4 NBA teams that have improved over early season struggles

Boston Celtics

Before Dec. 1:  12-10
After Dec. 1: 13-7

The Boston Celtics came into the year as favorites to take the Eastern crown, and why wouldn’t they be the favorites? They took the Cavaliers to seven games in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals without Kyrie Irving or Gordon Hayward.

They had the deepest team in the league, flushed with young talent and heady veterans. Plus, they had the treasure trove of assets general manager Danny Ainge has been hoarding to make a move.

If only it were that easy.

While Boston’s defensive talent carried over from last season, their offense fell off a cliff. Through Nov. 30, Boston’s offensive rating was a paltry 106.7, good for 22nd in the league and just beating out teams like the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The starting lineup of Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford was comically bad. That group has played 139 minutes together and had an offensive rating of 90.9. That’s not a typo…90.9. That is the worst mark in the league by a full six points for lineups that have played 100-plus minutes together.

So, what’s changed?

Head coach Brad Stevens finally ditched that starting lineup and moved Hayward and Brown to the bench in late November and early December, respectively. In their place are the Marcuses, Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart. This new starting lineup has posted an offensive rating of 116.2, a 26-point swing from their previous mark.

While the Celtics’ offense still operates with the same principles, their shot selection has improved. They have significantly cut down on their mid-range shots and focused more on getting to the paint.

Celtics fans were pulling their hair out every time they saw Jayson Tatum take one dribble under the 3-point line and pull up. Tatum still has some shot selection issues, but has shown signs of improvement.

The move to the bench has helped Hayward as well. It was foolish to expect him to come back and be the same player after his horrendous injury. His biggest improvement since going to the bench has been his 3-point shooting, where he’s improved to 36.1 percent, up from his barely serviceable 31.4 percent.

The Celtics still have a lot of work to do before they become the team the envisioned before the season, but they are back on the right track.