Boston Celtics: 3 key improvements for rest of the season
3. Get healthy and get enough rest
One of the biggest problems for the Celtics has been their ability to stay healthy. A lot of that isn’t anything you can control, but rather bad luck. Furthermore, the Cetlics have played a total of 59 games – good for a seven-way tie for second-most in the league. The only team ahead of the pack has been the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have played 61 games.
I don’t think that the cause of all the injuries has been because of the longer schedule. Players are not used to the new system of having the All-Star game pushed back, so maybe not having an extended break earlier helps? It’s hard to tell.
Anyway, if the Celtics want to continue to become a force in the Eastern Conference, they must stay healthy, especially with the playoffs right around the corner. You do not want to suffer any long-term injury that could jeopardize winning in the playoffs.
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The three work horses for the team have been Aron Baynes, Terry Rozier and rookie Jayson Tatum. These are the only three players who have been a participant in all 59 games. Beyond them, the team has never had a chance to play at full strength. The only time they were able to do so was opening night, and that didn’t last long after Gordon Hayward suffered a horrific injury. Thankfully, it appears he has made great progress to stepping back onto the hardwood.
The team must take full advantage of resting during the All-Star break because once the season kicks back up again, there won’t be much time for rest. The Celtics will be playing every other night for the rest of the way out. There will be a few times that they’ll have three days in between a game, but for the most part, there won’t be much resting time.
Even ignoring Hayward’s injury, the Celtics have had issues keeping players healthy. Marcus Morris has sustained the most injuries over the course of the season, playing in only 35 games.
The main thing is to make sure your starting five can remain healthy the rest of the way out. The most important starter is Kyrie Irving, who has had some injuries every so often this season. He’s played in 53 games – nothing too serious but something to watch moving forward.
They should be getting back their best defensive player Marcus Smart after the All-Star break. His injury was not due to the lack of rest, but a lack of holding back his emotions. Smart swiped at a picture frame in a hotel due to frustration, injuring his hand. He has been a huge reason the Celtics are so successful because he plays such great defense.
If the Celtics want to be a strong team, then they’ll need to find a way to stay healthy and take advantage of days that they can find any sort of rest.