Questions Celtics Must Answer Before End of Regular Season

Life is good for the Boston Celtics.

That's always a temporary status and forever subject to change in the NBA, but there are few complaints coming out of New England at the moment—especially if Jaylen Brown's ankle injury isn't serious, as it seems.

The Celtics, who spent much of this season ranked among its biggest disappointments, have an opportunity to erase all that frustration and turn this campaign into something special. But they need to get a lot of things right before the end of the season.

Answering the following three questions would be the best place to start.

Are They Making the Leap?

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Hot streaks are fun, but by their nature, they aren't built to last. The NBA season is long enough that everyone will eventually get it right for a few games. The Oklahoma City Thunder—a team presumably designed to chase the best draft-lottery odds available—have won at least three consecutive games three different times.

What's going on with the Celtics, though, appears something dramatically different. Stretch out a surge long enough, and it becomes a full-fledged leveling-up.

Boston must continue proving this is the case, but so far, it seems to be what this bunch has been brewing for the better part of two months. Dating back to Jan. 7, the Celtics have gone a ridiculous 19-6 with a face-melting plus-13.0 net rating, per NBA.com. For context, if those numbers were stretched out over the entire campaign, the Shamrocks would lead the league in efficiency by a mile and trail only the Phoenix Suns in winning percentage.

If this is what Boston is now, then all possibilities are on the table: snagging a top seed, escaping the East, contending for a championship—you name it, the Celtics could do it, provided they remain dominant.

Is the Playoff Rotation Cemented?

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This is about the point on the hoops calendar at which coaches need to start locking down their playoff rotations.

Celtics head coach Ime Udoka might already be past that point.

The Shamrocks are more or less operating with an eight-man crew at this point. Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Robert Williams III continue holding down the starting five. The bench minutes are typically split between Derrick White, Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard. Daniel Theis is usable when Boston needs another big, but not always necessary. The rest of the roster bides its time behind emergency glass.

It still feels like there should be a way for Aaron Nesmith to work his way into the fold, particularly given Boston's need for shooting. Maybe Brown's absence opens the door for Nesmith. He has yet to resemble the three-point sniper he was billed as before the 2020 draft, but if he can somehow find his touch and show he can impact the game in at least one other way (bringing consistent energy on defense might be enough), he might convince Udoka he's ready for playoff minutes.

Can They Make Enough Shots to Keep Defenses Honest?

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Brad Stevens had a strong showing at his first trade deadline as the Celtics president of basketball operations. White's defense and playmaking promised a snug fit with the Jays, while Theis' familiarity and feel all but guaranteed a smooth transition back to Boston.

Still, it was surprising to see Stevens didn't have one more move up his sleeve to cover up a shooting gap.

The Shamrocks need another spacer or two. That was true before the deadline and perhaps even truer after it, since they gave up a reliable splasher in Josh Richardson without getting one back. White is average on his good days, and he doesn't quite string enough of those together. Theis doesn't take (or make) enough threes to matter.

If there is a worry with this group, it's that Boston's lack of shooting could prove a fatal flaw. If teams don't fear the Celtics' snipers, they can squeeze the offensive end and take the air out of this attack. Unless Boston gets fiery-hot from deep, it can probably plan on seeing that type of defense from its playoff opposition. The challenge then would be preparing some counterpunches now, so they're at the ready later.