The Boston Celtics have had a brutal season. With COVID-19 missed games and injuries Boston has had bad luck all around. However, at 35-35, and looking at a play-in spot, it has been a disappointing season in Boston. Everyone needs to take some blame but I do not believe sweeping changes are needed to be made. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown look like superstars and building blocks Boston has for the future. What should come next for Boston? What happened this year?
The Celtics played at the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Cleveland had lost 11 games in a row going in but Boston was without 4 of 5 starters for the game. So if the Celtics were going to win the game, it would need to come from their bench guys. They did not win, as Kevin Love poured in 30 points and 14 rebounds as Cleveland won the game, 102-94. One thing that became clear was Boston is not deep enough, Tremont Waters started at point guard and Luke Kornet played 18 minutes in the game. Not only that but guys like Evan Fournier, who shot 6/20 in the game, has not been great since coming over at the trade deadline from the Magic. Jabari Parker who came over as a buyout player could not crack coach Brad Stevens rotation even with all the missing pieces. The roster simply is not deep enough. Carsen Edwards is too small and does not play point guard, Semi Ojeleye does not shoot the ball well, Parker simply can’t defend, 2019 lottery pick Romeo Langford has shown very little offensively during his short career, and Grant Williams is a big body who needs to be more consistent from 3 point land. President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge needs to upgrade the edges of the roster so they can sustain more injuries unlike they have this season. However, there are many positives.
First the guys who are out, Jaylen Brown is a superstar, who is out for the season but should be back next year, Kemba Walker is playing the best basketball he has played since the 2020 All-Star game and will have an entire offseason to get healthy coming of his knee injury, Marcus Smart is the heart and soul of the team and he has had better shot selection over the past few years, and finally if Robert Williams can just stay healthy, he is so good they way he runs the floor and protects the rim. The 2020 draft class looks like a solid one as well for the Celtics as both Aaron Nesmith and Peyton Prichard look like key contributors to Boston’s future. Prichard is a very good point guard who is an elite shooter who has proven he can make 3 pointers well beyond the 3 point line. Aaron Nesmith just runs all over the place. He hustles very well and certainly looks like he has a future in Boston’s rotation as he is also a very good 3 point shooter. Jayson Tatum did play in Boston’s loss to Cleveland scoring 29 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Tatum is a special player who is on the All-NBA borderline, him on the All-NBA team has bigger implications as it is a contract issue as well. However, I am not sure he would be on my ballot. I do not have a ballot to submit but if Tatum makes any of the teams it would be the 3rd team. But boy is Tatum a special player who looks like a future MVP candidate. Boston has been down a man all season long, Kemba Walker to start the season, Marcus Smart in the middle, and now Jaylen Brown at the end of the season. They also lost Gordon Hayward, who I know did not play in most of the postseason but was still a major part of their team and a player they were never able to replace on the 2021 Celtics. Boston was not deep enough this season, that does not mean they should fire any coaches or front office people, this is still a well coached roster who needs to upgrade talent on the edges.
Boston needs to add another big man to be their 3rd (and maybe a 4th) rotational center as what they have in Kornet, small ball with Grant Williams, and 7’5” Tacko Fall is not good enough. They need to add another guard, as well, as behind Walker, Smart, and Prichard, they have Tremont Waters, which is not good enough. Finally, they need wings, maybe that is resigning Fournier and banking on progression from Nesmith and Langford, but they need another ball handler in that spot, the hope is that is what Langford becomes, but are they comfortable with that idea heading into 2021-22. At the 16th or 17th pick, assuming they can get through the play-in, Boston will look at all 3 positions leaving with the best player available. I do not think that would be at the guard, so look for a big or a wing. So Boston’s 3 primary needs for the summer are, a point guard, a playmaking wing, and a center.
It has been a brutal season for the Celtics and their fans full of disappointment and injuries, that will likely end in a sweep at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets, assuming they are able to get out of the play-in tournament. However, do not panic, I really believe Boston will be fine long term, with the top players they have, they just need to add a few more pieces on the edges of the roster and allow themselves to be more lucky next season with the injury bug (hopefully COVID is not as big of a problem as it has been this year), and need to play with more effort next season. However, if they add a few pieces, stay as healthy as possible, and get back to playing Celtics basketball, there is no reason the Boston Celtics will not be right back in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference in 2022.
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