Let’s get this out of the way – The Celtics weren’t going 82-0. It was never going to happen. Despite the loaded roster, they are human, evidenced by their 114-109 overtime loss at the hands of the Timberwolves.
Minnesota is a good team. They have defeated both Boston and Denver this season, advancing to 4-2 with Monday night’s win. The Wolves have a stifling defense, posting an NBA-best 100.7 defensive rating through their first six games.
It’s rather impressive the Celtics were able to force overtime considering they shot just 35.2% from the field and 24.1% from deep in the first three quarters and racked up 16 turnovers on the night. Not to mention, they were without Derrick White, who plays an immeasurable role in their success.
Monday night was a true test for the Celtics, and it resulted in their first speedbump of the season – One of many to come, which is inevitable over an 82-game season despite all the talent.
It’s a game the new-look Celtics need to use as a learning experience, and according to head coach Joe Mazzulla, that’s the plan.
“We’re only in November,” the second-year head coach said postgame. “For tonight, it’s just a good opportunity to figure out what we did well and where we can get better.”
There have been plenty of positives early on in the season, but the Celtics haven’t been perfect. The season is still young, but some trends are beginning to form. Trends that we saw in Monday night’s loss.
Let’s take a look at the areas the Celtics can improve.
Bench consistency
Outside of their 63-point explosion (46 of which came in the 4th quarter) against the Indiana Pacers, the Celtics’ bench has struggled to find production.
A mixture of White being out and foul trouble led to Mazzulla mixing in different lineups Monday night, resulting in extended run for some of Boston’s bench guys.
On the night, the Celtics totaled 16 bench points on a combined 4-of-14 (28.5%) shooting. Boston’s bench was outscored 27-16. The only players on the second unit to score for Boston were Sam Hauser (11 points) and Luke Kornet (five points), as they both provided some solid minutes.
Payton Pritchard, who the Celtics need to get going, finished scoreless on the night for the third time this season. However, he did grab six rebounds (three offensive).
Pritchard has struggled to find his shot early on this season. The 25-year-old, fresh off a four-year $30 million extension, is shooting 8-of-30 (26.7%) from the field and 3-of-18 (26.7%) from deep. Pritchard’s only production this season came in Boston’s win over Indiana when he scored 15 of his 22 points on the season.
On the season, Boston’s bench is currently 29th in points per game (24.3), 28th in shooting percentage (39.7%), and fourth in turnovers (4.7).
There are going to be times when the Celtics will need their bench to step up and win them a game. Boston’s bench needs to get things going.
Ball movement
The Celtics have struggled to move the ball consistently so far this season. Boston has done a nice job attacking mismatches and posting up, but their ball movement has not been great. With such talented scorers, the Celtics have relied on isolation and mismatches, and it’s worked, as they sit second in the league in offensive rating (119.9).
The Celtics currently sit 26th in assists per game, averaging 23.0, and according to NBA tracking data, the Celtics rank 29th in passes per game.
Dating back to last season, the Celtics are 17-2 when recording 30+ assists. Talent alone has been carrying the Celtics' offense a bit early on, but the C’s are at their best when they move the ball, something that will likely improve as the new-look Celtics see more minutes together and build cohesion.
The turnover battle
Despite forcing 23 turnovers on Monday night against the Wolves, the Celtics still rank last in total turnovers forced, forcing an average of just 12.8 turnovers per game. Meanwhile, the Celtics are coughing the ball up an average of 14.7 times per game.
While the Celtics may not be forcing turnovers, they do have active hands on the defensive end. The C’s are averaging 15.5 deflections per game, which should result in turnovers sooner rather than later.
Forcing turnovers was an issue for the Celtics a season ago, and they are struggling in that department again this season, forcing turnovers at a rate of just 11.6% good for 29th in the league.
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