The Boston Celtics' loss against the Portland Trail Blazers marked the end of a tough 1-4 road trip for Boston. After the latest defeat, Celtics star Kyrie Irving pondered about the need for a grizzled veteran to help out:

The Celtics do have a player in Al Horford in his 12th season, so this feels like a bit of shade thrown at him. Whatever Irving was getting at, Boston is not off to the best of starts this season. With the loss to the Blazers, the Celtics are now 7-6 and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics had huge expectations coming into the season about making a deep playoff run after nearly reaching the NBA Finals last season despite injuries to Irving and Gordon Hayward. But Boston is working through a lot of things, with some young players struggling and Hayward taking time to find his rhythm again.

The Celtics' offense has been a major sore spot. Against the Blazers, they only scored 94 points. As a team, Boston is putting up 105.2 points per game, which is 25th in the league. The Celtics are shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from 3 on the season. With the offensive weapons on the roster, it is surprising to see the team struggle the way they have on that side of the floor.

In terms of trying to find help, it is hard to see what kind of move the Celtics can make given their already full rotation. There are not many veterans out there on the free-agent market that could help them right now. The team could consider signing Carmelo Anthony if the Houston Rockets indeed release him, but Boston doesn't need another mouth to feed significant touches on offense. If anything, a lesser player who can simply provide leadership and toughness is needed.

It'll be interesting to see if Danny Ainge acquires the type of player Irving is looking for.