How are the Boston Celtics regarded by their competitors around the NBA? We take a look at a recent attempt to find out.
CelticsBlog’s Keith Smith recently wrote an article on what rival general managers and other front office employees are saying about the Boston Celtics and their short- and long-term prospects as the NBA looks to restart play in the coming weeks or month.
Smith reached out to multiple team’s scouts and executives to get the lay of the land in a post-quarantine league, and got back quite an extensive supply of material in return for his efforts.
As you might expect, there’s high praise for the usual suspects in wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, criticism in places it’s deserved, and there’s even some takes that might surprise you.
A few of the most noteworthy examples on the overall state of the team:
“They were bad for like a year. I guess the big learning is when you own your own draft picks and someone else’s, you can rebuild pretty quick. But to be real, I think they’re very good. Maybe a year or two away from being really special. The challenge for Boston is this: When Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are good enough, will Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward still be good enough?”
As well as:
“I think they’ve got an abundance of guys I wish we had. Not just the top guys, but they’ve got some really great role players too. It’s also important that Danny Ainge got the right veterans in there around [Jayson] Tatum and [Jaylen] Brown. Kemba [Walker] just wants to win after being on bad teams his whole career. And [Gordon] Hayward is like the perfect third or fourth guy … Then, everyone else plays a role and they’ve got perfect guys for that.”
Though to be fair, not everyone is drinking the Kool Aid:
“I don’t see them winning a title with this group. [Kemba] Walker is slowing down. Gordon Hayward is fine, but that’s all. I like some of the kids, but it’s getting crazy with calling Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum the next great duo.”
There are also abundant individual observations on the likes of Brown: ” I can’t say we had him very high on our board. That pick seemed like a reach … He’s got everything you want size-wise, and his playmaking is coming.”
As well as Tatum: “Love him. Love everything about him. He was the top guy on our board too. It would have been [Markelle] Fultz, but we had guards.”
And the rookies — quite a bit there, actually: “I like all of them, but to a point. [Romeo] Langford is fine, but will he get there with so many guys in front of him? I do like Grant Williams a lot.”
There’s even a fair amount of words about Boston’s future:
“Next season. That’s the year. Both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will be All-Stars. Kemba Walker is going to have the lowest numbers of his career, but he’ll be wildly efficient. And I bet Gordon Hayward pushes for a third All-Star for Boston.”
Make sure you check out Smith’s article in its entirety.
It’s very well done and well-researched among a bunch of people who are incredibly busy right now trying to sort out COVID-19 contingencies, to to be able to land these individuals on the phone long enough to extract such extended and thoughtful replies was a major undertaking for all.
The lack of consensus on the team’s young players, ceiling and future in particular are worth checking out for anyone looking for a more nuanced view of a team more than a few of us reading this happen to be a bit biased in favor of.
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