The Celtics are one of the teams who can claim to be a contender but even the C's fanatic who named his two dogs Larry and Joe can see that this team is not likely to win a championship. Depending on who they draw in the playoffs, it may not even be good enough to get out of the first round.
Yes, that's right. With the Celtics potentially facing a first round match-up against the 76ers or Heat, they could be leaving Orlando after the first round.
The Celtics could also advance as far as the East Finals, but they'd likely be facing the Bucks and their super-duper star Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks are the pick here to not only win the East, but to claim their first NBA championship since 1971, back when Kareem was still Lew.
This is not a hit piece on the Celtics, just the reality of where they are right now in the NBA pecking order. They are good enough to be called a contender, but not good enough to realistically have sights on a fan-less Duck Boat parade in the Fall.
The big focus for Danny Ainge as he looks ahead to the start of the 2020-21 season in December is filling in the holes on the roster to give this team a realistic chance at winning their 18th NBA title.
The Celtics have a very good core. Ainge struck gold when he took Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum with the third pick of the 2016 and 2017 drafts. Kemba Walker, signed from the Hornets to replace Kyrie Irving, has been better than expected despite the knee injury that has kept him out of several games and now has him on a minutes restriction. Gordon Hayward, who has seemingly finally recovered from the horrific ankle injury he suffered in his first game with the team after signing as a free agent in 2017, is another player capable of helping win a title. Marcus Smart, Daniel Theis, and Enes Kanter provide a good supporting cast.
While Walker and Hayward are both going to have to manage their health as they enter the backside of their career prime's, both Tatum and Brown should continue to develop into stars capable of winning a championship.
The issue is, the Celtics need more depth on their bench to be able to contend for a title. As they are tight against the salary cap, Ainge will need to do so through the draft.
I give Ainge credit for starting this process last year. Romeo Langford and Grant Williams, their two first round picks in 2019, have shown the ability to help and should project to be rotation players. 2019 second round pick Carsen Edwards has struggled with his shot but certainly could become a scoring guard off the bench like how Fred VanVleet has done in Toronto.
The 2020 Draft, now scheduled for October, is another opportunity for Ainge to bolster his roster for a title run.
The Celtics own three first round picks. They have their own pick plus the Memphis and Milwaukee picks from previous trades. The Memphis pick was Top-6 protected but that pick will almost assuredly go to Boston as the Grizzlies are in the West playoff picture and likely would not move into the Top-3 of the Draft via the Draft Lottery. The Celtics should be hoping that the Grizzlies drop out of the playoffs and praying they do not miraculously move up in the Lottery.
Ainge would have many options with three first round picks, including making a trade to move up, but let's pretend that with the interests of developing a bench he will use all three picks.
What needs do they have?
With Walker getting older and dealing with a knee issue, finding another point guard who can score would be helpful. Smart helps fill this role but in today's NBA, a team can never have enough scoring and ball handling in the back court. Langford projects more as defensive player on the wing right now and Edwards has yet to show off his shooting ability so this should be a priority. Adding shooting is the most important piece for a guard as Tatum, Brown, and Hayward handle the ball a lot. Brad Stevens offense requires versatile players but the ability to shoot is the most important for a guard in the modern NBA.
The Celtics could also benefit from adding size. Theis and Kanter are both free agents after 2021. Williams has proven himself as a rookie but is only 6-7. Robert Williams, the team's top pick in 2018, has shown flashes of being a factor on both ends but is inconsistent. Adding size is critical and the Celtics need rebounders and rim protectors first and any scoring that type of player can add is a bonus.
Ainge, along with Brad Stevens, will have to prioritize how they want to use their picks. Ainge usually goes with the best available player, so if he's able to use the Memphis pick (which should probably fall somewhere between 14-16) he will likely evaluate who the best prospect is considering the team's needs and take that player. Saddiq Bey and Precious Achiuwa are both skilled forwards but are only about 6-8. Jalen Smith, at 6-10, would give them more size and also has a good skill set. If Ainge decides to go with a guard, then they'll likely have a shot at RJ Hampton, Tyrese Maxey, or Tyrell Terry.
As the draft moves on, the Celtics own pick should fall around 25 while the Bucks pick is probably going to be 29 or 30. If Ainge uses the Memphis pick on a guard, he's likely to go with size with at least one of these picks and will probably go with a guard late if he uses the Memphis pick on a big man.
Big men projected to be available late in the draft include Daniel Oturu, Zeke Nnaji, and Xavier Tillman while the guards who fit Boston's needs could include Grant Riller, Josh Green, Desmond Bane, Tre Jones, and Malachi Flynn.
The most important goal for this draft is to acquire pieces that can be fit in around Tatum, Brown, Walker, Hayward, and Smart to allow them to be deep enough and talented enough to make a legitimate run at a championship over the next few years.
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