The Boston Celtics enter the 2019-2020 season with a completely new squad after a disappointing end to last season. Here’s a preview of what this season could hold for Boston.
Major Losses
Unfortunately, three of the top four scorers for the Celtics last season have moved on to new teams. In the offseason, Al Horford signed with Philadelphia, Kyrie Irving joined Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, and Marcus Morris took a one-year deal with the Knicks.
Two other key players who found new homes elsewhere were Aaron Baynes and Terry Rozier. The Celtics must build lots of team chemistry and find a way to fill the missing pieces they’ve lost to compensate for the major losses suffered this offseason. A great way to do this was by signing Kemba Walker.
Kyrie 2.0?
Is Kemba Walker better than Kyrie Irving? Walker signed a four year, $141 million dollar contract with Boston this offseason after a phenomenal 2018-2019 campaign in which he averaged 25.6 points and 5.9 assists per game while playing in all 82 contests. Irving and Walker posted nearly identical numbers, as Kyrie averaged 23.8 points and 6.9 assists.
The test will be whether or not Walker can do what Irving failed at: being a leader.
Walker will have the chance to step right into a leadership role, an opportunity most players don’t have when joining a new team. He is one of the only veterans on the team and will be surrounded by tons of young talent. If Walker can step up and take on the role of team captain, he can lead this team to a deep playoff run. If not, Boston may return to chaos once again.
A Rookie Sensation
The Celtics have some fantastic rookies and possibly one of the steals of the draft. Does anyone remember the small point guard from Purdue who exploded during March Madness? The player who averaged 34.8 points a game in the tournament? The first player ever to make nine three-pointers in multiple tournament games? Yep, that’s Carsen Edwards.
On draft night, the Boston Celtics acquired the 33rd overall pick from the Philadelphia 76ers and would go on to use this pick to take Edwards early in the second round. Since then, he has taken the league by storm.
On Oct. 15, in a preseason game against the Cavaliers, Edwards caught fire. He hit eight threes and scored 26 points in the course of five total minutes. He showed off his off-balance shots, nifty step backs, and smooth moves to the rim, truly doing it all. This rookie sensation may be the key piece the Celtics are looking for and will most likely play a great role as a bench scorer.
Get your popcorn ready, as Carsen Edwards can ball out!
Here is a look back at the elite eight matchup between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Virginia Cavaliers in the 2019 March Madness Tournament. Despite losing in overtime, Edwards dropped 42 points and hit 10 three-pointers:
40-PIECE FOR EDWARDS! 😱@BoilerBall up 2!#MarchMadness | #Elite8 pic.twitter.com/rgbpyWcmDs
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 31, 2019
Schedule
Click here for the Celtics’ 2019-2020 schedule.
Prediction
The Celtics have so many young and talented players, but lack leaders and veterans, which are needed to make a deep playoff run. Kemba Walker will be a much better fit than Kyrie Irving and will lead the C’s to a better record, but they will fall short once again in the second round of the playoffs.
Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart will have big years, but the weakness at the center position will play a big factor in defending other teams and scoring in the paint. With so many teams adding new players, it should be a wild year in that any team has the chance to win the Finals. However, this won’t be the Celtics’ season.
Record prediction: 55-27 (third in Eastern Conf.)
2 Responses
Tacko Fall is making All-NBA First team as well.
Marcus Smart is still the best on the team