Things are not going well in Boston. The Celtics lost five out of their first seven games to start the 2021-22 NBA season, while there has been some friction in the locker room as well. This reportedly prompted a players-only meeting that took place ahead of the team’s clash against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the meeting included discussions about the Celtics’ bad form and recent fallout against the Chicago Bulls that saw them suffer a 128-114 loss despite leading 14 points to start the half. The players also touched on the subject of guard Marcus Smart’s comments about his teammates Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
After the Bulls game, Smart said that Brown and Tatum are being poor distributors and “don’t want to pass the ball.” He also urged them to “create for others on this team to open up the court for them later down in the game.”
It appears that the meeting, described as “emotional at times,” helped Boston at least in the short run. The Celtics bounced back with a 92-79 win against the Magic and improved their record to 3-5.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Jaylen Brown confirmed the Celtics had a players-only meeting but declined to talk further on the subject.
“Team meeting, just an opportunity to talk as a group, get some communication going in, and move forward,” Brown said.
