Jayson Tatum’s torn Achillies injury shattered the NBA world in the playoffs last year as the Celtics failed to advance back to the NBA Finals for what would have been a second straight year. Tatum is recovering nicely, as he is already working out on the court, however, his team has not shared that same progress. In 20 games, Boston is 11-9 as they have struggled at times to close out games without their star. They are also still adjusting to the absence of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, who were traded to Portland and Atlanta. Nevertheless, the team still has talent, even if Tatum comes back late in the season, do they believe that they have enough to win it all?
In Tatum’s absence, star Jaylen Brown has been on fire, averaging 28.8 points per game and owning a 49.8% shooting percentage. The team also has Payton Pritchard and Derrick White as main sources of offense. Beyond those three, the team’s points are unpredictable on any given night.
Porzingis’ absence is noticeable, as the team is missing a big presence who can shoot and space out the floor. Neemias Quea, the current center, has posted impressive double-doubles. However, he cannot shoot the three at a high rate.
The bench pieces are also very young compared to former years. This year, the Celtics’ main bench pieces are young players Josh Minott, Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh. They have some experienced players like Sam Hauser however, replacing Pritchard, who moved to the starting lineup, on the bench, and now Bulls center Luke Kornet is a hard task. However, these players are showing promise.
This year’s draft class is impressive, and the Celtics, if they land in the top three, could potentially draft homegrown talent AJ Dybantsa or Duke’s Cameron Boozer. If one of these players transitioned from the wing spot to a power forward, they could play excellently along with Brown, Tatum and White in the backcourt. This would leave one hole to fill in a trade or free agency.
Regardless of what Boston decides to do, they are set up for success in the near future with their two-star wings in Brown and Tatum; however, they could have a chance to further expand that window.