Issues

Redundant roster: A common criticism of the Celtics is that the skill set of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are too redundant. There is some validity to this complaint; but I would say that the best way to address this concern is to change the way the players play - not change the players. They have been doing this to some extent. Tatum has become a better passer, for example, Brown too but as much. It looks to me that whenever Brown gets the ball, his first, second and third options are to score and he's pretty good at that. But his iso play stops the ball from moving, his weak handle leads to turnovers and he isn't great when passing out of double teams. So yes, this style is not the best for the team. But what about changing Brown's style of play? Improve his ball handling and passing skills. What about tweaking the offense to include more off ball cutting? I think changing playing style and offense is more promising than finding a different player who is as good as Jaylen Brown.

Leadership: A common saying in football is that if you have more than one quarterback, then you don't have a quarterback. The concept is that there is no question about who the leader is. That same concept can be applied to a basketball team. If you have multiple leaders, then you don't have A leader. The Celtics have multiple leaders - which means they don't have one. They need ONE. How that gets determined is a tricky task for Joe Mazulla and Brad Stevens. Who should it be and how do you get the other "leaders" to buy in.

Point Guard: I love Marcus Smart. Sometimes I think he's the perfect point guard for this team. Other times he makes questionable decisions. His defense is (was?) elite. So what's the big problem? I'm not sure there is a big problem except that he's not the team leader. He enjoys playing that role. But who is actually following him?

Bigs: Al Horford has been great, but he's getting older and how much longer can he play at a high level? Rob Williams is unreliable and not a scoring threat away from the basket. The Celtics should look to adding a big and getting RW to develop (and take) a midrange shot. I think a three-point shot is not a realistic possibility. What can Stevens package for a young big?

Bench: Malcom Brogdon helped the bench with scoring because he's a strong scorer. But there is something about his game that bothers me. He refuses to pass the ball to anyone he thinks is not as good as he is. So when he's in the game, only two or three players get to touch the ball. That has to change. Trusting more players on the bench is going to be critical for this team going forward. Look no further than the Miami Heat. Trust must be baked into the culture and I don't think there is much trust on this team. Mazulla is not loyal to the bench and expects loyalty from them. He'll get it but that recipe will not cook for long.

Coaching: I believe that Mazulla can become a better coach, but there is no guarantee. I have serious questions about his creativity and game decisions. I have other questions too, but for now let's trust Brad Stevens judgment.