Jaylen Brown, Grant Williams, and others: Boston Celtics “predictions”

The Boston Celtics misplaced to the 8 seeded Warmth in fairly embarrassing vogue. They clearly have to blow all the things up. Then once more, they made the Japanese Convention Finals 3 instances within the final 4 years and have two star wings headed into their prime, so clearly they should preserve all of it collectively. If you’re envisioning the “battle of wits” scene from Princess Bride, then you definitely perceive precisely the place this text goes.

I’ll try to make predictions about how the remainder of the offseason goes to go. After which I’ll instantly solid doubt on any and all of these predictions in essentially the most frustratingly inconsistent manner potential. However first I’m going to meander my manner via the remainder of the article. You recognize, type of like an homage to this yr’s Celtics crew.

“One thing has to alter” is a thought that retains echoing round in my mind. I can’t inform how a lot of that’s knee jerk emotion from getting bounced by a crew that my mind nonetheless tells me is inferior in expertise. If the entire is lower than the sum of its elements, then one thing is basically unsuitable with the combination and also you in all probability want to search out new elements. Then I begin trying intimately on the elements and I speak myself into holding almost all of them.

Joe Mazzulla is coming again as head coach. We all know that one already so the controversy over “ought to he be” is generally theoretical. I’m troubled by the best way the season went and I believe he actually deserves his share of the blame. Specifically it looks as if this crew sought out an offensive identification by too usually neglecting the defensive identification that acquired them to the Finals a yr in the past. It doesn’t assist that this explicit rookie coach didn’t fare in addition to final season’s rookie head coach. However seeing Will Hardy’s success in Utah has me questioning simply how a lot of final season’s success needed to do with a powerful bench of assistants.

No disrespect to the blokes backing up Mazzulla this yr, however I would love a bit of extra expertise on the bench subsequent yr. Maybe that (plus one other yr of expertise) will put Joe in place to place the gamers in place to succeed. Or possibly it can simply give Brad a “break glass if wanted” choice to advertise within the occasion that Mazzulla must be fired subsequent yr.

Photograph by Brian Babineau/NBAE through Getty Photographs

Jaylen Brown is the following main subject on the board. For a second straight playoffs, his incapability to deal with the ball in visitors was an enormous issue within the Celtics defeat. The brand new CBA goes to make life very tough for costly groups and if the Celtics signal two gamers to Tremendous Max contracts, they’ll be squarely within the crosshairs for these apron penalties (appears like a cooking present gimmick).

So they might be sensible to no less than discover the marketplace for him proper? You can in all probability get a package deal together with a stable veteran, a promising younger participant, and a draft decide or two. Then you definately both change Brown’s manufacturing within the mixture and fill in holes elsewhere, otherwise you flip a few of these belongings to herald one other star.

Then once more, there are many groups on the market which can be desperate to get Jaylen Brown on their crew. So many groups have a couple of good items and possibly one star, however may actually use that 2nd star to turn out to be actual contenders. Regardless of developing brief a number of instances, you would need to think about the Celtics actual contenders largely as a result of Jaylen Brown is a star. So wouldn’t it simply be simpler to maintain him?

Working it again doesn’t look like a sensible choice. You may’t preserve doing the identical issues and anticipate completely different outcomes. If Joe and Jaylen are returning, you should change among the surrounding items. The Grant Williams state of affairs would possibly simply resolve itself if he can get a proposal someplace that Boston isn’t prepared to match. It might stink shedding that asset for nothing, however signal and trades aren’t at all times as straightforward to return by as we wish. For those who do pony up the cash to maintain him, that solely places extra of a squeeze elsewhere on the roster.

Derrick White, you might be good. I’m simply going to anoint you as untradeable and a core piece shifting ahead. I cannot be accepting questions on this matter.

So if I’m selecting between Marcus Good, Malcolm Brogdon, and Payton Pritchard (who has in all probability already packed all his luggage and mentioned his goodbyes) then I gotta experience with Marcus and love and belief him until the top. We must always in all probability promote excessive on Brogdon (sixth man OTY, had one in all his healthiest seasons …until the top) and Pritchard (everybody wants taking pictures).

Then once more, everybody observed that Good took a step again on protection this yr. He’s efficient on offense in sure methods, however if you’re seeking to change issues up with out shifting the Jays, then possibly Good is the one to maneuver. However then I come again to wanting protection to be a bigger a part of our identification going ahead and I can’t get there.

Photograph by Adam Glanzman/Getty Photographs

As for our bigs rotation, we’re caught getting 50% manufacturing out of our excessive ceiling rotation guys. Al Horford is fantastic, however he’s additionally getting too outdated to play 82 video games plus playoffs at a excessive stage. So generally you get the Al of outdated and generally you simply get outdated Al. Robert Williams III has world-crushing upside, however he’s additionally simply not out there lots. I’d like to hope for good well being going ahead, however in some unspecified time in the future you must surprise if he’ll ever play a full season. Grant could return, or possibly he gained’t. He was cold and warm through the yr and out and in of the rotation as effectively.

The additional down the bench you get the much less precise influence you get within the playoffs. Possibly Hauser can show to be a rotation man within the playoffs subsequent yr. Possibly Gallo comes again and makes Hauser expendable. Possibly the Kornet/Muscala/Griffin Bus Boys combo will get break up up. Possibly the Celtics transfer some items for one more backup massive choice. Or possibly they simply draft somebody within the 2nd spherical that truly performs subsequent yr.

Okay sufficient meandering. I assume I’ve to ship some precise predictions. I gained’t trouble calling these SWAGs as a result of they’re neither foolish nor wild. The truth is, they’re somber and worrisome so think about the the evil twin of the SWAGs.

Joe Mazzulla – Returns as head coach, however can be trying over his shoulder at whomever the Celtics rent to be his lead assistant.

Jaylen Brown – Indicators the tremendous max contract that the Celtics provide him. Then if issues go bitter subsequent season, he’ll should sulk until the offseason when he could be traded (at decrease worth than he could possibly be moved at now due to the contract and a notion that he topped out in 2023). Or possibly all the things will go nice and I’ll look dumb for wringing my fingers.

Grant Williams – Indicators an enormous provide elsewhere and Boston doesn’t match.

Malcolm Brogdon and Payton Pritchard – Traded for depth both on the wing or heart. Don’t ask me for my commerce concepts but, I’ll get round to that ultimately.

Celtics followers – Really feel pissed off that the crew takes a step again shedding Grant for nothing and no different important strikes made.

In case you missed it, I’ve no nice conviction in these predictions. Until they occur, then I’ll you’ll want to say I advised you so. Be happy to play alongside by making your individual predictions within the feedback under.