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After a strong fourth quarter performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night, Brad Stevens rewarded Marcus Smart with his first career start against the Miami Heat.

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In his starting debut, Smart wasn’t the only reason for the team’s offensive struggles, but he certainly showed some growing pains on both ends. He scored just three points in 28 minutes on 1-of-4 shooting (all attempts from 3-point range). The 21-year-old added four rebounds and four assists as well, but Smart’s play was representative of a Celtics offense that failed to attack the basket all night against an undersized Miami team.

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Those struggles are likely to continue in the coming weeks as the newcomers attempt to get adjusted to the starting lineup. For now, the biggest question remains whether Smart showed enough in his play Sunday to earn another start, or if Stevens thinks the rookie isn’t quite ready for the full-time gig.

Boston.com – Marcus Smart struggles in debut start, Heat beat Celtics

Geoff covered the Celtics startling deviation from scoring on the break  in his recap last night -zero fast break points against the Heat- and while Brad Stevens’ inorganic integration of three new players hindered the Celts’ offensive rhythm, Marcus Smart did not look comfortable leading the first team offense as the starting point guard.

It was clear from the jump last night that, when in the half-court, the Celtics don’t have a guy on the floor who can consistently get to the basket and create offense. Actually, forget consistently, they might not have a guy who can do it at all.

Marcus Smart isn’t expected to be, and doesn’t have to be Rajon Rondo for the Cs offense to produce the way it has in the first quarter of the season. But it’s clear now that when the Cs allow an opposing team to shoot well from the field as they allowed Miami to do early in the game last night, it will hurt the Celtics on the other end of the floor. When the game slows down, this group is going to struggle to score.

Last night was a great learning experience for the rookie. He went up against two young point guards who could tell Smart all about what it’s like to struggle early on in the NBA. The good news for Smart is that there is no #9 playing in front of him anymore. While Stevens may insert Evan Turner or Jameer Nelson into the starting lineup at times throughout the season, this is now Marcus Smart’s stage to have eye-opening stretches of basketball like the 4th quarter of the Wolves game, and forgettable stretches like the entirety of last night’s tilt in South Beach.

Related Links:

CSNNE – Sullinger: A ‘learning process’ for Smart as Celtics’ PG

On page 2, the new guys make their debut

One of the pillars for any successful team is chemistry, which can only be developed through practice, trial and error.

But even that’s not enough when you have multiple players added to the mix which is the case with the Celtics following their five-player trade on Thursday with Dallas that sent Rajon Rondo to the Mavericks.

The three newest Celtics – Brandan Wright, Jameer Nelson and Jae Crowder – each had varying levels of success on Sunday.

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has realistic expectations for his three newest players.

“They were fine,” Stevens said of their first game as Celtics. “They were solid. It’s hard to play in this deal one day after getting here, and your world is kind of shook up. I thought they did a lot of good things, and I think that there’s a lot that we can improve upon. There’s going to be some time before they’re going to feel as fluid as they can. Everyday should be a little bit better, but it’s going to take some time.”

Wright, who came into Sunday’s game as the NBA’s leader in field goal percentage, had four points on 2-for-3 shooting.

Nelson played more than any of the new guys, finishing with three points, three assists along with two turnovers and Crowder missed both of his shots from the field and was scoreless in just over seven minutes of action.

CSNNE – New Celtics trying to get up to speed with team

Brad Stevens coached last night like my dad used to coach my basketball team when I was in 6th grade: Everybody plays. Stevens brought six guys off the bench in the first half and three of them were the Mavericks expats in their first game with the Cs. Imagine being uprooted from your home and workplace, being thrown into a new workplace with a new set of rules and expectations and then going out and doing your job while trying to get on the same page with the guys who have been there since the beginning.

The results were as expected. The big question going forward is how Stevens is going to juggle minutes and potentially handle egos. Gerald Wallace is settled into his role as motivational, veteran bench presence. Phil Pressey is too young and too much of a fringe NBA player to cause too much of a stink at this point in his career. Last night Brandon Bass played five minutes. Something’s going to have to give over the next couple of weeks.

Related links:

Mass Live – Tyler Zeller big but new-look Boston Celtics get handled 100-84

And Finally, will Stevens make a captain happen?

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has a lot to worry about these days. Naming a new team captain doesn’t register high on his list.

“I’m not gonna pick a new team captain right now,” Stevens said prior to Boston facing the Miami Heat. “That stuff sorts itself out over the long run. One of the things that great teams do is everybody takes ownership.

“I look at it as 15 guys taking the responsibility of having that mindset, like everything I do effects everybody else and deciding that this is going to be a team … we’re gonna figure that stuff out.”

CSNNE – Who is the next Celtics captain?

What Stevens really meant is: “A captain? Really? Any guy on this team could be traded by the time I finish this interview and you want me to name one of them the undisputed leader and great hope of this team? There’s a better chance of me returning to the college game.”