OKC Thunder: NBA Power Rankings week 10 – All-Star break edition
18. . 17-17. Previous: . Boston Celtics. 16. team
Boston Celtics: 17-17
Week 10: 2-2
Won vs: Pacers 118-112, Wizards 111-110
Lost to: Mavericks 107-110, Hawks 112-127
Opponents this week: Clippers, *Raptors (may get postponed)
Offensive Rating: 111.6 (13th)| Defensive Rating: 111 (16th) | Net Differential: +0.6 (13th)
It took 17 weeks of play for the Celtics to collect 17 losses last season. Clearly, this season is different with the adversity of dealing with the pandemic but there are problems in Bean Town that an unmopped floor leading to a victory on Sunday can’t gloss over.
Marcus Smart’s agent should be compiling a list of stats for when his client renegotiates after next season. His absence is showing particularly in areas that don’t necessarily count on the box score. Boston ranked 10th defensively (108.9) until Smart got hurt. In the 16 games he’s missed (all of February) the Celtics rank 19th defensively (113.4).
Beyond Smart, there are other issues the Celtics need to fix to bolster the roster. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the future but Kemba Walker needs more games like his 32 point effort against the Pacers.
Jeff Teague has been a wash and while Tristan Thompson might add value in the slowed pace of the postseason he hasn’t added much value to this point in the season.
Executive, Danny Ainge spoke on a local Boston radio show stating the team wasn’t that good and while there are issues both at the point and center this team is one move away from being annual title contenders.