By Nicholas Cherico | Observer Contributor
In the 2015-16 season, the Boston Celtics finished 48-34, their best record since the 2011-12 season. After a first round exit in the playoffs for the second straight season, the Celtics went into the offseason looking for more pieces to build off their success from last year.
After failing to sign top free agent Kevin Durant, the Celtics made arguably their biggest free agent signing in team history. They signed All-Star power forward/center Al Horford to a max deal through the 2020 season. Next to Durant, Horford was the best free agent available. He provides the Celtics with a deadly mid range shot. He also is going to create a lot of scoring opportunities for the guys around him with his versatility. The Celtics have lacked a skillset like this from the big man position in quite some time.
The C’s also drafted rookie small forward Jaylen Brown from Cal 3rd overall. Brown adds another athletic defensive presence off the bench for Boston, which they did not have a lot of last season. If he can become a more reliable offensive player, he could see his minutes increase as the season goes on.
The Celtics will most likely roll out with a starting lineup of Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Al Horford, and Amir Johnson. This lineup could vary based on who the Celtics are facing or injuries.
The biggest role player for the Celtics is going to be Marcus Smart. Head coach Brad Stevens said Smart would play the role of the team’s “6th starter”. While coming off the bench, Smart is going to receive starter minutes. Smart has already proved that he is a great defensive player, but if he can improve his jump shot and become more of a scoring threat he is going to be a really good weapon coming off of the bench.
The Celtics have been able to do over the past couple years what a lot of teams have been trying to do forever: successfully rebuild. After the trade of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics have wasted no time putting their names back in the playoff conversation. They have improved each season since they began rebuilding. Is this going to be the season they finally turn the corner? Even though they have been in the playoffs the last two years, Boston hasn’t really showed any signs of making any significant strides in their playoff performance. They have only won 2 of their last 10 postseason games. The team Boston has now will be able to rack up more wins than last season, but still needs one bigger piece to put them over the top and make them a legitimate contender in the East.
Prediction
Record: 56-26 (8 more wins than 2015-16)
Playoffs: Eastern Conference Semifinals
The acquisition of Al Horford alone will be enough to get the Celtics out of the first round, and maybe even to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, if the Celtics are to face a team like Cleveland, Toronto, or Indiana in the second round they could have a very hard time with them. All of these teams are experienced in the playoffs and have a lot of weapons that the Celtics might not be able to handle.
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