GM: Danny Ainge
Head coach: Brad Stevens
2016-17 record: 53-29 (1st in the Eastern Conference)
2016-17 result: Lost 4-1 in the East Finals
Key departures: Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Zeller
Key acquisitions: Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Marcus Morris, Jayson Tatum
The rich got richer this off-season, as the Boston Celtics get ready to return in 2017-18 with almost an entirely new lineup.
They made a swap with their No.1 enemy in the Cavaliers, replacing an injured Isaiah Thomas, who had one year remaining on his contract, with another all-star in Kyrie Irving. They also added Gordon Hayward, who after leading the Utah Jazz to a 51-win campaign as an all-star, will reunite with his old college coach Brad Stevens.
It might take time to get used to and there will be some rough patches along the way, but that shouldn’t last for long for a team that secured the East’s first seed in 2016-17 with a 53-win season.
There also shouldn’t be any problems with pecking order, since Hayward was fine in free agency with joining Thomas, who lit up the league in the same way Irving will be capable of doing now that he’s not in LeBron James’ shadow.
By trading away Jae Crowder in the Irving deal and dealing Avery Bradley to the Detroit Pistons, they lost two of their best defenders. But the addition of Marcus Morris to go in their frontline alongside Al Horford should give them more versatility than ever before.
Not to forget, they also added another third overall pick for the second straight year in Duke’s Jayson Tatum, who’s already received some high praise from Celtics legend Paul Pierce.
“He looks like an older version of me, when I started doing the step-back and stuff,” said Pierce to CSN. “When I’m watching him, he looks like a mature version of my game, like sixth, seventh, eighth year. He sees the defense. He knows what’s going to happen before it happens. He understands his position, footwork, his step-back (jumper) is there. His offensive repertoire seems complete. The sky is the limit for that kid.”
The sky also seems to be the limit for this current Celtics squad.
Potential Breakout Player:
It’s hard for a rookie to contribute to a first seed, but by the time the playoffs came around it was clear why the Celtics selected Jaylen Brown with the third pick in the 2016 Draft. Not only did he receive praise from LeBron James during last year’s Conference Finals, but he proved his case as a starter.
At six-foot-nine, Brown’s ability to play shooting guard and both forward positions is his biggest asset. Heading into 2017-18, his defence will earn him more minutes now that Crowder and Bradley are not on the roster.
What a successful 2017-18 would look like:
After securing last year’s first seed, but still losing in the Conference Finals, the goal for the Celtics should be to compete for a Larry O’Brien Trophy. In their way is likely a 15-year vet in LeBron James of the Cavaliers, who’ll be looking to make his eighth straight NBA Finals.
Biggest X-Factor:
The Celtics are looking towards playing position-less basketball, but that doesn’t help address their rebounding woes that could be the deciding factor for whether or not they secure their first Finals appearance since 2010.
Their lack of rebounding hindered them against the Cavaliers in last year’s Conference Finals, where they got beat on the boards in each matchup of their five-game series. It came as no surprise after they finished fourth last in rebounding percentage throughout the 2016-17 season.
The Celtics didn’t address their problem over the off-season, instead they watched their best rebounders in Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, Kelly Olynyk and Tyler Zeller all go separate ways. Without a machine of their own on the boards, there’ll be nothing stopping Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love from dominating on the glass as per usual.
