Heading into the 2018-19 season, the Boston Celtics were the presumptive favorite in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics had already come within a single game of reaching the NBA Finals despite injuries to Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, and with both players looking healthy before the start of the regular season, another deep run appeared imminent.
Irving would have one of his best seasons as a pro in his second season with the Celtics, but the team success did not follow. Instead, the team became a constant media presence for the internal strife that plagued them throughout the regular season.
Kyrie had insisted that he wanted to remain with the Celtics once his contract was up, but he changed his tune over the course of the year and chastised the younger players on the roster, each of whom seemed to determine to go out and prove themselves as individuals.
The Celtics managed to grab the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and even won their first five playoff games. But they immediately imploded, losing four straight games to the Milwaukee Bucks in the conference semifinals. Irving, in particular, struggled to perform to his elite capabilities, and the increasing tension surrounding the team and his future seemed to weigh heavily on everyone's minds.
With Irving prepared to accept a four-year contract with the Brooklyn Nets, the Celtics set their sights on another All-Star point guard: Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets.
Walker has developed into one of the best point guards in the league in the last few seasons, but he has withered away on a Hornets team with a mediocre supporting cast.
However, there is reason to believe that swapping out Irving for Walker could prove to be essential to Boston's championship hopes.
Here are three reasons that the Celtics signing Kemba Walker makes them an NBA Finals contender:
3. Proven Leader
When Irving demanded a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers, his stated reason was a desire to be the No. 1 option on a contending team.
Although he is one of the best players in the league, Irving seemed to continually grapple with the dynamics of being a leader, failing to get the young guys on board and occasionally clashing with head coach Brad Stevens. This should not come as a surprise.
Irving was a highly-touted prospect coming out of high school, then played just 11 games in his freshman season at Duke University before being selected with the first overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2011 NBA Draft.
The Cavs were never a playoff team until LeBron James decided to return home in the summer of 2014, which simultaneously made Irving the second option. He may have been a perennial All-Star and the guy that hit the game-winning shot in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, but Cleveland unmistakably belonged to LeBron.
Walker, meanwhile, has always been a leader. He was the heart of an underdog University of Connecticut team that would be crowned NCAA champions in 2011 after a scintillating run in March.
When the then-Charlotte Bobcats drafted him in 2011, he immediately became the franchise player for an organization that had seen their fair share of struggles.
While the Hornets would make just two playoff appearances during Walker's tenure, he played in nearly every game and became an elite point guard despite being the only reliable playmaker on the roster.
Walker has proven he can lead a team time and again, and his fiery passion and other intangibles might make him a more qualified fit for this Celtics team.
2. More Freedom for the Youngsters?
Jayson Tatum was one of the biggest stars of the 2018 playoffs. He scored over 20 points in seven straight contests between series against the Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, and twice put up 24 points and seven rebounds against the Cavs in Eastern Conference Finals. But he hardly made the kind of leap that was expected of him heading into the 2018-19 season, struggling to coexist with the return of Irving and Hayward.
Jaylen Brown was equally impressive throughout those playoffs, but he too saw a dropoff in production while often fluctuating between a critical rotation player and merely a depth bench piece.
Critics of the Celtics' pursuit of Walker have claimed that Kemba is just as ball-dominant as Irving, which may only do more to stagnate the growth of these young stars. But there are some distinctions to be made.
Firstly, Walker had to be ball-dominant in Charlotte. He averaged nearly 26 points per game last season. The next closest was Jeremy Lamb at just over 15 points per game. In total, the Hornets had only four players average double figures in scoring.
Secondly, Irving's usage rate actually decreased this past season when compared to his final season with the Cavs. The result was one of his best individual seasons yet.
The league has not yet seen what Walker can do off the ball. Is it possible that he could be better even if guys like Tatum and Brown are on the ball?
Remember that Al Horford's likely departure means that the offense will open up that much more. It is wholly impossible to envision a more free-flowing offense in Boston predicated less on isolation or pick-and-roll and more on ball movement, especially because Walker is also a very capable three-point shooter.
This would likely do wonders for Tatum and Brown, both of whom being athletic wings that can also stretch the floor.
1. The East Could be Wide Open
The top reason to suggest that the Celtics could be championship contenders is that we simply do not know what the Eastern Conference will look like next year.
There is a chance that Kawhi Leonard leaves Toronto. The luxury tax will totally handicap the Milwaukee Bucks if they re-sign both Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon. Philadelphia has a number of steps to take this offseason, as well.
Sure, the Celtics will need to figure out how to replace Horford in the frontcourt. They already struggled to rebound the ball with him in the game, and it seems unlikely that the team would be very comfortable with Daniel Theis as the starting center.
Still, Boston is loaded with talent. They still appear to be one of the top teams in the East on paper, and there is no reason to count them out as NBA Finals contenders.
