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The Boston Celtics are coming off of an incredibly disappointing 2018-19 campaign in which they won 49 games and were bounced out of the second round of the playoffs in a year that many considered them a lock to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.
But instead of forging a dynasty, the Celtics blew up this offseason, as Kyrie Irving signed with the Brooklyn Nets, Al Horford signed with the Philadelphia 76ers and Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier both departed via free agency. Also, Boston traded Aron Baynes.
The C's pivoted nicely by signing Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter, but all of the depth that made them such a threat going into last season has been virtually wiped out, so the Celtics don't look nearly as formidable as they did a year ago.
Still, there are some reasons to be excited about Boston heading into 2019-20, and here are three of them:
3. A Looser Locker Room
Everyone knows that the Celtics' dysfunctional locker room was the primary reason for them playing below expectations this past year, and based on everything that has come out, it's honestly a miracle that they were even able to do as well as they did.
But now, Irving is gone, so a rather dark cloud has been lifted. Not that Kyrie as the only player to blame, but he was certainly the No. 1 issue, and the youngsters like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will definitely be more comfortable as a result.
Walker is also a tremendous locker-room guy, and in terms of on-court performance, he is not that big of a dropoff from Irving, so he should actually be an overall upgrade for the C's at the point guard position.
Regardless, the main thing here is that Boston should have a much, much looser locker room this coming season, which should end up paying dividends over the long haul.
2. Jayson Tatum Now has Freedom
Tatum gave Celtics a scare when he sprained his ankle earlier this week in FIBA World Cup action, but it seems like he will be just fine, so, crisis averted.
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With Irving gone, Tatum should finally be able to breathe offensively this year, and now that he is getting set to enter his third season, he should bear more responsibility by default.
Tatum did not take the step forward that most expected in 2018-19, but he was still good, and there is no question that he still has star potential.
Now that he has some more freedom, look for Tatum to have a larger role within the Celtics' offense, and expect him to become a much more consistent force on both ends of the floor.
1. The East Stinks
On paper, the Celtics look worse than they did last year, but the good news is, so does the East as a whole.
The Bucks and 76ers are considered by many to be the class of the conference, but Milwaukee lost Malcolm Brogdon this summer and didn't really replace him, and while Philadelphia signed Horford, it lost Jimmy Butler, and I think a lot of people are underestimating how big of a loss J.J. Redick was. Plus, that floor spacing and depth is pretty horrendous.
There is also the Pacers, who may very well be the most well-rounded team in the East assuming Victor Oladipo comes back healthy in December or January, but there are obviously a lot of variables there.
Because of the uncertainty surrounding the remainder of the conference, Boston does have a shot of winning the East. I wouldn't bank on it, because the Celtics have depth issues in their own right and probably won't be as good defensively as years past with Horford gone and Kanter in, but Boston should, at the very least, be one of the top teams in the East.
Also, let's remember that Gordon Hayward now has a year of recovery under his belt, so he should have a much better year this coming season.
