Getty Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have gone 5-and-5 since returning from the All-Star break, dropping multiple games from a winning position while also looking like a team that’s still trying to figure things out.
Unfortunately for the Celtics, things went from bad to worse on Monday, March 13, as they lost to the 15-win Houston Rockets in a game nobody expected them to lose. Now, they find themselves three games behind the first-placed Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference, with little chance of making up lost ground as we get closer to the end of the regular season.
Shortly after Boston’s latest defeat had concluded, longtime NBA analyst Bill Simmons tweeted out his thoughts regarding the Celtics’ current plight, noting how he believes things are even worse than they currently seem.
The 2023 Celtics situation is more dire than people seem to realize.
“The 2023 Celtics situation is more dire than people seem to realize,” Simmons Tweeted on March 13.
Boston is currently two games into a six-game road trip and will need to quickly recover from their latest loss if they plan to turn things around against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who they are scheduled to face on March 15.
Brad Stevens Sends Message to Departing Coach
On Monday, March 13, it was announced that Boston’s lead assistant, Damon Stoudamire, would be leaving his role with the Celtics to become the new head coach of Georgia Tech University.
As reported by MassLive’s Brian Robb, Brad Stevens shared some well-wishes to the departing coach as part of a press release from the team while also thanking him for the work he has put in whilst being on the staff.
ESPN reporting with @PeteThamel: Boston Celtics assistant Damon Stoudamire is finalizing a deal to become Georgia Tech’s head coach. Stoudamire has informed the Celtics that he’s accepting job and making the leap to the ACC.
“Congratulations to Damon and Georgia Tech,” Stevens said. “We are thankful for everything that Damon has contributed during in his time in Boston. He’s a great teammate – he works hard, he cares about everyone in the room, and he has a special feel for the game. We will all miss having him here, but are thrilled for him and will be rooting for his success with the Yellow Jackets.”
Stoudamire’s departure from the coaching staff couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Celtics, as they will now be short-handed going into the post-season and will likely wait until the summer to reconstruct their current coaching roster.
Jaylen Brown Wants Boston to Show More Effort
Speaking to the media following Boston’s loss to the Rockets, All-Star wing Jaylen Brown discussed his team’s need to play with more effort and hustle after the Rockets won the hustle battles throughout the game.
“It’s just taking care of the little things”
Jaylen Brown talks about what the Celtics need to do to get back on track
“Taking care of the little things,” Brown said, “Execution. We lost tonight, not really on execution, but lack of effort, not doing our job, the hard stuff, the little stuff is what adds up. The offensive rebounds and loose balls, turnovers. We didn’t deserve to win today.”
While the rest of the Celtics have been struggling recently, Brown has been the team’s most consistent player and showed up once again against Houston, finishing the game with a stellar statline of 43 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block while shooting 64% from the field and 40% from three-point range.