With the addition of Al Horford, the Boston Celtics were widely considered to be one of the Top 3 teams in the Eastern Conference. They still might end up as the 2nd or 3rd best team, but right now, they are not looking like themselves. Why is this happening in Boston? What are their main problems?
It’s still early in the season. Teams are still trying to figure out who they are and what they need to do in order to succeed. The Celtics are having some problems with injuries, Jae Crowder and Al Horford both missed the last couple of Celtics duels. They are two key pieces in the Boston’s starting lineup, so that is one of the biggest reasons why this squad is failing to meet the expectations.
Another big reason is their defense as they are not getting it done on the defensive side of the ball despite the fact that they were considered to be one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. Forcing turnovers and running the floor was one of their greatest weapons and it was pretty much the best in the NBA last season. With Horford out, Tyler Zeller has been atrocious on defense. They just can’t allow that to happen. Leaving people wide open and letting them breeze through the paint is not what this Celtic team usually does.
Another big problem is their rebounding. This needs to be fixed as soon as possible. Enough is enough. Crowder and Horford are big rebounders for the squad, but when they are not on the floor, this team is allowing offensive boards all over the place.
The season is still young, and Brad Stevens still has a lot of time to fix these ongoing issues. But, they need to do it quickly if they want to be one of the best teams in the East again.
