Copyright yardbarker
Jaylen Brown’s supporting cast not enough Jaylen Brown can argue he did his job. But this Boston Celtics team is not strong enough after a tough offseason. Derrick White had a bad shooting first half where he went 0-4 from three. He ended with 3-11 and 15 points total. Peyton Pritchard contributed 21 from a similarly erratic 2-8 from three-point range. And then there were the other two starters. Neemias Queta scored only four points. Hugo Gonzalez was making his first ever start – and ended up with 0 points in 18 minutes. He had just one rebound and 0 assists. Gonzalez earned rave reviews from Jaylen Brown after he came off the bench to score six points against the Knicks. Joe Mazzulla was similarly impressed with the rookie, choosing to start him against Detroit. But this was not a night that Gonzalez will choose to remember well. Anfernee Simons scored 12 from the bench, with Josh Minnott adding 10. The real problem was the team’s rebounding. Pritchard had 10, the only player on the roster with double figures. Jalen Duran grabbed 17 for the Pistons, and Ausar Thompson 12. Boston Celtics season could be a slog Jayson Tatum is out with a torn Achilles, and while he is attempting to rush back for the end of the season, there is little point. The Celtics will not make the playoffs on this form. It’s too soon to write them off completely, but their roster is just not strong enough. They were competitive against Boston, but lacked the edge they needed, and have not found out a way to win these games with their current roster. In the offseason they also lost Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet. The players they lost, including Tatum, are a better five than their current starters. Celtics fans hoped that a strong start might see this new team gel quickly and still make a playoff push. But it seems more likely they will be heading for the Lottery.
