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The team that was supposed to top the eastern conference this year is sitting at the fifth place right now. Even with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward back from the injury, Boston Celtics are no way near to competing for the Championship. Even teams like Indiana Pacers and 76ers are above them on the ranking table, which admittedly is disgraceful for the team.
Celtics have been inconsistent this season. Sometimes they seem to be like their old self but are not able to hold to that form for much longer. So what are the issues that are forcing them to be inconsistent this season?
Why are Celtics not able to perform up to the level they were doing last season even without Gordon Hayward?
There are a lot of issues the Celtics are facing right now, and it has all to do with the players and the style of play.
So let me list three main problems that the they are facing right now.
(1) The young core has been cold this season
Celtics have young players like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Taytum who were on fire last season.
Jayson Tatum got a lot of hype in the previous season and was expected to dominate this season after videos of him practising with Kobe Bryant surfaced on the internet. However, he has had an average season on the offensive end and a degenerating season on the defensive end. He has not been bad but has not been that much effective which was expected of him in this season.
Jaylen Brown has been struggling with injuries, and his shooting percentages have decreased quite a bit from the last season. He has not been that effective as we are accustomed to seeing him.
These youngsters are still under their rookie contracts, and we can accept such a slump in performance from them. However, these players have a lot of time left in the season to get their form back.
(2) Injuries have been a big issue
Boston Celtics have been dealing with a lot of injury problems right now. Many players such as Marcus Morris, Al Horford, Aron Baynes and Jaylen Brown have missed matches due to the injuries.
Boston won their previous match against the Charlotte Hornets. But before that match, they lost two straight against the Suns and the Bucks. In these two matches, they missed the services of Aron Baynes and Al Horford both due to injuries, thus exposing their centre. This missing of big men from the team was one of the reasons for the losses.
But the match against Hornets saw the return of Al Horford after missing seven games. He suffered from patellofemoral pain syndrome in his left knee.
Celtics are right when they have their big men on the court. Al Horford is on restricted minutes for now, and Aron Baynes will be out for a month or so.
Marcus Morris and Jaylen Brown have also missed games but are back in the line-up now, so that is good news for the Celtics' fans.
(3) There might be some selfish play going on in the team
After the loss to Bucks, Kyrie spoke to the media and raised concern. According to him, there has been some selfish play going out on the court.
It's about trusting the teammates and being unselfish on the court. The whole team is not working together as it used to do last year. Kyrie understands this and says they need to work on making each other successful on the court.
Kyrie: “consistent cohesion” is missing from the Celtics: “I literally can do anything I want out there any time I want. But at the same time, it’s what can I do for my teammates to be more successful?”
Watch the video the interview below:
With the Big Men Al Horford and Marcus Morris back in the squad, the team seems almost complete now. They have all the resources but need to work together, and find that chemistry that they used to have last season.
Guess the Lakers players!
