With the 2018-19 season a month away, it’s time for Boston Celtics fans to look forward to the upcoming season. The landscape in the East is much different this year as LeBron James has changed uniforms. In this post, we will cover three NBA teams that will make life difficult for the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers had a relatively quiet offseason. Their only major transaction was re-signing J.J. Redick to a one year deal. Outside of that, Brett Brown drafted three shooting guards in this year’s draft. With their first selection, the team selected guard Mikal Bridges of Villanova. Just minutes later the organization sent Bridges to Miami and used that pick for Texas Tech guard Zhaire Smith, Smith was one of the best shooters coming out of the draft and he will add depth to the backcourt along with Markelle Fultz.
In addition to Smith the 76ers added two more guards in Landry Shamet of Wichita State and Shake Milton of SMU. Both players are capable shooters with excellent court vision. With a nucleus of JJ Redick, Robert Covington, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid the future is bright for Philadelphia.
Indiana Pacers
Despite losing longtime star Paul George to Oklahoma City, they gained another superstar in Victor Oladipo. In his first season with Indiana, Oladipo averaged 23.1 points per game to go along with 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He was a major part in last season’s 48-34 record which landed them the fifth seed in the East.
Oladipo is part of a young group that consists of Thaddeus Young, Cory Joseph, and Myles Turner. The major offseason moves that the Pacers made was signing coach Nate McMillan to a multi-year deal and picking up Tyreke Evans in free agency. With a rising star in Oladipo and stability in the front office, Pacers fans certainly have reasons to be optimistic.
Washington Wizards
Another team to keep a close eye on are the Wizards. The Wiz are a team that has been together for quite some time. The organization has one of the league’s best all-around players in John Wall. In addition to Wall, the Wizards have veteran leaders in Bradley Beal, Marcin Gortat, and forward Markieff Morris.
The Year Ahead
The upcoming NBA season will be extremely exciting. With LeBron James changing uniforms it still will be a challenging task for the young Celtics. With one of the best coaches in the league and a healthy Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward only time will tell if this time can reach its full potential.