After 30-ish Games, What Are the Celtics Really Missing?

Welcome to the reverse mailbag

Losing to a sub-500 team always stings, especially when that loss snaps a win streak. However, what hurts the most is when a loss highlights some well-known flaws in the roster construction. Flaws that the winning has been masking. Flaws that we all know are there, but believe the team is overcoming with hustle and continued internal growth.

They show up at the worst time, reminding you that change and improvement are never linear.

With this in mind, I wanted to have some fun with today’s newsletter. So, I’m using this post as a reverse mailbag.

I’m going to pose three questions below, all related to perceived flaws with the current team — be it roster construction, offense/defensive approach — whatever. And then the comment section becomes your place to answer my questions.

I think it will be fun to see where everyone is at after 30 games. To see the differences in opinion. And, hopefully, to see the debates heating up.

Let’s dive in.

Question 1: The big man conundrum

“Offensively, we knew one of their weaknesses coming into the game was defensive rebounding.” — This was a comment from Donovan Clingan after last night’s game.

He’s not wrong, either. The Celtics rank 23rd in the NBA for defensive rebounds per game, pulling down 31.1 per night. For reference, they were seventh last season with 33.9.

Neemias Queta has exceeded expectations as the starting center. But Luka Garza has struggled for stretches off the bench, and it would appear Joe Mazzulla has little faith in Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman.

So, I’m of the opinion that a big man should be atop the shopping list as we get closer to the trade deadline.

The question is, what type of big man should the Celtics target? A starter? Someone to play behind Queta?

Short-term upside? A long-term solution?

“ Is Neemy the guy you want as your starting five in game seven of the NBA finals? If the answer’s no, then go and find somebody else. If the answer’s yes, then cool, find yourself a backup big and keep pushing,” I said on yesterday’s podcast.

So, what’s your take? Is Neemy someone you trust starting in a win-or-go-home situation, or is the starting center position the real area of need? If so, who, and more importantly, how, should the team address it?

Question 2: Is Anfernee Simons Really Suited To His Role

Anfernee Simons hasn’t had the easiest start to life as a Celtic. From the moment Brad Stevens acquired him as part of the Jrue Holiday trade, he’s been tabbed as a movable asset.

It’s got to be hard trying to settle somewhere when you’re on an expiring deal and you know the team will likely make more moves before the trade deadline passes.

To be fair, Simons has played well in his bench role this season. Not great. Not awful. Well.

However, there are times when I wonder whether his limited playmaking is hindering the second unit. Yesterday, against his former team, Simons played 18 minutes and dished out 1 assist. He took 11 shots.

Joe Mazzulla and the coaching staff aren’t asking Simons to do too much creation, either. He’s averaging 40.9 touches per game, which is 10.3 touches per night less than Payton Pritchard had in the same role last season.

I mentioned this recently…If you trade Simons, be it for a big man or otherwise, it’s going to be hard to replace him unless you’re either bringing back a guard as part of the trade or making a secondary move.

Still, I think there’s some upside to bringing in a ball-handler that has scoring chops, but that can also set the table in the half-court. I’m not championing to go and chase Chris Paul or make a bone-headed play for Lonzo Ball. The Celtics don’t need an out-and-out playmaker.

What I think they do need is someone who can create for themselves and others while still being a scoring threat.

Sam Vecenie recently mentioned — via a Jay King article for The Athletic — Ayo Dosunmu as someone who could plug that gap:

“Dosunmu, on a $7.5 million expiring contract, would not necessarily be a blockbuster addition,” Vecenie wrote. “Quietly, though, he has shown progress in Chicago, averaging 15.2 points per game on extremely efficient 64.8 percent true shooting. The Celtics could need another guard if they move Simons, but they will be mindful of the financial impact of any trade.”

So, my question to you is two-fold…Does Simons fit the role he’s currently being asked to play, and if he were to leave, what type of replacement would you realistically hope for?

Question 3: A Hypothetical That Could Be Important

Jordan Walsh, Josh Minott, Hugo Gonzalez — all three are forwards. Add in Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser and Jayson Tatum and at some point, there’s going to be a logjam.

All three of the young wings have impressed this season. At some point, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hugo get the occasional start. But, once Tatum is back, it’s hard to envision how each of that trio earns consistent minutes.

I mean, Mazzulla has rotated two out of three on multiple occasions this year. What happens when the All-NBA forward is back on the floor?

With that being said, what is the Celtics’ best path forward?

Right now they have a team option for Josh Minott and Jordan Walsh, while Hugo is under contract for a few years.

Should Boston pick up the options, look to continue developing their guys, re-sign them to bigger deals and then consider a trade?

Should they dangle one in pursuit of a starting-caliber addition?

Or, should they try to find long-term minutes of all of their 3s and 4s, however possible?

This is certainly a future-focused question, but one that could potentially impact how trade talks go as we get closer to February

* Side note: Please don’t feel like you need to answer all of these questions. If you want to, go ahead. But the idea here is to see where everyone is at, and learn from your perspectives :)