The Boston Celtics have been a disappointment through the first month of the 2018-19 NBA season.
There's no doubt about it. A 9-8 record puts them in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings entering Wednesday night's game against the New York Knicks at TD Garden.
Recent history, however, suggests there's no reason for C's fans to panic. Why? Well, the Celtics added two All-Stars in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward into the lineup after both missed significant time last season due to injuries. Hayward missed the entire season and clearly still is building back to the athleticism that made him such a dynamic player pre-injury.
The return of Irving and Hayward has had a ripple effect throughout the roster. Playing time, rotations, plays and other things have changed or been tweaked to accommodate their skill sets. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who both play a similar position to Hayward, have been most affected by his return. Terry Rozier, who shined in Irving's place during the playoffs last season, also has seen his role change quite a bit.
It takes time for coaches and players to adjust to new lineups and roles. You can't just throw a ton of talent together -- and the C's have more depth than any team in the league -- and expect it to work smoothly from the get-go.
A couple of recent teams that brought together new players with little experience playing with one another are the 2010-11 Miami Heat and the 2014-15 Cleveland Cavaliers. The Heat team was LeBron James' first season with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and the Cavs squad was James' first season back in Cleveland with Irving and Kevin Love.
The 2010-11 Heat started 9-8. They lost to the Celtics on opening night, then improved to 8-4 before losing four of their next five games. The Heat found their stride soon after, going on a 12-game win streak and winning 21 of their next 22 games after that 9-8 start.
Boston Celtics
The 2014-15 Cavs began the season 5-7. They started 1-3, improved to 5-3, then lost four straight. Cleveland won eight straight games after beginning 5-7 and finished 53-29. Even the 2016-17 Celtics started 13-12 before winning 53 games and earning the East's top seed.
Sure, this Celtics team might not have the star power of that Heat team, or a player as good as James was for the 2014-15 Cavs, but this Boston roster is deeper than both of those teams and also has had to incorporate multiple high IQ All-Stars into the lineup.
The Celtics need to play a lot better, particularly offensively, and their upcoming schedule should give them ample opportunity to improve. Boston has a soft 19-game stretch to end the calendar year, including multiple games against the lowly Knicks and Atlanta Hawks, in addition to matchups with the Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Celtics fans' frustration is warranted given how the team has played, but history shows building chemistry with a deep, talented team isn't easy. Brad Stevens and Co. will turn things around, it's just going to take some time.
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