The Boston Celtics dropped to 10-8 after Saturday night’s heartbreaking 96-95 defeat to the rival Los Angeles Lakers. Not only did it drop the Celtics to 5th in the Eastern Conference, but the Celtics also lost Marcus Smart to injury in this game.
The C’s now head on a five-game West Coast road trip without two rotational ball handlers in Smart (calf) and Payton Pritchard (knee). This will be a daunting challenge for the Celtics as other players will need to step up in order for the team to stay in play for a top East seed. Boston visits Golden State, Sacramento, Phoenix, Los Angeles (Clippers) and Utah on this trip.
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The Loss of Marcus Smart
Smart went down with a Grade 1 left calf strain in Saturday’s loss to the Lakers. The injury looked a lot scarier than it ended up being, but it will still cause him to miss time. This is going to sideline him for 2-3 weeks– a big blow for Boston.
Smart is the defensive leader and heart of the Celtics, which is extremely tough to replace. He has also been a primary ball handler and playmaker this season as well, averaging 13.1 points, 6.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game this season. Smart’s production and intensity will be deeply missed especially on this road trip against teams full of great guards and wings.
Who Steps up for the Boston backcourt?
The Celtics are extremely shorthanded now at the guard position. Kemba Walker remains on a minutes restriction, but the team needs his production now more than ever if they want to stay afloat in the East. He has looked explosive and quick since he returned, but has not been efficient, shooting just 37.3%.
Walker had this to say after his struggles Saturday.
Jeff Teague, Carsen Edwards, Aaron Nesmith and possibly Tremont Waters can expect increased minutes with Smart and Pritchard unable to go. Teague has been atrocious this season, shooting a miserable 32% from the field, which needs to change for the Celtics to have success in the next few weeks.
Edwards is the guy that could really provide the team with a spark. He has looked solid in recent weeks and always plays hard. This could be Nesmith’s chance to be a knock-down shooter with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown expected to handle the ball more.
It will be a collective effort, but look for these guys to step it up on the road.
Celtics’ Keys to Success on Road Trip
Boston’s keys to success are very simple:
- Let your best players (Tatum and Brown) take the big shots.
- Get more from Kemba
- More Robert Williams minutes!
The last two games have ended with big shots to either tie or win the game. Both times, the Jays did not get a shot attempt.
The Celtics had good looks, but when both guys are having great games (49 combined vs. Spurs, 58 combined vs. Lakers) one of them needs to get a look.
The next — and incredibly obvious — key is the Celtics need a third option with Smart out. Kemba must be that guy.
The last key is finding Robert Williams some more minutes. The Timelord has looked awesome this season on both ends. Conversely, Tristan Thompson has looked bad on both ends. Thompson was brought in to energize the team, defend well, and hit both sides of the glass hard. He has not done any of that particularly well, and to make things worse he cannot score, he is not a good passer, and has not looked good guarding opposing upper-echelon big men.
All Thompson has done is create spacing problems for the team and be a decent rebounder. Williams is not going to space the floor out by shooting 3s, but he does create much more spacing vertically, being a consistent lob threat on the offensive end. Timelord offers much needed rim protection on defense with a 69 BLK% and actually disrupts opposing bigs inside and challenges wings driving to the basket. Rob provides more on both ends, so let him play!
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