This season has been a rough one for the Boston Celtics. Troubles occurred throughout the course of the season, as they seemed like they couldn’t get on track in any way. With the Celtics vs Nets series over, we could take a few things away from this season.
The Celtics lost to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs in just five games. Granted the Nets are a powerhouse and are the favorites to win it all this year, fans expecting a lot more from the Celtics.
The Celtics vs Nets series didn’t seem close at all, as Boston only won a single game. This was the game where Jayson Tatum dropped 50 points.
Many Celtics fans are happy that the Celtics vs Nets series is over. They don’t have to sit and watch their team play way below what they are capable of.
So what is next for the Boston Celtics? There are a few things that could happen this offseason.
Celtics vs Nets: What is Next for Boston?
The first thing that many Celtics fans would agree with is to trade Kemba Walker. Walker dealt with many injuries this year and didn’t produce at the level that he could.
Walker only played in 43 games this season, averaging 19 points per game. Though that doesn’t seem terrible, it isn’t a number you want from your starting point guard.
He was only shooting 36% from three, and it is hard to compete with high-powered teams when your point guard is producing very little from behind the arc.
Trading Walker would be a big move. If the Celtics had to move on from either Walker, Jayson Tatum, or Jaylen Brown, it would have to be Kemba Walker.
Continue to let Jayson Tatum Grow
Jayson Tatum is a star. Tatum was able to take the star and leader role since the ugly departure of Kyrie Irving.
Tatum has three games total this year where he put up 50+ points. Some argue that these games were all a fluke, but it proves how much of an impact Tatum makes on this Celtics team.
He averaged 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game this year. These numbers helped Tatum earn his second All-Star appearance.
If Brad Stevens were to move Jayson Tatum, that would be terrible. Tatum has proved to be the best player on the team numerous times. So it would be a bad idea if they were to move on from him instead of building around him.
Trade for Karl-Anthony Towns
The Celtics needed a big man desperately this year. Robert Williams has been battling injuries all year and would have been the full-time starter if it weren’t for that. But Karl-Anthony Towns needs to get out of Minnesota.
The Timberwolves have been bad for a long time. Even when they had KAT paired up with Jimmy Butler, things went wrong.
Towns would be a great fit to pair with Tatum. As mentioned previously, possibly trading Kemba Walker and a few other companions to the T-Wolves for Towns would be a great idea.
The Celtics would be addressing a major need at the center position. Tristan Thompson has been extremely underwhelming this year and has not been a fan-favorite in Boston due to that, and his troubles showed in the Celtics vs Nets series.
There’s a New Guy Calling the Shots
News broke recently that head coach, Brad Stevens, would be promoted to the President of Basketball Operations. This means that long-time President, Danny Ainge, would be stepping down.
This is a very controversial topic. Some fans believe Ainge was great while others think otherwise. In his 18 years calling the shots, Ainge’s teams made the playoffs 15 times, had seven Eastern Conference Finals appearances, made two NBA Finals, and won a championship on top of that in 2008.
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On the flip side of that, fans believe this wasn’t enough. With guys like Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Isaiah Thomas, and Kyrie Irving being brought in by Ainge, some feel more championships should have come along with that.
Stevens will definitely be listening to what players on the team want and will go after big names. As for who the head coach will be, who knows at this point. It is still really early and hard to tell.
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