The First Quarter Season Report: Discovering Key Takeaways about the C’s

What we’ve learned about the C’s through first quarter of the season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics have completed the first quarter of the 2023-24 season with 18 games played, and they’re already living up to the hype. Sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 13-4 record, the team has secured the knockout stage of the NBA In-Season Tournament following a remarkable 27-point victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Highlighted by the impressive performance of acquisitions Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White, the Celtics seem to be heading toward greatness. On a recent episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast, experts assessed the team’s performance so far this season, sharing both encouraging and concerning takeaways.

🔊 Celtics Talk: What we’ve learned about the Celtics through the first 1/4 of the season | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

Among the most encouraging elements of the Celtics’ performance this season are the standout performances from guards Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. The team’s starting lineup has also shown impressive strength, boasting the best net rating in the NBA. However, concerns are raised over the team’s 3-point shooting tendencies and the underutilization of player mismatches.

Most concerning

“The only concern is when they have these stretches where they just get too 3-point happy. Especially when (Kristaps) Porzingis is there. It’s just stretches and moments when they’ve taken 50-plus 3s or 40-plus 3s. It’s the moments where Porzingis has to mismatch. … They get caught in moments where they get a missed-3 offensive rebound, kick it out again, and they miss three, four, five, six in a row, and you’re like, ‘Man, you’ve got this big 7-footer down there that’s a bucket in the paint.'”

“Sometimes when you throw it in the post it doesn’t work, but like you said, when Porzingis is out there especially, you’ve gotta take advantage of those opportunities. It’s just nights where, and we know in the playoffs, it’s not going to look as it good against the Chicago Bulls, who give up a million 3s and let you have wide-open looks. It’s really encouraging when the team sort of knows it and makes an effort. … I think you nailed my biggest concern.”

Also in the episode:

• Which player has most exceeded expectations?

• How are we feeling about Joe Mazzulla?

• What’s one move you’d like to see Brad Stevens make?

• Why the In-Season Tournament is must-see TV