BOSTON — When Kristaps Porzingis came back slightly ahead of schedule back in late-November, the Celtics needed to make their adjustments. As seen last season, Porzingis makes the C’s whole on both ends of the court where his unique blend of size and skill unlocked the reigning champions at their best.
But through the middle parts of the season, that vaunted Celtics starting lineup of last year struggled. C’s coach Joe Mazzulla compared the reintegration process as similar to training camp, where the group needed to relearn habits and how to play cohesively with Porzingis on the court.
That’s been a work-in-progress through the season amid some challenges. But after their 118-105 win over the Knicks on Sunday, the starting lineup showed flashes of what they can be at their best. One data point doesn’t change the overall trends, but it’s a positive step toward getting the Celtics back to their best.
“We had to just re-establish our identity on what that looks like and that identity changed because the environment changed,” Mazzulla said. “So teams were playing us different and they will continue to do so. So it just took time to get into each individual rhythm. What we do as a team is really important, but how each individual guy fits into that is important. So they’re doing a better job of having an understanding of how they impact each other, and we’ve got to continue to get better at that.”
Last season, the starting five of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Porzingis played in 37 games and 623 minutes together, putting together a positive net rating of +11.0. This season, through 20 games and 307 minutes together, they have a negative net rating of -1.6, though that’s improved compared to earlier this season.
“That’s credit to JT especially because he’s getting a lot of attention,” Porzingis said. “He’s taking all kinds of defenses, blitzing, everything they’re throwing at him, switching, blitzing, and he’s being selfless, he’s making the right play. And same with JB. He’s also doing the same thing. He’s running out in transition when he can, but if not he’s willing always to make the right play, kickouts to me.”
Another element, too, is that the C’s struggled as a team through December and January. There were worries back then as the Celtics weren’t playing their best ball, but the other side of the coin is that the reigning champs didn’t need to peak yet. Guys like Holiday and Brown also played through some nagging injuries. So not only are the Celtics starters looking to mesh together more, but they’ll also look to play their best ball come the playoffs.
The Celtics have other identities and depth players who are more than capable of stepping up on a nightly basis. They’ve had success this season with their double big lineups with Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet mixing and matching based on availability and matchups. Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser also continue to be important depth pieces.
So, it’s not all on the starting lineup to contribute for the Celtics. There have been multiple times this season where the bench checks in and changes the complexion of the game for the better. The Celtics are reigning champions because of their depth and talent. But it certainly wouldn’t hurt for the starters to play at the same level as last season, unlocking another element for Mazzulla’s squad in the quest for a repeat.
There are still bumps along the way as the Celtics march toward the playoffs playing better ball of late. They’ve now won nine of their last 10 games, including blowing out the Knicks twice. They saw their 27-point lead Sunday slimmed down to four early in the fourth quarter before rallying to close the door on the Knicks.
“The guys that started that fourth quarter did an incredible job of getting stops at the right moment, getting out in transition,” Tatum said. “JB got some layups. We knocked down some big shots, D-White did. Jrue was doing his thing. It’s just all about staying poised. We didn’t get that lead in one play, and we’re not going to get it back in one play.”
