The Boston Celtics are positioned to be the league’s best team in 3 years

With stars only set to improve in the coming years, it would not surprise the Houdini if the Boston Celtics are the league’s best team three seasons from now.

Bleacher Report recently released a piece on who the best player on each team would be three seasons from now. As you can imagine, Jayson Tatum was the selection from the Boston Celtics. Makes sense, given Tatum’s age (21) and current level of All-Star play.

What’s great about the C’s is that may not end up being the case. Jaylen Brown has shown incredible growth this season as well, and his athleticism could allow him to dominate the game even more as he refines his mid-range and 3-point shots.

Not knowing which of your under-25 stars will actually be leading the team in a few years’ time is the definition of a good problem. In three years, Kemba Walker will be at the end of his contract in Boston, but the team may have already drafted his replacement by then.

Who knows, maybe they could be able to use Walker’s deal as a means to acquire their point guard of the future. Maybe Trae Young becomes disenfranchised down south, or D’Aaron Fox gets tired of playing for such a dysfunctional franchise in Sacramento.

Either way, with Tatum, Brown, Marcus Smart and whoever else the team drafts in the next few years, the team is set to peak in a few years’ time. Their 2019 draft class has a long way to go to prove any of them are valuable long-term pieces, but the team is so talent-rich that none of them can pan out and the long-term health of the franchise will still be okay.

When you look at the league’s other contenders, none have the staying power Boston possesses. Milwaukee will only be dominant so long as Giannis Antetokounmpo is in uniform. Even then, their core around him isn’t getting any younger.

Both Los Angeles teams have stars in their primes (besides LeBron James who is still dominant in his career twilight), but injuries to Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have accumulated over the years.

The Philadelphia 76ers have a mismatched core with salaries only expected to rise, while the Toronto Raptors could see their roster dismantled as early as this off-season. Miami, Denver, Utah and Houston all have front-line stars, but don’t have the core to grow around them.

The Boston Celtics have stars on the rise, and have the front office to build around them. In three years, don’t be surprised if or when the C’s are the top team in the league.