by: Isaac Potter
Two wins. That’s how close the Boston Celtics were to win the NBA Championship.
After starting last season 18-21, the Boston Celtics had a phenomenal turnaround to go on a magical postseason run before falling to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals in 6 games. Boston was leading in the series 2-1, before falling apart and losing the last 3 games. The Warriors experience and the turnovers are what turned out to be the biggest difference. It didn’t take long for Brad Stevens to go to work and make some moves in the off season.
Stevens traded Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Juwan Morgan, Nik Staukuas, Malik Fitts, and a 2023 first round pick for point guard Malcolm Brogdon. Then Stevens went out and signed NBA veteran Danilo Gallinari. Gallinari would end up tearing his ACL in a basketball game this summer. The Celtics are loaded with guard depth with Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Malcolm Brogdon. But the front court could use a little bit of depth. Here are three steps that the Boston Celtics need to take to reach the next level.
#3 Sign a backup center
The Center depth is lacking as Daniel Theis is now gone as the backup center. Robert Williams is a future All-Star in this league at the center, but his knee injuries have been a concerning issue as he missed some time in the playoffs this season. It sounds like the Celtics are going to roll with Luke Kornet as the backup center, but I am not really sure if that is the way to go. Al Horford is getting older, Grant Williams has some potential but he is not a center, and Kornet does not have much experience. I would personally like to see the Celtics go out and sign an athletic big. For example, Dwight Howard or Willy Cauley-Stein would be a good fit. They are athletic, get up and down the floor, and fit more to the style of play. I am willing to give Luke Kornet a chance, but I am not confident in the decision.
#2 No Egos
Last time I saw the Celtics have a lot of talent, egos got in the way. I am really hoping that is not the case for the upcoming season. Everyone needs to play together, and stick together through ups and downs. Last year, we saw players being selfish and it was a big reason why the Celtics got off to a very slow start. I think the Celtics can do something special and win the whole title, but its going to take sacrifice from players in order to do so.
#1 STAY HEALTHY
So far we are off to a bad start, because our recently signed free agent is out for season. It’s really important to be able to stay healthy. Our team success last year came when we were healthy come playoff time. Rob Williams and Marcus Smart were out for a few games in the playoffs last year, and players were able to step up. But it is super important that everyone is healthy, because the team becomes a lot scarier if so.
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