The Boston Celtics' 2021 – 22 campaign has been a serious case of Jekyll and Hyde syndrome. Much has been made about the team's inconsistency this season, and for good reason. Despite all the high-end talent in the roster, the team just can't seem to get a consistent rhythm going for them.
Case in point: the Celtics' recent trip to Philadelphia against their heated rivals, the Sixers. The last time these two teams met each other, it was a close 108 – 103 loss for the Cs. On Friday night, though, Boston fell flat in the opening minutes, leading to a brutal 111 – 99 loss.
After the game, Jayson Tatum took accountability for the Celtics' terrible start, saying he was the one to blame. (via Keith Smith)
Jayson Tatum took ownership for the flat start: "Obviously it started with the first unit. It started with myself."
Tatum added that he's not being aggressive enough coming off screens and he's being too careless with the ball.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) January 15, 2022
The Celtics committed 20 turnovers against the Sixers, and Jayson Tatum was responsible for seven of those. One of the biggest flaws of this team has been their turnover issue, ranking in the bottom half of the NBA in raw turnovers and turnover percentage. It's a big reason why this team is this inconsistent this season.
Still, the fact that Tatum took the brunt of the blame for this game is encouraging for Celtics fans. When your star player is owning up to his mistakes and acknowledging where he went wrong (passivity and carelessness), it's always a good sign. The team may still be adjusting to a new coach, but at least there's a sense of accountability amongst the players.
At the end of the day, though, acknowledging your mistakes and correcting them are two wildly different things. Can Tatum and the Celtics work on these flaws and start getting some level of consistency this season? Or will the front office make some moves at the deadline?
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