Much was made about the Boston Celtics' fatigue level after they made an NBA Finals run in 2022, and it appears they're not interested in using that excuse in 2023.
The Celtics have played more games than any other team since the NBA bubble in 2020, notching 240 contests since leaving Orlando at the conclusion of their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Miami Heat. That, paired with Jayson Tatum's Olympic excursion in 2021, has left some parties nervous about the potential of Boston's wheels falling off in the midst of its tremendous run through the regular season.
Everything we've seen in the weeks leading up the NBA All-Star break, however, tell us the Celtics are doing everything in their power to prevent themselves from hitting that wall.
The Celtics' lineup for Tuesday's matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, for instance, is an example of playing it safe. Boston reportedly has forced Tatum into a personal break prior to All-Star weekend, electing not to bring him on their road trip to face the Bucks and Detroit Pistons, according to Jay King of The Athletic.
Matching Tatum's break with injuries to Marcus Smart (sprained ankle), Jaylen Brown (facial fracture) and Al Horford (knee soreness) left a starting lineup of Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Grant Williams, Mike Muscala and Blake Griffin, with Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams III and Payton Pritchard coming off the bench.
That lineup doesn't exactly strike fear in the hearts of opponents, but interim head coach Joe Mazzulla expects the same level of production out of his squad.
"We're just going to continue to rely on the depth we have," Mazzulla said pregame, per NBC Sports Boston. "All of our guys have stepped up and played to the level that we've needed them to."
After combining to play 84% of the possible games in the 2021-22 regular season, Tatum, Smart, Brown, Horford and Robert Williams III have played in just 73% of possible games this season. Like Mazzulla pointed out, that has opened up the door for big-time performances from Griffin, Hauser and company, and sustained success for White -- who has become a force for the Celtics.
The Celtics are surely hoping that the scaled-back workload will lead to similar success in June.
