Celtics Notebook: 3-point shooting struggles mount

The Celtics made it known their 2025-26 campaign would be unlike previous years. Their offseason moves supported that ideology.

Boston allowed key contributors of its championship team from a season ago to depart the franchise, overhauling its roster with unproven players. It ushered in a new ownership group, marking the start and end of an era. Yet one aspect remains constant.

The Celtics shoot a lot of 3-pointers.

Hosting the Utah Jazz, an expected lottery team, at TD Garden Monday night was an opportunity for the Celtics to get a bounce-back win after a grueling seven-game season start, which culminated with a blowout loss to a top-ranked Rockets squad.  

Instead, they provided more concerns.

On its way to a 105-103 loss to the Jazz, Boston made just 11 of its 51 3-pointers. Only three Celtics players drilled multiple 3-pointers in the contest. Perhaps the most frustrating part of the two-point loss was the team wasting away its last possession of the game with 0.6 seconds on the clock due to an offensive foul against Jaylen Brown.

Monday was the 73rd game — 65th time under head coach Joe Mazzulla — that the Celtics attempted 50 or more 3-pointers in a regular-season game. They have shot at least 50 3-pointers in 25.6 percent of their games under Mazzulla. Their success rate?

A 50-15 record.

Most of those 65 games occurred when the Celtics were regarded as one of the most talented NBA teams, including their championship season in 2023-24 and when they were expected to repeat as champions last year. Through eight games of the 2025-26 season, they’ve struggled to adapt to their new reality. Maybe a change is coming.

Mazzulla pushed back against the thought of shooting too many 3-pointers in the Celtics’ preseason finale, explaining his offensive philosophy is to find two-on-one advantages, regardless of where they occurred on the floor. That would be the key to a successful offensive output.

So naturally, Boston is averaging an NBA-high 47.8 3-pointers per game. It is slightly lower than its 48.2 3-pointer average last season, which was when it shot the most deep balls of any team in NBA history.

Derrick White and Payton Pritchard’s performances through their first eight games have dramatically fallen short of expectations. It has played a large role in the Celtics’ struggles of finding an offensive rhythm at points throughout games.

Pritchard, the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year and now full-time starter for the Celtics, is averaging 15.0 points with a 21.3% clip from 3-point range, nearly half of his 39.3% career mark from deep.

Pritchard showed signs against the Jazz that his underwhelming play could be nearing its conclusion, posting 18 points on a 4-of-11 mark from 3-point range — the first time he surpassed two made 3s and a season-high 36.4% clip from behind the arc — with three assists and only one turnover. He even grabbed five rebounds in his team’s second straight loss.

White has provided high point totals throughout some of the Celtics’ first eight games, but it has occurred when he has shot poorly. He is shooting 26.3% from 3-point range, a dramatic dip from his 36.7% average from deep during his four prior campaigns in Boston.

If the Celtics are to compete for a spot in the NBA play-in tournament, they will need White and Pritchard to return to their shooting splits from a season ago. There were lethal from deep as secondary options, each shooting at least 35.0% or better.

The Celtics are currently the No. 12 seed in the Eastern Conference, a spot that would not qualify them for a playoff position. Of course, they have plenty of time to climb the standings and improve their postseason chances; they must take advantage of the winnable contest.

Losing a game to a team like the Jazz will only worsen their chances.

The Celtics will close out their three-game homestand with a game against the Wizards on Wednesday, hoping to avoid dropping three consecutive games at home. Their only win at TD Garden this season was a 20-point blowout against the Cavaliers.

Boston will travel to Orlando for a two-game set against the Magic, including an NBA Cup group play game on Friday. It will be a rematch of the first round of the NBA playoffs, as the Celtics advanced past a tough Magic team in five games before losing to the Knicks in the second round.