Overlooked storylines about the Boston Celtics

[ad_1]

At the moment’s matter: What’s an missed storyline or growth that you simply suppose isn’t being talked about sufficient?

Trevor Hass

This might change tomorrow, however in the intervening time, the Celtics are giving Payton Pritchard the inexperienced mild and the chance he’s craved. I believe all of us anticipated him to go elsewhere, proper? Nicely, it hasn’t occurred but. Pritchard by no means wished out of Boston; he simply wished minutes. Now, barring any extra strikes, it seems like he’ll get them. Even when Malcolm Brogdon finally ends up beginning the season wholesome, realistically, it could not keep that method. Joe Mazzulla prefers to maintain his rotation comparatively tight, however at the moment, it looks like Pritchard is a part of it. He’s risen to the event as a rule when given the chance, and there’s no cause to anticipate something much less. It’ll be thrilling to see what he does if every little thing stays as is. If it doesn’t, then possibly it wasn’t meant to be. So long as he’s enjoying someplace, he’ll be simply positive.

Benjamin Torbert

Rob Williams. Full cease. He had his moments final 12 months, however on steadiness that was not the Rob Williams we noticed for a couple of 4-month stretch within the 2021-22 season the place he elevated his sport and quickly turned that workforce right into a verifiable juggernaut. Though Sensible deservedly received DPOY for that season, Rob had a particularly worthy case as properly. If Rob might be THAT Rob once more (even when it’s for less than 60 video games or so), the Celtics would be the finest workforce within the league. Will Rob be wholesome? Terrifying query for Celtics followers. But when he’s wholesome – terrifying proposition for the remainder of the league.

Ethan Fuller

Derrick White had his clear finest NBA season final 12 months, and it looks like the Celtics took observe and solidified him because the chief of the guard rotation. He’s earned it, however can he match the manufacturing with much less depth at his place? Can White stay an All-Protection participant after final 12 months’s draining schedule, and with out Marcus Sensible beside him? Is the perimeter taking pictures right here to remain or primed for regression? How does his position change initiating the offense with Sensible gone? I’m completely a believer in White’s sport, however he’ll additionally have to again up the usual he set final season.

Jeff Pratt

Trying on the present roster, it’s the position Payton Pritchard must play on a constant foundation.

This time final 12 months, I wrote about how Pritchard was in a troublesome spot with Boston’s surplus of succesful guards forward of him on the depth chart. After the Marcus Sensible-Kristaps Porzingis commerce, that’s now not the case. Everybody assumed Pritchard being dealt was inevitable heading into the offseason, particularly contemplating how public he’s been with these needs. Nonetheless, his greatest gripe with the group was an absence of enjoying time. As of proper now, that received’t be a difficulty for him subsequent season.

Derrick White will virtually definitely slide into the start line guard position in Sensible’s absence, with Malcolm Brogdon enjoying important backcourt minutes when wholesome. Nonetheless, Pritchard could be very clearly the third guard in Boston’s rotation proper now, which implies he ought to obtain 10-20 minutes of enjoying time on a nightly foundation.

That is the chance Payton has been hoping for. It’s as much as him to show he’s able to dealing with that sort of workload.

Mike Dynon

Derrick White being handed the keys. There’s been loads of emotional response to the commerce of Marcus Sensible, and rightly so. Sensible was the longest-tenured Celtic, the vocal chief each on and off the courtroom, and the favourite of a giant proportion of Boston followers.

In the meantime, there hasn’t been as a lot dialogue about White changing into the purpose guard by default. He’s definitely certified to run the workforce: final season he was one among simply 10 NBA gamers to seem in 82 video games; his web score of 11.0 was third finest in the whole league (55 video games or extra); and his 76 blocks led all NBA guards and helped him earn All-Protection second workforce. When Sensible was injured at midseason, White received a Participant of the Week award by averaging 24.5 factors, 4.5 rebounds and seven.5 assists whereas taking pictures .522/.515/.900. Boston received all 4 video games that week.

It appeared just like the Celtics have been a greater workforce when White performed than when he didn’t, however with Malcolm Brogdon additionally taking backcourt minutes, White typically was neglected. For example, the Cs went to extra time in 11 video games, and in 5 of these White sat for the whole additional time. In one other he performed only one second of OT. And within the one sport that went to double extra time, White performed the final three minutes solely after Sensible fouled out.

These days are over now. With Sensible gone, White will direct the offense and be counted on to produce “profitable performs.” We solely have to suppose again to the top of Recreation 6 in Miami to understand how succesful he’s.

Jeff Clark

For me it must be Jayson Tatum. Plenty of consideration is (appropriately) going to Jaylen Brown and his supermax deal and the brand new man Kristaps Porzingis. However normally championship groups are pushed by their finest participant. Tatum has made enhancements yearly within the league, some extra noticeable than others. The final step for him is likely to be his hardest. Management.

That’s to not say that he hasn’t been a pacesetter in his personal method through the years. That isn’t to say that he has to seem like a particular sort of chief. However Marcus Sensible is gone now and all eyes will likely be on Tatum and Brown to set the tone in their very own method.

I believe Tatum has Finals MVP potential however he can’t do it alone, which implies he has to guide.

[ad_2]

Source link