The Boston Celtics dominated the NBA final 12 months, and now they only have to do it once more. It will likely be robust to match that excellence within the 2023-24 marketing campaign, however Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla believes his crew can compete for an additional title if it avoids complacency and focuses on progress.
Whereas some will view the upcoming 2024-25 season as a title protection for Boston, Mazzulla instructed star ahead Jayson Tatum and the remainder of Workforce Inexperienced that it is extra of a brand new problem, in accordance with Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
“[Mazzulla] Tatum mentioned an excellent factor the opposite day. He mentioned, ‘We’re not defending something. We’re chasing one other title,'” Tatum revealed. “We loved all of it summer time. We loved it in coaching camp. I can not await opening evening to get our rings and see the banner go up. However truthfully, after opening evening, we’ve got to place this behind us. It is a new season. Final 12 months was final 12 months, we completed one thing particular. We now have to discover a strategy to get higher.”
It will not be simple for the Celtics to maneuver up, given their dramatic climb to 18th place. Through the common season, the Celtics completed fifth in rebounds per recreation, fourth in factors per recreation and third in blocks per recreation. In addition they averaged the bottom turnovers per recreation and posted an excellent 64-18 report, their finest total report in additional than a decade.
“We wished to come back into the sport with that very same mindset, and we did an unbelievable job of that final 12 months,” Tatum mentioned. “To not brag, however we have been fairly good. We believed.”
The playoffs have been no totally different. The Celtics went 16-3 en path to their first title in 16 years. None of their streaks lasted greater than 5 video games, and 9 of these 16 playoff wins got here by 10 factors or extra.
How can Jayson Tatum and the Celtics enhance within the new season?
Statistically, it’s troublesome for Mazzulla’s males to do higher than what they did final season. Thankfully, an identical efficiency must be sufficient for them to maintain their title window open.
Nonetheless, individually, Boston may work on a number of issues.
First (and arguably most significantly), Tatum must get his three-point shot again. The Celtics made extra three-pointers per recreation than another crew final season, however the five-time All-Star’s three-pointers have been largely off beam within the playoffs.
Tatum shot a career-low 28.3 p.c from three-point vary within the playoffs after capturing 37.6 p.c from three within the common season. Even within the 2024 Olympics, he struggled to transform across the perimeter, lacking all 4 of his three-point makes an attempt through the Summer season Video games.
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That droop should not detract from what Tatum has completed just lately. He posted career-highs in assists in each the common season and playoffs and led the Celtics in factors, assists and rebounds per recreation all through the 2024 NBA playoffs. He is simply the sixth participant in NBA historical past to perform such a feat en path to a title, with Larry Hen being the one different Celtic to take action.
The 2024 NBA champion additionally entered the zeitgeist after the Paris Olympics, changing into solely the eighth participant to win a hoop and a gold medal in the identical 12 months. His Celtics teammate Derrick White additionally joined him in that elite membership.
So how does a two-time Olympic gold medalist who simply gained a championship come again even stronger? Staying hungry appears to be step one, and Tatum has no scarcity of motivation.
Plus, with a motivated Mazzulla on the helm, the C’s will at all times be inspired to develop quite than stagnate in a championship hangover.
