The Boston Celtics have turned into one of the biggest surprises in the NBA. Right now, they sit third in the Eastern Conference standings. This is despite the fact that they haven’t had Jayson Tatum for the entirety of the season thus far.
Jaylen Brown has turned into a true number-one option. Payton Pritchard has developed into a solid starting point guard. Most of their pieces have played above their talent level so far, and Tatum is poised to return at some point this year.
Anfernee Simons was an offseason acquisition for the Celtics via a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. The team likes him, but Joe Mazzulla is begging him to play with more attention to detail every single game.
GettyBoston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons plays defense. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Begs Anfernee Simons to Play More Physically
Following a victory over the Jazz, Mazzulla defined what he wants to see from the reserve guard every game.
“I thought Anf was great tonight on both ends of the floor. I thought he had some great possessions on Keyonte George in the first half. Obviously, we see the scoring, but I thought his physicality and attention to detail on defense was great. When we get that version of him, it makes us a different team, so I thought he helped us a lot tonight.”
Defense has always been an issue for Simons. As a small guard, it’s hard for him to stay in front of some of the bigger guards in the league. Yet, he has the best advanced stats of his career this season. His offensive rating is the highest it’s ever been, and he has the second-best defensive rating of his career.
Simons is on an expiring contract, so he has been trying to show teams around the league that he is a better defensive player than he is getting credit for. That is the key to him getting a sizable contract as a player who is a massive threat from beyond the 3-point line.
GettyBoston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum dribbles the ball. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics Likely Won’t Make a Trade at the Deadline
The Celtics certainly have a chance to come out of the Eastern Conference, especially with Tatum coming back. However, it’s highly unlikely that the Celtics make a trade at the deadline, as they will likely use Tatum as their big-time acquisition.
Tatum coming back fully healthy would give them the biggest midseason addition, minus a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Bringing Tatum in would help them both offensively and defensively. The Celtics have the fourth-best offense in the league without Tatum on the court.
Right now, Boston is poised to keep the team the way it is now. It wouldn’t make sense for them to acquire players who could possibly push them back into the second apron of the luxury tax. In fact, the only trade they would likely consider is one to push them out of the luxury tax completely.
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