Boston Celtics: Is the offense already an area for concern?

The Boston Celtics have not had any success on offense this early in the 2018-19 season. Is there already cause for concern? Or is it something that will self-correct over time?

It’s still early in the 2018-19 season and of course there will be improvements as the year goes along, but is there reason for concern over the Boston Celtics‘ offense? The team has only played in four games, yet it’s struggled to find any sort of groove to this point.

The Celtics have one of the best starting lineups in the NBA, which is why it’s so head-scratching that a lineup composed of Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford has struggled so much.

Any of those guys can erupt and score plenty of points each night. The centerpiece of Boston’s offense is Irving. However, he’s still trying to find his footing early in the 2018-19 season. The most logical reason behind this is rust from his previous injury.

Last year, Irving’s season was cut short due to a knee surgery. So far, he’s only averaging 16.5 points per game on 39.1 percent shooting from the field and 18.2 percent shooting from 3-point range. That is not something typically seen from the All-Star point guard. In his career he’s averaging 21.9 points per game on 46.1 percent shooting from the field and 38.6 percent from 3.

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His percentages and points will rise as the season goes along. Despite the odd start from Irving, the team as a whole has struggled on that end of the floor.

As of now, Boston currently ranks last in the NBA in points per game with 99.8. The Celtics are the only team to average under 100 points per game, though the Orlando Magic are right in front of them with an even 100.0 points.

The points per game average isn’t the only thing they’re struggling with. They’re 28th in the league in field goal percentage at 41.2 percent. Their 31.2 percent shooting from downtown ranks 26th as well.

Their offensive rating also ranks as one of the worst in the league. Currently they’re 29th in the NBA with an abysmal 99.3 points per 100 possessions. These offensive struggles aren’t shocking, because they did have a poor offensive showing in the preseason.

Last season it was one of the major downfalls as well. It’s likely that the Celtics will self-correct these issues as the season continues, however. They’ll be depending on Irving and Hayward to come back to their natural form for this relatively new starting lineup to come together.

Hayward had a gruesome injury five minutes into the 2017-18 season.. He’s obviously trying to get back to the same All-Star level that he performed at when he was with the Utah Jazz. Until he and Irving are able to get back into the groove of things, it’s likely that the Celtics’ offensive woes will continue.

It’s worth noting that second-year forward, Jayson Tatum, is having himself a decent start to the season. He’s averaging 17.5 points per game, though he’s only shot 43.3 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from 3. His shooting percentages will go up, but he’s arguably been their best player thus far.

The Celtics have only played in four games this season, so there’s no reason to jump the gun and freak out. However, this is not something typically seen from a potential championship team. If they want any chance at competing for the Larry O’Brien trophy, the offense will need to pick up.