Exposing Celtics' Biggest Concerns and Weaknesses to Open 2023-24 NBA Season
While some NBA teams have encountered legitimate roadblocks already in the 2023-24 season, the Boston Celtics have seen the occasional speed bump—but nothing more.
The championship-hopefuls have all the markings of a heavyweight championship contender. Entering Wednesday, they own the league's best winning percentage (.778) and its highest net rating (plus-9.7, per NBA.com). If there's a proverbial team to beat in this championship race, this is it.
Finding flaws in what they're doing, then, isn't easy. They have a few, of course, but nitpicking is a must to flesh some of them out.
The Depth Issue Is Real
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Boston's first five is overloaded with talent. Jayson Tatum is a perennial MVP candidate. Jaylen Brown is an All-Star. Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday have previously booked All-Star trips. Derrick White is an all-league defender with a well-rounded offensive skill set.
Tack on Al Horford—a five-time All-Star in his own right—and you're looking at the league's best top six.
Push past that group, though, and things get spotty in a hurry. Sam Hauser is a high-level shooter, but that's about the extent of his contributions. Payton Pritchard's splash rates have tanked in his first season as a rotation regular. Luke Kornet doesn't have much utility outside of the restricted area. Oshae Brissett and Dalano Banton haven't supplied enough offense to crack the rotation.
The Celtics may not need more than a seven-player rotation come playoff time, but this bench might need a boost between now and the deadline to make significant contributions in the regular season.
Their Playmaking Still Underwhelms
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When the Celtics shipped out Marcus Smart this offseason, they subtracted their longest-tenured player, their emotional leader and an all-purpose (and award-winning) defender. They also lost their top playmaker, which raised a few eyebrows given this offense's tendency to stagnate at times.
Maybe it shouldn't be surprising, then, to see the ball continue to stick on the offensive end.
The Celtics sit just 23rd in assist percentage, per NBA.com. They don't pass the ball a ton (fourth-fewest per game) and isolate a lot (fourth-highest frequency).
They have capable table-setters in Holiday and White. Tatum has perked up his playmaking in recent seasons, and Brown has widened the gap between his assists and turnovers. None of these players, though, would count passing as their greatest strength.
Some of this—maybe a lot of this—is tied to their identity and isn't inherently bad. Still, for an attack that hasn't always maximized its offensive possessions in major playoff moments, this seemingly small issue could loom large if Boston again gets bogged-down under the brightest lights.
The Shooting Has Been a Little Shaky
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While the Celtics are sitting a rock-solid eighth in offensive efficiency, there is a higher level they can hit.
Upping their conversion rates would get them there.
Boston hasn't posted a top-10 shooting percentage from any level. It's 12th in both field-goal and free-throw shooting and 14th in long-range accuracy.
None of the rotation regulars are having a disastrous shooting season, but outside of Hauser (42.6 percent) and White (39), none has been especially sizzling, either. Porziņģis and Pritchard are two clear candidates for positive regression, as each has a connection rate that's three-plus percentage rates behind their career norms.
