Forget about the result in the Celtics' fifth game of the season. That - a 116-107 loss to the Wizards - was obviously not what the folks in attendance at TD Garden had signed up for.
What transpired Wednesday night was concerning far beyond the box score.
In a nutshell, Ime Udoka's Celtics aren't the group he thought they were. And that's problematic.
How do we know? Because, unlike in Brad Stevens' press conferences, he tells us such things. As Udoka revealed in his postgame get-together, it is what it is, and what it is isn't encouraging.
"For whatever reason, they were lacking in intensity and focus this morning and I told them they're going to get their asses kicked tonight if you come with that focus in the game and for three quarters we played the same way," the first-year head coach said. "Waited to get down 15 and started to play with the effort that we have in the other four games. It's disappointing.
"We'll have a chance at it again on Saturday. We feel if we bring the right intensity we'll be OK, but you got to show up every night. Just can't pick and choose and show up and think you're going to beat people."
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"The proper respect for your opponent from the start," he added. "Don't wait to get down. I told them before the game we've had double-digit leads in every game this season so far other than today. But then we'll lose that lead, or get down and start playing again. It's discouraging that we can't hold the lead, but also the fact that we are not playing with the right effort to stay in the game until we get down.
"A habit we definitely got to break. Maybe something from last year carrying over, but we have to get off to better starts. Like I said, it looked like we were in mud from the start from the first quarter."
OK. So what's the most important takeaways here?
First off, Udoka tore into his team that morning, anticipating a problematic frame of mind. It did nothing. That is concerning on multiple levels. For the players not to respond after a pointed reminder, especially this early in the season, suggests this is going to be tougher nut to crack than the new guy anticipated.
And the other issue is that when coaches use that early-season bit of bluster, it better stick because if it doesn't than you're really swimming upstream when it comes to finding right buttons to push.
Then there was this line: "A habit we definitely got to break. Maybe something from last year carrying over, but we have to get off to better starts."
Carry-over from last year. Ouch.
The steps forward that the coaching staff and roster additions were supposed to have brought have been moonwalked these Celtics into an uncomfortable identity.
The good news is that Udoka isn't shying away from addressing these obvious issues. The Celtics are flush with selfish defense, inexcusably not helping while watching their teammates ball-handlers cruise to the hoop.
For this, the coach called them out.
The Celtics had four assists in the second half after totaling 14 in the first half, reverting back to hero ball too many times down the stretch.
For this, the coach called them out.
While it is refreshing to hear Udoka not just sit back and give the Brad Stevens attaboys after such losses - realizing the first sign of addiction is denial - he certainly hasn't exactly garnered the benefit of the doubt.
Jayson Tatum has uncomfortably become obsessed with complaining to the refs. Jaylen Brown is in the midst of an every-other-game-is-a-good-one spiral (with Wednesday not representing one of the more positive performances). And there is next to no communication on defense, which was a big reason the Wizards shot 51 percent from the floor.
Payton Pritchard got his first professional healthy DNP-coach's decision. Aaron Nesmith has disappeared, also not seeing the floor against Washington to extend his scoreless streak to four straight games. And newcomer Josh Richardson didn't score a point in his 17 minutes off the bench, totaling a minus-8.
A big part of Udoka's selling point was that he would be able to get the most out of the players presented. That narrative was turned inside-out in Game No. 5.
It's early, and perhaps this can be the wake-up call Udoka has been trying to throw his team's way seemingly from Jump St. But the exhaustion of finding the right alarm clock instead of riding the anticipated wave of this new era has officially set in.
Udoka is taking the tone that honesty is the best policy. And, as the coach noted around 10 p.m. Wednesday, the Celtics honestly have a ton of work to do.
