Boston Celtics: The players-only meeting and a history of drama
By Jack Simone
The Boston Celtics have been a mess so far this season. Jayson Tatum is off to the coldest start he’s had in a while, and the team remains under .500 to start the season.
Just a couple of games ago, they suffered a 14-point loss to the Chicago Bulls. Not only that, but they blew a 19-point lead in that one on their way to the 14-point loss.
A 33-point swing in any game is absolutely unacceptable when on the losing end of it. There is clearly something wrong with the team, and Marcus Smart did not hold back in his post-game interview.
The quote that most people have been taking away from his comments was him saying that Tatum and Jaylen Brown “don’t want to pass the ball.”
Simply including that portion of the quote is a bit misleading. The whole quote doesn’t sound nearly as bad, but the Celtics definitely still have some issues to iron out. The full quote is as listed below:
"“Every team knows we’re going to Jayson and Jaylen, and every team is programmed and studies to stop Jayson and Jaylen. I think everybody’s scouting report is to make those guys try and pass the ball. They don’t want to pass the ball and that’s something that they’re going to learn. They’re still learning and we’re proud of the progress they are making, but they are going to have to make another step and find ways to not only create for themselves but create for others on this team.” – Marcus Smart"
Things only got worse ahead of their game vs. the Orlando Magic last night. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the team had a players-only meeting.
Unfortunately, he also reported that the meeting got “emotional,” but wasn’t necessarily “beneficial.” Neither of those things is fun to hear from the perspective of Celtics fans.
Ime Udoka said after the game that there was no “players-only” meeting and that it was a scheduled team dinner. The players simply met briefly beforehand. Meanwhile, Al Horford said that it was more of a gathering than a meeting.
Even if they are telling the truth, which seems suspiciously unlikely, there are still clearly issues in the Celtics locker room. What does all this mean for the Boston Celtics this year? And more importantly, what could the end result be for the team?