It keeps getting uglier for the Celtics. Following a dismal West Coast trip, the C's are back below .500 and embarking on their toughest stretch of the season. At this rate, dramatic changes might need to be made.
One NBA Insider thinks the conversation begins with breaking up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. On SiriusXM, Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer predicted the two young All-Stars won't be playing together for much longer.
"I think this is definitely the beginning of the end of the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown pairing," Fischer said. "I don't know if that will get broken up this season, but I think sometime in the next 12-18 months we're really going to start to hear conversations about the future of Boston with Jaylen Brown heading out the door."
The Celtics' fortunes kept getting worse last week. First came a loss to LeBron James and the Lakers, then they fell to the undermanned Clippers, who were playing without Kawhi Leonard or Paul George. On Friday, the Suns beat the Celtics by 21 points. The NBA champion Bucks will visit the Garden Monday.
It looks like Brown will return to the lineup this week, which should give the Celtics a needed boost. They've played 13 of their last 18 games without him.
While Brown's absence surely hurts the Celtics, it's not a satisfactory excuse for their woes. Too many times, they just don't seem to put in the effort. The same issues that plagued them last season are popping up again.
There appears to be a consensus in NBA circles: the Celtics' mix isn't working. ESPN's Zach Lowe theorized recently Boston could be an active player in the trade market.
"I want to say this carefully – this is just my speculation, only my speculation – the team I'm watching to come off the top rope with something interesting – if they continue sputtering along, which is exactly what they're doing – is Boston," he said on his podcast. "Boston is 13-13, that's not good enough."
Indeed. It's hard to imagine the Celtics improving on paper if they trade Tatum or Brown. But a reset may be what they need. They've tinkered with the roster and brought in a new head coach, and it's still not working.
