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Gman
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Last season was a large success. The Celtics won the Eastern Conference Championship but fell short in NBA Finals to a title-tested Golden State squad.
The off-season started off phenomenally with the trade for Malcolm Brogdon in particular. If he can stay healthy, this is a giant addition. Not only is Brogdon a veteran who is in his prime years, but he can run an offense and fits in perfectly with Boston's switchable defense. Beyond Brogdon, the Celtics also signed sweet shooting big Danilo Gallinari.
But then things soured somewhat... Gallinari is lost for the season with a major injury, and head coach Ime Udoka ignited a sex scandal within the Boston organization that earned him a year suspension that will likely mean we'll never see him our sidelines again.
Still... this is a very strong, super-versatile roster that should have the mindset of 'Championship or Bust'.
Here are my annual strengths and weaknesses for the Boston Celtics:
Strengths
Let's have another great season.
The off-season started off phenomenally with the trade for Malcolm Brogdon in particular. If he can stay healthy, this is a giant addition. Not only is Brogdon a veteran who is in his prime years, but he can run an offense and fits in perfectly with Boston's switchable defense. Beyond Brogdon, the Celtics also signed sweet shooting big Danilo Gallinari.
But then things soured somewhat... Gallinari is lost for the season with a major injury, and head coach Ime Udoka ignited a sex scandal within the Boston organization that earned him a year suspension that will likely mean we'll never see him our sidelines again.
Still... this is a very strong, super-versatile roster that should have the mindset of 'Championship or Bust'.
Here are my annual strengths and weaknesses for the Boston Celtics:
Strengths
- Versatile, Tough Defense - Just like last year: we should have a top 5 defense, period. Our sheer quantity of versatile guards and wings who can guard multiple positions at a high level and switch on command are ideal for the modern NBA.
- Guard Play - The Celtics have an embarrassment of riches at the guard position... with Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard all having the ability to play the traditional 1 or 2 at a solid level.
- Two Allstar Quality Wings - The backbone of this team continues to be Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. By now, these two are established veterans who are squarely in the prime of their careers. Their all-around excellence and ability to take that final step will determine Boston's title hopes.
- Big Depth - Robert Williams III has established himself as a high quality 5 with plus athleticism... but he has been plagued by injury in his young career, and is currently out for at least 2 months. Al Horford is another high quality piece, especially for a potential playoff run... but he is ancient by NBA standards. Behind them are a collection of odd pieces and scraps.
- Health Management - Boston has theoretical good depth in terms of versatility, but will need to manage minutes for a number of key guys during the regular season.
- Outside Shooting - The good news is that the Celtics have a great number of guys who can shoot it from distance. The bad news is that most of the roster is streaky and below average %-wise in this regard.
- Head Coaching Situation - I'm not overly worried about this, but it's an issue. In the end, players matter a lot more than coaches in the NBA... but this Ime scandal is noise that no team needs. Veteran leaders like Smart, Brown and Tatum need to fill any void.
Let's have another great season.
