The Boston Celtics were unable to reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season, let alone win an NBA Championship. As a result of what appeared to be a season-long rift, they are now without current Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving, who left town via free agency this offseason. Not only that, but head coach Brad Stevens believes that they just “didn't fit” together last season, which was presumably the cause of the team's overall lack of success in 2018-19.
Stevens on last year: “We didn’t fit.”
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) July 9, 2019
The Celtics were ultimately ousted as a result of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the hands of the surging Philadelphia 76ers. Coming up way short of the team's initial expectations after entering the campaign as the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference, Stevens' group just couldn't get it together at full force for the entire year. With that in mind, Irving jetted for Brooklyn en route to signing a four-year max contract with the aforementioned Nets to kickoff the 2019 NBA offseason.
On the other hand, the Celtics wasted absolutely no time in replacing Irving as Boston acquired fellow signal caller Kemba Walker in a sign-and-trade with the Charlotte Hornets. However, the Celtics were forced to give up another guard in Terry Rozier in order to acquire Walker from the Hornets.
With the Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat all getting significantly better this offseason, the Celtics will surely encounter a tough road in 2019-20. If Boston has championship aspirations, Walker will be forced to fill some big shoes for the once-heralded Celtics.
Follow Us
Subscribe