There are, quite frankly, a number of reasons why the Celtics’ season hasn’t thus far gone the way they’d like or expected, but you have to give credit to Kevin McHale for identifying a key issue early on.

It was back in November while the Celts were inching past their 10-10 start when the Hall of Famer essentially noted how depth can be a weapon with two edges that cut in different directions. Kyrie Irving has criticized the approach to the game of the younger players, while Brad Stevens has sought a rotation and substitution pattern that gets the best from each of his people.

The inconsistency continues to be an issue, and McHale called it.

“I think they’re in a spot where they’re trying to keep a lot of players involved and a lot of players happy and catching a rhythm for a lot of players,” he said. “That’s always really hard. I’ve always believed that you need to make sure, as a coach, that your three or four top guys are in a great rhythm, and then after that you’re going to have to have guys that fill in and play. You can’t make everybody happy all the time. That’s a tough thing.

“And granted, I think with Boston, one of the toughest things for Brad might be deciding who his top three of four guys are. There’s a lot of guys on that team that can really play. But at some point, you’ve got to go to guys and say, ‘Look, I’m going to run my offense and these certain guys are going to get a few more shots. I’ve got to make sure they get going. I’m going to give them a few more minutes.’

“But it’s a tough, tough situation, because at some point you’re going to have to bruise some egos and sit some people down. I’ve never seen any coach be capable of keeping 10 or 11 guys all happy, especially when they’re all really good. I mean, it’s one thing to keep your 11th man happy when he knows he’s not going to ever play; he’s just happy to be in the league. That’s not the case in Boston.”

As for younger players trying to find themselves and blossom in roles more limited than last season, McHale put the onus back on them.

“It’s a player’s responsibility to go out there and play at an unbelievable level that makes them invaluable to the team. And there’s a million ways you can do that. It’s not all about scoring. It’s not all about touches. It’s not all about that stuff. The essence of being a true pro is when you have this kind of competition for playing time, you’ve got to be invaluable. You’ve got to put yourself in a position where that coach says, ‘Man, I’ve got to have that guy on the floor no matter what.’ It’s up to the players to get that done.”

It may be a little odd to go over territory already mined in this space, but McHale’s comments seem even more prescient with nothing yet truly solved and the playoffs bearing down on the Celtics in fewer than 20 games.

THIS WEEK’S CELTIC TIMELINE

Sunday vs. Houston, 3:30 p.m. — James Harden had 45 when these teams met in December, breaking the record for 3-pointers by a Celtic opponent with nine. But even harder for the C’s to take that night was getting bashed on the boards, 54-38. The Rockets had 18 second-chance points in their 127-113 win. Houston will test the Boston defense in this one, with Harden seemingly shopping for the matchup he wants and taking advantage. The Celts will have to be far more concerted with their resistance — then finish off the possession by getting the rebound.

Tuesday at Golden State, 10:30 p.m. — The Warriors were in the process of winning 16 out of 17 when they defeated the Celts in Boston in January. As usual when these teams meet, it was a close game, with Golden State scoring the only four points in the last minute to get away, 115-111. If the C’s are in need of a big win to gain confidence and get some momentum rolling toward the playoffs, this is the place to do it. Of course, it’s only that kind of place because winning in Oakland is so difficult.

Wednesday at Sacramento, 10 p.m. — This is a two-fer type of game for the Celtics. A win would help them now obviously, but it would also be a potential benefit for the future because it could push the Kings toward the lottery — and a pick the C’s own. However, Sacramento has been tougher than expected this season, and on the second night of a back-to-back for the Celts, this one will be even harder to get.

Saturday at L.A. Lakers, 8:30 p.m. — The Celtics were a team on the rise before meeting the Lakers a few weeks ago. They had won five straight and 10 out of 11 as they welcomed LeBron’s new team into the Garden for a nationally televised affair. Then the Celts blew an 18-point lead and lost on a Rajon Rondo buzzer beater, starting a descent that’s had everyone questioning them. The return match gets prime time treatment, with an 8:30 east coast start, and it would do the C’s well to extract a measure of revenge with a lot of people watching.

Remembering Nick

I hope you basketball people won’t mind if I close this week’s NBA notebook with a couple of stories about Nick Cafardo, friend and Globe baseball writer tragically lost recently. It’s been hard to deal with his passing, but here’s the way I’ll choose to remember him.

Back in the early 1980s when Nick was covering the Red Sox for the Patriot Ledger and I was a stringer for the Salem News reporting on home games, he told me about the difficulty he had gathering Sunday notes. At that time, writers from around the leagues shared anecdotes that might entertain readers (beat guys now mine their own material), and Nick lamented that it was hard being third behind the Globe and Herald when trying to partner up.

I immediately launched into a line of cheap jokes about being No. 3, and Nick laughed along until he grinned, found his comeback and said, “Shut up, No. 10.” Advantage: Cafardo.

The other story I want to share is of then-Sox catcher — and truly good guy — Tony Pena walking by Nick near the batting cage, tapping him lightly in the area below the belt buckle and saying, “Oh, Neek, you no wearing you cup today?”

Even as I saw Nick Cafardo less frequently over the years, there was never a time when the greeting was other than “oh, Neek.” And we would both laugh, which, when you think about it, is the perfect way to begin a conversation. And to remember a friend.