Assessing each team's biggest problem through the first 10 games of the NBA's regular season.
And just like that, we're roughly one-eighth through the NBA's regular season. There are still roughly 70 games, give or take, to play before the start of the postseason in the Association, but there are already some pretty solid trends and narratives developing that we can't help but take seriously. And as the NBA season continues to unravel, those early signs are only going to grow stronger or begin to fall apart.
Even though the argument could be made that 10 games is still too small of a sample size, I do believe that we're getting to the point in the season where, for better or worse, habits are being developed or being revealed both on and off the court. It's only natural to begin to glare into each team and identify where they've managed to drop the ball so far this season.
Going team by team, we explore the one biggest problem that each team currently faces after roughly the first 10 games of the regular season. We begin with two teams that might be near polar opposites from each other in the Eastern Conference.
Atlanta Hawks
1 Biggest problem: Their direction is still a mystery
Winning their first two games of the season, there was some hope that perhaps the Atlanta Hawks were going to emerge as one of the pleasant surprises in the Eastern Conference this season. However, having dropped five of their last eight, this is a team that is more or less where they've been for the last three years in the conference. This has to be one of the bigger problems for this team this year; that they continue to remain in Eastern Conference mediocrity and there are no easy ways to break out.
That's why I believe that the biggest problem that continues to haunt the Hawks 10 games into the regular season is that their direction as a franchise is still very much a mystery. Even after trading Dejounte Murray during the offseason, there's little certainty about the direction of the team. Are they rebuilding, retooling, or trying to remain competitive with an altered core? At this point, I'm not sure if the front office even knows the answer to that question. And that's not good.
Boston Celtics
1 Biggest problem: There's no depth at the center position
It's difficult to find any weaknesses on the Boston Celtics roster that may be considered the most talented in the league but if there is one problem area for the team at this point in the season, it likely revolves around their massive lack of depth at the center position. Over the years, the Celtics have grown used to playing small with the level of wing play they currently have. But the center position is probably the only area where you can't completely play small. And so far this season, we've seen the Celtics pay for their lack of depth in the frontcourt.
With Kristaps Porzingis injured, their lack of depth has only been highlighted even more. With an aging Al Horford trying to hold down the fort at the center position, it's become clear that the Celtics almost have to make an addition to the frontcourt before the stretch run. If KP or Horford were to go down late in the season or in the playoffs, the Celtics could find themselves in danger of falling short of their lofty expectations.