(WEEI) The Celtics' season has gotten off to a rocky start, to say the least. Following a 128-114 loss to the Bulls at the TD Garden on Monday -- a setback that saw the Celtics get outscored 39-11 in the fourth quarter, dropping them to 2-5 on the season -- veteran guard and unofficial team spokesman Marcus Smart expressed his thoughts about the play of the team’s two young stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Smart’s comments, the full text of which can be read here, went borderline viral shortly after they were made. And understandably so, given the candor he displayed about his frustration with his role on the team, the predictable nature of the offense and his assessment of why the team’s two All-Stars can’t make that next leap fans have been waiting on for some time now.
It should be noted the Celtics had more issues than just running predictable plays predictably for their top stars Monday. The Celtics also had zero defensive rebounds in a fourth quarter in which they were outscored by 28 points. New coach Ime Udoka likely knows he has his work cut out for him on multiple fronts over the next few weeks.
But the big takeaway from Monday were Smart’s comments and why he felt compelled to be so brutally honest. Time will tell if those words are the wakeup call the Celtics so desperately.
"I can only do so much just standing in the corner," Smart said.
As far as the reaction from Tatum and Brown to Smart’s comments and the disappointing loss? We’ll have to wait on those.