Mazzulla Shares Insight on Celtics’ Defense and Effort During Slump
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla addresses the team’s defensive struggles and shooting woes amid a recent slump in performance
Boston, Celtics, Joe Mazzulla, NBA, Defense, 3-Point Shooting
Boston: The Celtics are going through a rough patch, and it’s not looking great. They’ve lost three out of their last four games, which is a bit concerning.
Before their game against the Raptors, they were barely hanging on to second place in the Eastern Conference, just half a game ahead of the Knicks. That’s not the kind of position they want to be in.
Fans have been pretty vocal about the team’s defense lately. They’ve dropped to 16th in defensive rating over the last six games, and it’s clear they’ve let in over 100 points in five of those games. Ouch!
Even former player Eddie House chimed in, saying the team isn’t showing the “championship effort” they need on defense. That’s a tough pill to swallow.
Coach Mazzulla was asked about the team’s struggles, and he had some interesting thoughts. He pointed out that it’s easy to blame effort when things go south, but the numbers tell a different story.
He mentioned that their expected defensive stats are actually pretty solid, ranking high in several categories. But the real kicker? Their 3-point shooting is ranked 28th. That’s where the problem lies.
Mazzulla made it clear that while they need to step up defensively, the bigger issue is their shooting. It’s hard to win games when you can’t hit your shots, especially from beyond the arc.
He believes that once the Celtics start shooting better, the wins will follow. With so many good shooters on the team, it shouldn’t take long for them to turn things around.