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The Boston Celtics are fighting hard for the playoffs.
Right now, one of the NBA's most iconic teams is 16-17, occupying the ninth spot in the Eastern Conference. That would be good enough to make the play-in tournament if the season ended today, but just teetering on the edge of missing the postseason altogether.
The Celtics need to solidify their place in the East, which they should be able to do given a quality roster centered around the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but they are still struggling. Losing to the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day, a game in which Boston had a massive lead in the fourth quarter, really set Ime Udoka's team back, but it's still in the fight.
Here are two things the Celtics need to secure a postseason berth.
Improvement in crunch-time
As evidenced in their fourth-quarter collapse versus the Bucks, the Celtics have issues closing out games. Eight of their 17 losses have come by a discrepancy of five points or less. Two of the eight came in double-overtime, and both were against direct playoff rivals in the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks. This is good in a way, as the Celtics don't get blown out much. However, in more than one way, this is bad.
According to NBA.com/stats, the Celtics are just 6-8 when leading by five or fewer points going into the final five minutes of the game. Even worse, if we consider the last two minutes of the game, the Celtics are 6-7, meaning that they simply cannot keep a close lead. This is somewhat surprising, as the Celtics have various clutch options they can go to when needing a bucket late.
Jayson Tatum is the primary one and has a history of being very clutch. Last season, he was the eighth-best scorer in the clutch, with 3.2 points per game in those situations. Jaylen Brown is also an option, as he has shouldered more and more responsibility in the past few seasons. It's hard to exactly pin the problem down since it is not something that was an issue before.
Most likely, this is an issue of the new coach. With all respect to Udoka, he is a rookie coach and most likely being outsmarted by veteran coaches around the league. It is hard to imagine that a Boston team coached by Brad Stevens, with his plethora of plays the team executed to perfection in the past few seasons, would have these issues. Late-game collapses are usually a problem that stems from poor coaching.
Udoka, to be clear, doesn't bear all weight of the Celtics' struggles in the clutch. He just needs more experience. Losing games like this might hurt, but it will prove invaluable for his coaching in the future.
Trade for an impact floor general
The Celtics have a major issue with playmaking. This is really no surprise, as their point guard rotation consists of Dennis Schroder and Marcus Smart. Both of these players are certainly worthy of a big role, but aren't especially adept at facilitating. The Celtics' leader in assists is Smart, but he only averages 5.5 dimes per game. Clearly, Boston needs a bonafide playmaker at point guard to reach its potential offensively.
The best option for the Celtics would be someone like Tyrese Haliburton. The Sacramento Kings need to resolve their overcrowded perimeter rotation, and while De'Aaron Fox has been the one pitted for trade, Haliburton would be easier to move. Acquiring him would come at a price, however, as Haliburton is an excellent player. Due to the general dysfunction around the Kings, though, the Celtics could definitely still get a good deal. This way, their guard rotation would get a new piece that could hold it down, distribute and also add a bit of scoring.
There are obviously other options around the league, including the likes of Monte Morris or Derrick White. Unfortunately for the Celtics, not many impact floor generals are widely available, so they will need to think long and hard before trading for a player who wouldn't necessarily provide an upgrade. Of course, Boston could opt to avoid this route altogether, but then Udoka would need to seek more initiation from Tatum and Brown, score-first wings still developing as passers.
The Celtics are far from their contender status of a few years ago. Still, with the duo of Tatum and Brown, they must demand better results. If Boston doesn't make the playoffs, some serious changes will no doubt be made to the roster.
