Boston Celtics’ Historic Collapse: 3 Players Most to Blame for Disastrous Start to New Season

The Boston Celtics entered the NBA season with some major question marks. As much as they had the same championship aspirations as always, their new-look lineup raised some doubts.

Fast forward to today, and it seems that the doubters were right all along. They have failed to win any of their three games, and while it's still early in the season, this is worrisome.

Clearly, parting ways with Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford, and having Jayson Tatum, their best player, out with an injury, has taken a big toll on their ability to compete at the highest level.

With that in mind, we'll talk about the three players most to blame for their recent struggles.

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3 Players most to blame for the Boston Celtics' struggles

Neemias Queta

There was a lot of talk around Neemias Queta in the offseason. He showed flashes of strong play in EuroBasket, and coach Joe Mazzula talked about how crucial he'd be to anchor the paint for his team.

So far, he has done little to make the fans forget about Horford or Porzingis. He's not a factor on offense, and while he's averaging 1.3 blocks per game, he's getting manhandled by more physical big men on both ends of the glass.

Payton Pritchard

Payton Pritchard had some strong games last season when he was filling in as a starter. But after three games, it now seems like he's more suited to come off the bench than to embrace that responsibility full-time.

Pritchard has struggled to create separation from his defender, and he's shooting just 18.2 percent from beyond the arc, all while averaging a pedestrian 4.0 assists per game. The Celtics need his floor spacing and playmaking to get the offense going.

Jaylen Brown

Last but not least, we have to talk about Jaylen Brown. Yes, he's averaging a career-best 29.7 points per game, but it takes much more than that to lead a team to the top. He's been hinting at his ability to be 'the man' way too many times in the past, so now, it's time to prove that he can handle that type of responsibility.

Browns' shortcomings as a ball-handler have come back to haunt them way too many times this season; he has failed to improve that crucial aspect of the game after so many years. And while this isn't entirely on him, the fault ultimately falls on the leader.

Edited by Ernesto Cova