NBA Notebook: What's behind the Celtics' struggles?

This NBA season has been refreshing. Some of the doormats and also-rangs of the league have seen a resurgence in 2021, and it's making things interesting.

The Indiana Pacers somehow hold the No. 4-seed in the Eastern Conference. The Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz hold pole positions in their respective conferences. The New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, and Phoenix Suns are all contending. Like Kevin Nealon says in Happy Gilmore, "All good things."

As we trek through the 2020-21 season, let’s take a look at the top stories from around the Association.

The Jazz are really, really good

The Utah Jazz finally lost a game, falling to the Clippers before a national TV audience, 116-112. Despite the loss, they continue to play at an incredibly high level. After losing to the Clippers, the Jazz returned to the court to score 132 points in a 22-point victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Following that impressive bounceback win, the Jazz completely decimated the Los Angeles Lakers, 114-89.

In defeating the Lakers, the Jazz effectively planted a flag in the heart of the Western Conference that showed they are a real contender. They excel at pick and roll, had only 12 turnovers against the well-regarded Lakers defense, and held the L.A. to just 24.7% shooting from deep.

The Jazz, at 26-6, are somehow still underrated. They are the story of the first half of the season.

Julius Randle is an All-Star 

The New York Knicks continue to be competitive, holding onto the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and continually coming up in trade rumor discussions as a potential buyer in their push for the playoffs.

At the heart of their resurgence is power forward, Julius Randle. Some may wonder where this level of play has been from Randle, and others might question if this level of play will continue after the ink dries on his next contract, but for the time being, sit back and enjoy.

Randle leads the team in minutes, points (23.3), rebounds (10.9), and assists (5.9). He has the highest player efficiency ranking on the team, and is now an All-Star. Congratulations to the hard-working big man on the recognition he has certainly earned in 2021.

The MVP race is wide open

This has to be the most wide open MVP race I can recall in years. LeBron James hasn’t won the award in eight years and is currently listed as the favorite but it feels like a bad favorite. The Lakers are struggling and his statistics will surely dip when Anthony Davis returns. Nikola Jokic is the logical next choice, and would probably be my pick if I had a vote and you needed it today.

On the other hand, Joel Embiid is having an incredibly efficient season and has the wins to support his campaign, and Kevin Durant could always draw attention when he returns. Steph Curry shouldn’t be completely disregarded if the Warriors continue to improve their play, and stars like Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Damian Lillard are now well outside the top five, but could conceivably streak their way into contention with a strong second half.

Consider this: when LeBron last won his award near-unanimously (Carmelo Anthony got one first-place vote), he averaged 26.8 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game, and 7.7 assists per game. This season, Doncic is averaging 28.9 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game, and 9.2 assists per game. The NBA is in really good hands.

Boston, we have a problem

The Boston Celtics were dynamic in 2020 with a deep and youthful roster. Fast forward just one season and the Celtics are in last place in the Atlantic Division. Danny Ainge has been making as many public statements lately as any GM in the league, and it feels like something is brewing in Beantown besides Sam Adams.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are untouchables, but the rest of the roster needs to turn things around quickly or risk finding themselves no longer wearing Celtics green. They haven’t been awful per se, but just average, and that spells doom in a tough division, especially when combined with injury issues to Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker.

Walker, in particular, will need to improve his play if the Celtics want to turn things around, as his 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio simply won’t cut it.