The Boston Celtics are in full-fledged rebuilding mode. Nobody associated with the league's most historic franchise is happy about it, but that's the reality.
They're transitioning from the Paul Pierce/Ray Allen/Kevin Garnett/Doc Rivers era to whatever comes next, and we might not know what that is until after the season. Boston's two best players - Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green - are in the last year of their current deals, and the Celtics drafted two players (Marcus Smart and James Young) in the first round who play the same positions as them.
The result is that the Celtics will give their young players a lot of minutes this year with the hope that another core starts to come together that has the potential to win championships in the future. Fortunately, Boston plays in the Eastern Conference amidst a lot of bad teams, so they'll still get some wins, but this team is still bound for another high lottery pick.
Roster
Projected Starters
PG Rajon Rondo
SG Avery Bradley
SF Jeff Green
PF Jared Sullinger
C Kelly Olynyk
Bench
G Marcus Smart
G Will Bynum
G Phil Pressey
G Marcus Thornton
G/F Evan Turner
G/F James Young
F Gerald Wallace
F Brandon Bass
C Tyler Zeller
Storylines
The future of Rajon Rondo is going to be hanging over this team all season. They drafted a really good point guard in Marcus Smart in the top-10, and Rondo is in the last year of his contract on an already guard-heavy squad. His name has been thrown around in a lot of trade rumors over the years, but it's very likely he's dealt this season. Green is another player who likely won't be a Boston after the trade deadline.
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Key Player
Kelly Olynyk had a decent rookie year for the Celtics (8.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg) coming off the bench, but Boston needs to see him greatly improve as he starts to get starter minutes. The team has young players in the backcourt, and is banking on Sullinger and Olynyk to be productive down low. Sullinger has essentially maxed out his potential and will be a 13 points, 8-9 rebounds a game type of player. If Olynyk develops into a solid player, the Celtics could have their long-term frontcourt. If not (which is more likely), Boston will use their first round draft pick on another big man.
Outlook
Boston will not be good this season, but head coach Brad Stevens and Rondo (while they have him) will do enough to keep the Celtics from being absolutely terrible. They'll finish the season with a win total in the high-20's for low-30's, but what's more important is that they see progress and promise from their young players.
Eastern Conference
12) Boston Celtics
13) Milwaukee Bucks
14) Orlando Magic
Western Conference
13) Los Angeles Lakers
15) Utah Jazz
How do you think Boston will do this season? Tweet your thoughts to @brauf33 and leave a response in the comments!
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