Celtics' Blueprint to Make Deep Run in 2023 NBA Playoffs
The sky isn't falling on the Boston Celtics.
Considering how well they had it rolling for the majority of the 2022-23 NBA season, though, it might feel that way to Shamrocks fans.
An 8-6 record since the All-Star break is hardly reason to panic, but when compared to the league-best 42-17 mark they took into the intermission, it's obvious this group isn't playing its best basketball.
How can Boston turn things around in time to have the kind of playoff success so many envisioned for this team? Taking the following three steps might help make it happen.
Keeping Robert Williams III on the Court
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Robert Williams III isn't Boston's most important player...but he might be its most critical defender.
When the 25-year-old is anchoring the interior and causing all kinds of havoc, the Celtics are essentially impossible to score against. They have allowed just 106.8 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor this season, per NBA.com. For context, the Cleveland Cavaliers have the league's best defensive efficiency at 109.7.
Williams is an elite talent on defense. He has the hops to protect the rim and the mobility to switch away from it. He is the ultimate insurance policy if things break down on the perimeter in front of him.
His offensive game hasn't quite popped this season, though that might have a lot to do with the fact that he's only played 29 games so far. The Celtics need to reestablish their rhythm with their pogo-stick center, and that's almost impossible to do if he isn't consistently on the court.
Getting Jayson Tatum Back on Track
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For the early part of this season, Jayson Tatum felt like a shoo-in for the MVP award. Now, you can kind of have the MVP discussion without him.
His numbers are good enough to get him on the ballot, but he appears no better than fourth in what's become a three-player race.
Tatum is still on the short list of the Association's elites, but he has another level of greatness that he hasn't consistently shown of late. His finishing sometimes fades late in games. His outside shot comes and goes.
Before the All-Star break, the 25-year-old was pumping in 30.6 points per game with a 60.8 true shooting percentage, per Basketball-Reference. Since the break, though, he's down to 27.6 and 56.4, respectively.
It feels strange to gripe about numbers that good, but the Celtics need Tatum at his best if he's going to lead a championship run. He just hasn't maintained that level of late.
A few extra breathers down the stretch for him wouldn't be the worst idea.
Maximizing Malcolm Brogdon
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The Celtics are, in a sense, a collection of high-level role players around Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Malcolm Brogdon might be the one player who can challenge that notion, though.
The 30-year-old hasn't quite reached All-Star levels before, but he is a former Rookie of the Year and only two seasons removed from averaging 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. His $22.6 million salary, per Spotrac, also speaks to his near-star status.
He is a really good player and one Boston could squeeze more out of if it wants. His 25.8 minutes per game are the lowest of his career. Even when accounting for the Celtics' backcourt depth, that playing time feels too low.
Brogdon is Boston's best option not named Tatum or Brown for creating something out of nothing, which is an invaluable skill in close, grind-it-out playoff games. He also happens to be an effortless fit in a support role, since he's just as effective off the ball as he is on it.
The bigger the stakes become, the less surprising it would be to see Brogdon leapfrog Derrick White and Marcus Smart in the backcourt pecking order.
