Making the NBA Finals doesn't happen by chance. It takes a successful regular season to earn a playoff berth, followed by a total effort from the entire rotation throughout the postseason. There is a combination of coaching, skill and clutch performances that make an NBA Finals. The 2021-22 Celtics managed to put it all together and reached their 22nd NBA Finals this season.
Although Boston's finals appearance would suggest they are playing as a cohesive unit. However, NBA free agent Juancho Hernangomez shared his shocking opinion of the Celtics in an interview with Eurohoops.net:
“I wasn’t happy there, it was very hard,” Hernangomez said. “0 I lost my love for basketball a bit.”
Hernangomez' description of the Celtics doesn't exactly represent the prototypical championship-winning roster. The 26-year-old appeared in 18 games for Boston this season before being traded to the Spurs in a three-team trade with the Nuggets. The Spaniard finished the season with the Jazz and is now a free agent.
With the Celtics, Hernangomez averaged 1.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.3 minutes per game. Those are the lowest averages with any team the power forward has played for. Boston has averaged 24.7 assists as a team this postseason, the 5th highest of all playoff teams.
It's entirely possible Hernangomez' displeasure with Boston correlates with his lackluster performance and lack of playing time. As of now, the Celtics' team dynamic has worked out for them this season. However, there's still time for the problems Hernangomez described to come to fruition.
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