How do Boston Celtics overcome slow starts?

Despite the Boston Celtics winning 10 straight games, they have been starting off slowly in every game this season, culminating with Sunday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings.

After the tumultuous ending last season for the Boston Celtics, it’s obvious those who are still here are still affected by the way things played out on the court last season .The slow starts to games for the C’s is a result of still figuring out who is going to be “the guy” on a team full of potential All-Stars. The problem is there doesn’t necessarily needs to be just one guy.

The Boston Celtics are one of the best in the league at moving the ball around the court, especially at an impressive rate during the course of a 24-second run. As a team, the C’s are averaging 24.8 assists per game. There’s no need to force anything to happen with the amount of talent on the floor at one time for the Celtics.

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Even though this is Kemba Walker’s first season in Boston, there’s no doubt he’s already one of the leaders of this team. His leadership is accompanied by a veteran presence that is a perfect fit for this young and rising Celtics team.

Sometimes Kemba doesn’t want to take away the limelight from his teammates because of what they endured last season. Walker has started slowly some nights to start the season. Through the Celtics winning streak, it was noticeable that Walker erupts and takes over the fourth quarter of games.

Friday night against the Golden State Warriors, Walker went 1-for-11 shooting from the field in the first half. Kemba turned his game around and scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone to finish the game with 20 points.

At the start of games, Jayson Tatum is rushing to get things going for his Boston Celtics, rather than let things play out organically. As aggressive as he wants to be, he’s over compensating too much and even missing pretty good looks on layups (he’s shooting just 43.5 percent in the restricted area).

Tatum is eager to prove that he’s capable of being ‘the guy’, as he’s at the top of the NBA in plus-minus. Even with Tatum’s slow start to games, he is still averaging 19.7 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game. If Tatum let things play out organically during the start of a game, both he and the Celtics would get off to a better start.

Jaylen Brown is totally an old-school type of player. We’re noticing that Brown is driving into the lane more than we’re accustomed to seeing. Brown has also utilized his versatility to his advantage and is using his left hand and going towards the left side of the basket more as well.

After signing his four-year, $115 million contract extension, Brown is averaging 20.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season. As much as Brown thrives off his own instincts, he’s great at executing plays drawn up by coach Brad Stevens.

Marcus Smart is the wild-card of the Boston Celtics, especially on the offensive side of the court. As much as Smart is a defensive stud, he’s proving to be standing-out on offense as well this season. Smart has been getting off to a hot in start every game this season. Surprising to all, Smart is shooting 38.1 percent from 3-point range while taking 7.0 3s per game.

The lack of production from the Celtics’ big men is ultimately holding them back, especially at the start of games. In years past, the Celtics had the services of Al Horford and Aron Baynes manning the center spot. Both Baynes and Horford could handle the offensive workloads, distribute the ball, force a double-team and help set the floor.

The only big-man the C’s have right now that can provide something similar is Daniel Theis, who is doing a great job, but can’t be expected to handle the big man tasks on his own. Theis has been in the Brad Stevens system the longest of any of the big men on the roster. Theis has one of the highest net ratings in the NBA at plus-15.2 points per 100 possessions.

Although Robert Williams has been extremely impressive so far during his second year in the league, the “Time Lord” is still transitioning into a more profound NBA big. Williams helps expand the floor for the Celtics, as he can protect the paint and block the rim excellently. He’s been limited the last two games, getting just 17 minutes over that span as he battles an ankle injury.

A potential fix to help get the Celtics started off quickly from the opening tip could simply be from Stevens, who should have a play or two drawn up for the team’s first couple possessions. It will help give the team a sense of direction, rather than the guys sort of waiting for someone to start things off.

The Core Four of the C’s spent the summer together playing for Team USA and getting to know each other on a more personal level rather than just a teammate on the court.

Although it’s great the Boston Celtics are winning games along the way, it’s going to take some time for these guys to all get a little more in sync with each other.