Celtics Hit Reset Button After Blowout Loss, Searching for Identity Post-Deadline
BOSTON - The Celtics have been one of the NBA’s most adaptable teams this season, but on Sunday, that flexibility turned into uncertainty. With Sam Hauser sidelined by back spasms, Boston once again shuffled the deck, starting Luka Garza alongside Neemias Queta - a frontcourt pairing that head coach Joe Mazzulla had already flagged as problematic after Friday’s narrow win over Miami.
This time, the gamble didn’t pay off. The Celtics were out of rhythm from the jump and never found their footing in a lopsided loss to the Knicks.
It was Boston’s second-worst defeat of the season, only surpassed by the November 1 loss to Houston - a game that capped a grueling stretch of five contests in seven nights. But this one felt different.
It wasn’t fatigue. It was disjointedness.
And as the game wore on, the Celtics looked less like a top-tier team experimenting with rotations and more like a group still trying to figure out who fits where.
Mazzulla admitted as much postgame, pointing to the team’s ongoing lineup tinkering - now up to 15 or 17 different combinations this season. “Nothing’s changed,” he said.
“Everybody on our roster has a chance to impact winning. We have a chance to develop, do different things… we just keep developing identities.”
That identity, though, is clearly in flux. The recent trade deadline brought in Nikola Vučević, a skilled low-post scorer with defensive limitations, and moved Anfernee Simons out.
That swap alone has had ripple effects across the rotation. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White now stagger minutes, Baylor Scheierman has been thrust into a starting role, and Garza is playing more at the four.
Even Ron Harper Jr. - called up from Maine - is now in the mix.
Those changes have produced a mixed bag. Pritchard, for example, had been red-hot off the bench since the shake-up, shooting 48.4% from the field and 40% from deep over his first four games in the new role.
But against the Knicks, he went cold (2-for-9) and the Celtics were outscored by 27 during his minutes. On the flip side, Scheierman was a bright spot in the blowout - posting a 10-point, 13-rebound, five-assist line that gave the starting five a jolt of playmaking and energy.
Garza and Queta have struggled in back-to-back games, but they were dominant in Houston and still hold a +14.0 net rating per 100 possessions over the last four contests. The nine most-used lineups featuring Scheierman in that stretch have all been net positives.
Harper Jr. also had a standout moment earlier in the week, scoring 11 points with nine boards and playing solid defense on Kevin Durant. The Celtics clearly see something in him.
Still, it feels like a bit of a reboot for a team that had won 10 of its last 13 before Sunday’s stumble.
“We’re playing a little different,” White said. “We got some new guys in new spots… it’s going to take day-by-day to get guys comfortable, get guys in the right spots.”
That process could get a major boost soon. According to reports, Jayson Tatum has begun controlled 5-on-5 scrimmaging - a strong sign his return is near.
Once he’s back, the rotation will likely stabilize. Tatum could reclaim a starting role, pushing either Hauser or Scheierman to the bench, where they’d join Pritchard and Vučević in a retooled second unit.
Having both Tatum and Jaylen Brown healthy allows Mazzulla to always keep one star on the floor, which opens up more freedom for White and Pritchard - two guards who’ve had their ups and downs shooting the ball this year.
Brad Stevens emphasized post-deadline that the Celtics’ previous formula - a top-tier offense, a scrappy overachieving frontcourt, and a backcourt that meshed well - was working. But the new pieces have forced a temporary step back. Vučević’s arrival changes the way opponents defend Boston, and the team is still adjusting to those new dynamics.
Even earlier-season developments like Josh Minott’s emergence - which helped balance the frontcourt - are now in the rearview after he was sent to Brooklyn at the deadline. That version of the Celtics looked like a legit Eastern Conference threat, albeit one still ironing out some kinks, like having Hugo González and Jordan Walsh play out of position at center.
Now, the Celtics are trying to recapture that balance of winning and development. Walsh, who didn’t play Friday, returned Sunday and showed flashes - including a crafty reverse scoop layup off a closeout. González and Harper Jr. both struggled, shooting a combined 2-for-10, and the Celtics were outscored by 17 during Harper’s minutes.
The numbers from the last two games tell the story: 39.2% shooting from the field, just 22.1% from three (17-for-77), and a dip in offensive rebounding. Their turnover rate held steady - ninth-best over that stretch - but the offensive rhythm that once made them one of the league’s most efficient teams has clearly taken a hit. And with Hauser out, they’ve lost the ability to roll out their most dominant lineup: Pritchard, White, Brown, Hauser, and Queta - a group that posted a +17.2 net rating across 27 games.
White acknowledged the challenge of adapting on the fly. “You want to break down those scenarios, but you also want to be free, not think out there, just react,” he said. “It’s tough on the fly… it’s too early to be worried about.”
He’s right. The Celtics still have 29 games left, and with Tatum’s return on the horizon, there’s time to settle into something more cohesive.
But for now, it’s clear: Boston is in the middle of a reset - not a rebuild, not a collapse, but a recalibration. And how quickly they find their rhythm again could determine how far they go come playoff time.