Here’s the hard fact: the starting lineup of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Robert Williams just hasn’t been good this season and that’s putting it kindly. They’ve been pretty bad. The same fivesome that racked up a ridiculous 24.6 net rating (118.8 offensive, 94.2 defensive through 443 minutes) last year is a -12.4 (106.7 offensive, 119.0 defensive through 81 minutes).
Part of it can be chalked up to Robert Williams’ late start to the season. After missing the first 29 games of the season and another eleven to get reinserted into and reacquainted with the starting lineup, Williams still doesn’t look like himself at Game #64.