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The Boston Celtics currently own a record of 29-18 and have gone 19-8 over their last 27 games after a miserable 10-10 start. This is a team that many expected to win 60 games coming into the season, so their play over the last month-and-a-half is much more indicative of what we all anticipated.
Still, even with their impressive record during that time, the Celtics have had some hiccups along the way, losing games to teams they shouldn't be losing to and struggling mightily on the road.
Of course, as far as them dropping games to teams like the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns, it's probably more that Boston was coasting through those contests and not taking the opponent seriously, but, nevertheless, the losses still reflect on the club's overall record.
Right now, the C's are six losses behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and are five losses behind the Toronto Raptors for second, so it is going to take a heck of a run over the final three months of the season for the Celtics to nab one of the top two spots.
While Boston certainly has the talent to rip off a 10-to-15 game winning streak between now and then to insert itself into the race for the No. 1 seed, there are areas where it could use improvement.
That was on full display during their 107-99 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night.
The Celtics built a 22-point lead with 10:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, only to see Dion Waiters and the Heat knock the deficit down to five with under five minutes left against Boston's bench.
It was the second time that the Celtics' bench had blown a lead in the game, as it also gave up a 12-point edge in the first half.
Of course, Kyrie Irving came back into the game and put it away, but not before some theatrics that nearly saw Boston's massive lead completely evaporate.
This has actually been a somewhat running theme for what is a very deep C's ballclub this year. While Hoopsstats.com says that the Celtics' bench has actually been the fourth-most efficient second unit in the league this season, it's no secret that Boston's reserves have given up a decent sum of leads throughout the 2018-19 campaign, mainly due to the fact that it doesn't have a go-to facilitator once Irving sits down.
The onus for that falls heavily on the shoulders of backup point guard Terry Rozier, who really is more of an undersized combo guard than he is a floor general. Rozier has a done a very poor job of running the offense, and on Monday, he scored just three points off 1-of-6 shooting in 18 minutes.
Now, Gordon Hayward is certainly the Celtics' best passer and facilitator off the bench, but head coach Brad Stevens seems reluctant to put that responsibility in his hands right now.
That means Boston is leaving things up to Rozier, and that is a scary sight for Celtics fans.
Last year, Rozier didn't have to do it all alone, as Stevens also had Shane Larkin at his disposal. When Larkin went over to Turkey during the summer, no one really cared, but there is no question that Boston does miss Larkin this season.
So, how can the C's remedy this issue?
Well, the trade deadline is in about two weeks, so why not go after another ball-handler?
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There are a lot of backup point guards in the NBA who can at least adequately run an offense, so it's not like the Celtics will have a very difficult time finding one between now and Feb. 7.
This does not mean that Boston has to trade Rozier; it simply means that the C's should add another point guard off the bench just so Rozier does not have to run the show when Kyrie takes a seat.
One name that immediately comes to mind is Memphis Grizzlies point guard Shelvin Mack, who has been one of the more serviceable backups in the league for quite some time.
He has plenty of playoff experience from his days with the Atlanta Hawks and the Utah Jazz, and while he isn't going to single-handedly win you a game, he can absolutely settle down an offense and create for his teammates.
Mack is making just $2 million this season, so he would be an easy salary for the Celtics to match. Remember: Boston still has embattled wing Jabari Bird to trade, and a deal of Bird and a second-round draft pick could be enough to entice the Grizzlies into making a trade. If Memphis does not want to deal with the headache that Bird could potentially bring, the C's could also send someone like Guerschon Yabusele or even Brad Wanamaker along with a second-rounder.
The player that the Celtics send to the Grizzlies would not necessarily be important; it would be the second-round draft choice that Memphis would receive for the expiring contract of a backup that could convince them to make a deal.
Mack is just a good example of what Boston needs, but he may very well be the best option available.
He wouldn't cost much, but he could go a long way to helping solve the Celtics' bench issues, filling the role that Larkin did last season.
This would also allow Rozier to actually play off the ball a bit with the second unit, that way he does not have the playmaking responsibilities solely in his hands.
There has been a lot of talk of Boston potentially trading Rozier, but there hasn't been much discussion about the team actually going out and trying to improve the roster ahead of the deadline.
The C's don't even have to make a huge splash. Just a minor move like acquiring Mack could be enough to move the needle for them.
The good news for Celtics fans is that Danny Ainge is at the helm, and you should all know by now that Ainge explores all options.
