With over a quarter of the 2018-19 NBA season in the books, fans have a decent idea of what to expect from their favorite teams. Some teams have surprised many with their excellent play such as the Milwaukee Bucks, who are 21-9, and the Denver Nuggets, who currently own the best record in the Western Conference. For every Cinderella tale this season, there is a squad that has not lived up to expectations at the start of the season. The Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, and Utah Jazz are all teams that have not played as well as most expected. They all have different issues to work out in order to regain their former status as playoff contenders in their respective conferences.
3. Boston Celtics
Just a few months ago they were on the brink of eliminating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Now, with both of their stars back, Boston is a disappointing 18-12. Huh?
The Celts are gonna be a dangerous 8-seed.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 25, 2018
It’s becoming clear that Boston is simply playing without effort or a sense of urgency. They are getting outhustled every night, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown look like they have regressed since last year’s postseason run. Also, the Celtics just have not been able to make shots consistently. They certainly have the talent and the coaching to be great, which is why they can turn it around, but in order to do so the C’s need to put the ball in the basket. They also need to figure out a way to distribute scoring and minutes to their players as the talent level on this team is through the roof. There is also a potential for a blockbuster mid-season trade with the pieces the C’s have.
2. Utah Jazz
The Jazz are not playing to people’s expectations this season. Currently, they sit as the 12th seed in the Western Conference and are just 6-6 at home. This stands out especially when you realize that they are 9-11 on the road, which is a solid mark. Utah is known for having a great home court advantage as they have some of the rowdiest fans in the NBA. As an opposing team, it is difficult to play at Vivint Smart Home Arena, which makes their record one of the more puzzling stats in the NBA so far.
When looking at the team statistics it is clear as to why they have started the year poorly. Donovan Mitchell has not made the sophomore leap that most individuals imagined he would. His stats remain very similar to his rookie season, while his efficiency has plummeted. Mitchell is shooting a putrid 29.6 percent from beyond the arc and 41.1 percent overall. In order to get back on track, Utah needs to play much better at home and they need Donovan Mitchell to improve his efficiency as a scorer.
Donovan Mitchell: “You gotta love the Twitter general managers and coaches. That’s all I’ve been hearing. Including my mom. My mom’s funny. Did you hear this? Did you hear that? Yeah, I’ve heard it all.” pic.twitter.com/tVYSKJbAbd
— Aaron Falk (@aaronfalk) December 20, 2018
Newly acquired Kyle Korver will add shooting to a team that desperately needs it. During the month of November, the Jazz shot a ghastly 29 percent from the 3-point line as a team, which will not lead to any wins in today’s NBA. Utah needs to assign minutes to Korver and make him a key member of their rotation. This is a team that, at times, lacks floor spacing. Korver’s ability to stretch the floor will be invaluable. His ability to shoot the basketball will open up driving lanes for players like Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio moving forward.
1. Houston Rockets
They almost defeated the Golden State Warriors in a seven-game series. One could definitely make the argument that if Chris Paul was healthy for Games 6 and 7 that they would have made the NBA Finals. Just a few months later, this team looks like a shell of their former selves. Sitting at a mediocre 16-14, the Rockets are barely in the Western Conference playoff picture.
An embarrassing loss for the Rockets, getting spanked in Cleveland.
Outside of Tucker and Capela, not nearly enough defensive effort. Houston just 9-9 thru 18 games this season.
Harden is a genius offensively, but he has been back to not even pretending to play defense of late. pic.twitter.com/1J1GppCBDC
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) November 25, 2018
Part of the early season issues can be attributed to the Carmelo Anthony experiment. He played just ten games before the team decided to part ways. He averaged a career-low 13.4 points per game on 12.1 field goal attempts, which is awful compared to his earlier years in the league. Another factor that has led to Houston’s struggles has been their defense. The Rockets have been letting teams light them up on the scoreboard so far this season, as they rank 27th in defensive rating. Losing veteran wings Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute in free agency has led to Houston regressing on the defensive end. In order to recover from their slow start, the Houston Rockets need to start playing defense at a much higher level. Unfortunately, it looks as though they might not be able to do so right now.
