There is quite a bit of turmoil taking over the Boston Celtics currently. It is not exactly how Ime Udoka wanted to begin his head coaching career. They have gotten off to a slow start this season, as they have begun the 2021-22 NBA season with a 2-5 record.
They are struggling on both ends of the court, as they rank 18th in offensive rating and 25th in defensive rating according to Basketball-Reference. Following their most recent loss, in which they blew a 19-point lead to the Chicago Bulls, things boiled over.
Starting point guard Marcus Smart, considered the heart and soul of the team, did not hold back in his post-game presser. He was very critical of the team’s performance, as they were outscored 39-11 in the fourth quarter at home against the Bulls. He hinted that he would like to be involved in the offense more as a playmaker.
That can be taken as a shot at rookie head coach, Ime Udoka. At the end of the day, Udoka is calling the plays from the sidelines that the Celtics are running. It is up to the players to execute them on the court after that.
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Smart did not stop there with his criticisms. He called out All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as well for how they are playing, taking what could be deciphered as another shot at his head coach.
“Every team knows we’re trying to go to Jayson and Jaylen,” Smart said after the 128-114 loss to the Chicago Bulls. “Every team is programmed and studied to stop Jayson and Jaylen. I think everybody’s scouting report is to make those guys pass the ball. They don’t want to pass the ball.”
Tatum and Brown are averaging 3.7 and 2.5 assists per game respectively. They have two of the worst assist-to-turnover ratios on the team, however, with Tatum coming in at 1.4 and Brown having a 0.8.
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It is something Smart says that they have been progressing in, but still need to learn how to do. The team is urging them to do it, but as the win-loss record shows, it is something they still have a long way to go in accomplishing.
“That’s something that they’re going to learn,” Smart said. “They’re still learning. We’re proud of the progress they’re making, but they’re going to have to make another step and find ways to not only create for themselves but create for others on this team to open up the court for them later down in the game.”
“… It’s something we’ve been asking them to do, and they’re learning. We just gotta continue to help those guys do that to help our team.”
It will be interesting to see how Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown respond to this. Will this be something that motivates them to reach that next level, helping the Boston Celtics win some games? Or will it cause some more friction on a team that is performing under expectations thus far?
