Celtics head coach Brad Stevens does not believe that effort, or a lack thereof, has been an issue for his Boston Celtics during their 1-4 stretch since the All-Star break. The challenge for this team of late has been its inability to remain engaged as a group, he says, and it’s an issue that they’re striving to correct.
Friday night was a perfect example, as the Celtics stormed back from a 15-point deficit against Sacramento to take a one-point lead in the fourth quarter, only to allow the Kings to retake the throne in the closing minutes and hand Boston a 107-96 defeat. There were plenty of high-effort individual plays from the Celtics throughout the night, especially during their 36-point third quarter, but Stevens noted a general lack of connectivity amongst the group which ultimately played a role in its downfall, just as it had two nights prior in a similarly molded loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I think we need to be more engaged in each other,” Stevens said following the loss at TD Garden. “I think that teams are fragile things. Guys are trying, and they are all really good guys trying, but sometimes even when you’re giving good effort, or you have a group of possessions that go pretty well, five guys engaged does a lot, and we just haven’t had that recently.”
It’s been a concerning trend, but it’s not one that the Celtics can’t fix. This same group was connected enough to journey all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last summer, and there’s no reason that they can’t reach a similar level of cohesion again.
“We have to play as a team,” Stevens said. “We have to be able to move past a mistake or a missed shot or a missed opportunity or them banking a shot in from three and move on. We have to show a great mindset, show a little resolve, and put that together throughout the game, and we have not done that. That is clear. So we’ve got to get engaged in each other and you’ve got to fight through these tough times, and if you’re not going to do that, then there’s going to be a lot more tough times.”
There are many individuals who are taking accountability for the recent lack of engagement, including all three members of the team who spoke after the game – Stevens, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker.
In Stevens’ case, he claimed that he needs to do a better job of finding the right rotations to maximize the team’s chemistry.
“It’s fair to say that’s on me,” he stated. “It’s fair to say that’s something I need to make sure we have, and I’m going to do my best - whether it’s finding different groups, or whether it’s getting the most out of the group that I know has the highest potential, then that’s what we’re going to do.”
In Brown’s case, he said that he needs to improve his leadership by getting the most out of his teammates.
"My job is to just come out and play basketball and inspire guys to play hard and compete to win,” he said. “I haven't done a good job of that. That's something that has been a challenge for me. I accept that challenge and I accepted that challenge at the beginning of the year. Ultimately, I gotta do a better job of being a leader.”
In a similar light, Walker noted how he needs to do a better job of maintaining the renowned positive attitude that he has carried throughout his career.
“I think the best I could do is really just be my upbeat self,” he said. “I really haven’t been that over the last couple of games, and that’s on me. Guys look to me. I can’t have nights like that where I’m just not myself. So moving forward, I’ve just got to be better individually as far as my personality.”
The fact that they’re all willing to take accountability for the team’s struggles shows that they care and that they want to improve, and that’s what gives Walker hope that they will.
“The reason guys are all pointing on themselves is because we have such great dudes,” said the veteran point guard. “We're very high character. I don’t know if you'll find many teammates who really put the blame on themselves, especially on one team. So I really do appreciate my teammates and respect my teammates further for that. At the end of the day, we got to come together, man. If we want to win and we want to be successful it’s only one possible way that can happen and that's for us to do it together. Some people gotta sacrifice certain things. Now, we got to put our pride to the side and figure it out.”
And it’s not just the core players who need to take this approach. It’s the entire team.
“It’s got to be 17 guys dying to play well together and I think the fun follows that,” Stevens said. “You share it. You dive on the floor, you rebound, you’re tough every single play. When something doesn’t go your way, you tip your cap and move on. We need more of that, bottom line.”
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