The Boston Celtics don't have an isolation problem on offense

The Celtics ended the regular season ranked fourth in isolation possessions per game with 13.4. They sat joint-fourth in isolation scoring, averaging 1.01 points per possession. On average, an NBA game has 100 total possessions, meaning each team gets approximately 50 offensive possessions each night. That would mean the Celtics used isolation basketball in 26.8% of their offense on a game-by-game basis during the regular season. Therefore, given their dominance and league-leading offensive rating, Mazzulla's system must be working. 

It's that same story in the playoffs. The Celtics are third in isolation and eighth in scoring. They're 8-2 over their opening two postseason rounds against the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively. Hunting mismatches and attacking them one-on-one is a reasonable strategy, especially when you have four other elite shooting options to work as release valves if the defense tries to shut down your initial attack. 

Barkley's comments are fair. Relying on one-on-one basketball for over a quarter of your offense would be a bad recipe for most teams. The Celtics aren't most teams, though. Not this season. Brad Stevens has constructed a roster designed to hunt, attack and punish mismatches. Furthermore, Mazzulla's squad still runs other actions. They play a team brand of basketball. Even their screening actions leading up to isolations involve multiple rotation members.

The Celtics are 14 or fewer games away from potentially being crowned as champions. You don't get this far by playing a rudimentary offense.