One of the Achilles’ heels of last year’s Celtics was the over-reliance on young players that were not ready for the roles they were being asked to fill. Injuries, COVID, and roster construction forced guys like Payton Pritchard, Grant Williams, Romeo Langford, and Aaron Nesmith into regular rotation minutes and occasional starting roles.
Oddly enough, one of the strengths of this team is the experience those young players gained while going through the crucible of last year’s struggles. Brad Stevens reshaped the roster to build out more veteran depth without discarding the best young players. The result is a flexibility that either lets younger players thrive or default to veterans that can hold down the fort.