The Celtics are 14 games into the NBA season and sit 10th in the standings with a .500 record (7-7). This season has played out pretty much how I expected so far. Some nights the C’s look like they can hang with any team, and other nights they struggle — especially in clutch situations.
Without Jayson Tatum, Boston’s offense can freeze late in games, or the ball sticks in Jaylen Brown’s hands for most of the shot clock, leading to a contested look. According to NBA.com, the Celtics rank 20th in clutch-time games — defined as a game within five points in the final five minutes. Their game against the Clippers on Sunday nearly dragged that ranking down further based on how well James Harden played in the final moments.
An adjustment period was always expected without one of the league’s best players, and I think Boston is doing a good job all things considered. Joe Mazzulla has a completely different roster and is still figuring out which rotations work best.
To start the season, it looked like Anfernee Simons might immediately take over the sixth man role — a job Payton Pritchard excelled in on his way to winning Sixth Man of the Year last season. But Simons has slipped down the pecking order as Mazzulla has carved out more minutes for Baylor Scheierman, Josh Minott and even Hugo González at times. There’s no doubt Simons is the best offensive player in the bench group, but his tendency to lose focus defensively seems to be why Mazzulla hasn’t trusted him lately.
Mazzulla has proved he’s one of the NBA’s top coaches. Still, I do wish he gave Simons more opportunities, especially when the offense is stagnant. Beyond Brown and Derrick White, Simons is probably the best pure scorer and one of the few guys who can create his own shot. He may not be on the roster next season — he’s a prime trade candidate because of his contract — but he’s too talented to play just 12 minutes, like he did against the Clippers.
A pleasant surprise has been the play of Luka Garza and Neemias Queta, two bigs proving they can give Boston productive minutes. As the starting center, Queta has looked comfortable and confident. His ability to grab extra offensive rebounds and finish around the rim has been a real boost. Garza, while not the strongest defensive rebounder, brings nonstop effort and also generates a ton of second-chance opportunities — something Mazzulla loves. Both bigs are holding their own, which is significant considering that spot was a major question mark after the offseason departures of Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford.
The biggest surprise this season has been the defensive leap from Jordan Walsh. Coming out of college, Walsh was known for his athleticism, and the hope was that it would translate into elite defense. This season, he has put everything together and looks terrific on that end. He held his own against Paolo Banchero and Tyrese Maxey, two very different players. Against the Clippers, he started out as the primary defender on Harden and held him to five first-half points. While Harden eventually got hot, Walsh showed he can take on an opponent’s best scorer.
I’m happy with how the team looks. There’s certainly room for improvement, but without a top-five player, the Celtics were always going to be inconsistent until Mazzulla and the roster settle into their identity and roles.
