Only five NBA teams still don’t have a win yet, and the Boston Celtics are one of them.
After dropping their first three games, the Celtics are tied for the NBA’s worst record with the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets. It’s Boston’s first 0-3 start since the 2013-14 season — the last time the franchise missed the playoffs.
That year’s team started 0-4 and finished 25-57, enduring one of the worst seasons in club history after trading Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets the previous offseason.
After suffering a similar talent exodus over the summer, some growing pains were to be expected for the new-look Celtics. Sure enough, they’ve started slowly this season, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons.
Boston should’ve won its season opener against the undermanned 76ers but collapsed during crunch time, allowing 42 points in the fourth quarter and losing by one at home. The Celtics then lost a pair of tough road matchups against the Knicks and Pistons, both of whom are more talented than Boston and are considered playoff contenders.
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The main issue for the Celtics has been their offense, which isn’t surprising given that they are without their best offensive player, Jayson Tatum. They rank 23rd in offensive rating, 27th in field goal percentage and last in points per game, struggling to generate consistent offense without Tatum.
Boston’s also taken a step back on defense and the glass without Jrue Holiday and its bigs, slipping to 20th in defensive rating and 27th in rebounding.
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The Celtics remain a work in progress under Joe Mazzulla, who’s managing his youngest and thinnest roster yet. They’ll try to snap their losing streak and end their first road trip on a high note tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans, who are also winless at 0-2.
