Seven ways the Celtics can snap out of their month-long funk

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Seven ways the Celtics can snap out of their month-long funk originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics opened the 2024-25 season by winning 19 of their first 23 games, putting the team on a 68-win pace as of early December. Many scoffed at the notion of a championship hangover.

But some tiny cracks quickly spread. The Celtics have stumbled to a 9-8 mark over their last 17 games, culminating with some of their most unsightly basketball over the past week against the Pelicans and Raptors.

Sixty percent of Boston’s starting lineup is in an extended shooting slump. Opponents seem far too comfortable against a Celtics defense that lacks the intensity and focus it routinely displayed during last season’s title run. Watching the Cavaliers and Thunder race away at the top of each conference has only accentuated Boston’s struggles.

So, here are seven ways the Celtics can get back on track. Any combination of these items could help steady a Boston team desperate for more consistency:

1. D-White shakes his nasty shooting slump

Derrick White was steamrolling toward All-Star consideration when he injured his right foot in late November and missed a game on December 1. He hasn’t quite been himself in the aftermath.

White’s 3-point percentage is down to 27.5 percent in January, and you can see him hanging his head with each triple that clangs off back iron. After ranking second in the NBA in plus/minus last season at +619, White has been a minus in his last four games, including a staggering minus-29 in Toronto, where he was pulled early in the first and fourth quarters.

White sometimes feels like Boston’s secret sauce, and the value of his typically steady play is accentuated when he goes into a rare funk. He desperately needs to see some shots fall.

2. Corner office renovation

Jrue Holiday shot a blistering 60.4 percent (55 of 91) on corner 3-pointers last season. At the midpoint of the 2024-25 campaign, he’s plummeted to 27 percent (17 of 63).

Holiday helped the Celtics shoot an NBA-best 43.6 percent on corner 3-pointers last season, and Boston now ranks 18th overall at 37.3 percent, per Cleaning the…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/seven-ways-celtics-snap-month-103127349.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2025-01-17 10:31:00

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