Boston Celtics: 3 key improvements for rest of the season
2. Get back to the basics on defense
The Celtics’ greatest strength this season has been their ability to play defense. This season they hold the top ranked defense with an impressive 101.0 defensive rating. They held that defensive rating under 100 for the better part of the season as well. Because they’ve struggled to win games as of late, they have basically thrown defense out the door.
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Over the past 15 games they have a 104.2 defensive rating – good for seventh in the NBA. This is not a bad defensive rating by any means, but for the Celtics, it’s a little disappointing. Some of their recent struggles have created a huge contribution in a first half slide. In a recent article, I highlighted the Celtics’ first half struggles.
Often times they have dug themselves in a hole by the end of the first half. This usually means they’re trailing by 15 points or more and allowing teams to score 50 to 60 points a half. This is not ideal for a team that has a hard time scoring the ball as it is.
Losing their best defensive player in Smart has certainly played a role in that, but that’s not an excuse for them. They have a good number of good defenders like Rozier, Al Horford, Baynes and both Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been solid.
The old saying of “defense wins championships,” is something that the Celtics will have to go back to if they want to win games. They aren’t a good offensive team and when their defense is failing them, they’re in real trouble.