Thunder guard George Hill, Kings pivot Nemanja Bjelica, Bulls striker Thaddeus Young or even former Celtic Al Horford would all be good additions to Boston.

“They have to do something,” Hollinger wrote. “For some teams, mid-season negotiations are optional; on this Boston team, it seems mandatory. The support cast is simply not good enough, and “playing harder” is probably a relatively small part of the solution. “

Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston launched a few more names that the Celtics could acquire, with the exception of the trade. Forsberg looked to bigger names, like Kings striker Harrison Barnes, Magic Nikola Vucevic center, Magic Aaron Gordon striker and Pistons striker Jerami Grant, for the best players that the Celtics should aim for except.

“Barnes checks all the boxes for Boston,” Forsberg wrote about Barnes, who he says should be the No. 1 target for the Celtics. “He has size (6-8), he shot (38.8 percent in 3s this season), he has defensive versatility and he knows what it’s like to be a third or fourth option on a champion team.”

If the Celtics want to make a switch, they have just over a month to do so. The NBA’s trading deadline is March 25. They also still await the return of Marcus Smart, who has been out since January 30 due to a calf strain.

Fortunately for Boston, its main rivals in the Eastern Conference have not done much to advance the standings. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Celtics hold the fourth seed in the conference and are just 3.5 games from first place.