Boston Celtics: 10 bold predictions for the Disney bubble

The Houdini gives our 10 boldest Boston Celtics predictions for the NBA’s return in the Lake Buena Vista bubble.

We are quickly approaching the NBA’s return. This Friday, the Boston Celtics play the Oklahoma City Thunder in their first scrimmage of the bubble slate. Two more contests will follow on Sunday (against the Phoenix Suns) and the following Tuesday (against the Houston Rockets).

Then…regular-season basketball will resume. Remember, this is the longest the league has gone without games, with the schedule usually returning four months after the conclusion of the NBA Finals in June.

Obviously, June 2020 has come and gone and no finals were played. The Toronto Raptors are still champions, and business has remained unfinished for months.

That will all be in our distant memory when we can see Celtics basketball again. Before the league returns, we figured we’d give some of our boldest predictions for the 2019-20 NBA season restart…

1. Jayson Tatum will average 30 points per game

When play was suspended, Jayson Tatum had scored 30 points in six of his final games. His February points per game output was over 30. We’re not too sure how bold it is to say, but we believe Tatum is due to continue his ascension to the top of the league leaders in scoring.

Expect him to be one of the league’s top scorers during the seeding game slate.

2. The Boston Celtics will nab the #2 seed

Currently two games back of the #2 seed, we believe the C’s will improve their standings for the playoffs rather than take any steps backward. The #4 seeded Miami Heat have the toughest schedule, followed by the Toronto Raptors, who occupy the #2 seed.

Boston has the 20th hardest schedule, with games against the depleted Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets standing out as easy wins.

3. Kemba Walker will play less than five seeding games

It is entirely possible that, in taking things slow with Kemba Walker given his knee woes, the Boston Celtics keep Kemba Walker out of a few of the seeding games before the playoffs. Brad Stevens has preached patience with Walker, who signed a four-year max deal last offseason.

The C’s need him for a deep playoff run, so we could see Walker sit out a few seeding games if there are no consequences for the standings.

4. Robert Williams will emerge as a primary backup

Right now, the Celtics have Enes Kanter and Grant Williams soaking up the bench minutes at the pivot spot behind Daniel Theis. At the beginning of the season, Robert Williams was supposed to vie for minutes, but injuries and a lack of aggression robbed him of the chance.

We expect the “Time Lord” to make an impact with his raw talent in the fanless bubble and at the very least pass Grant Williams on the depth chart.

5. Marcus Smart will become a starter

This may not be the boldest prediction considering the fact that Gordon Hayward will be leaving the bubble in September and Smart may inherit his spot anyway.

Regardless, something tells us Smart will be such a vital cog that in the playoffs, he will be promoted to starting as he did for most of the 2018-19 season.

6. Romeo Langford will double his scoring output

So far, the 2019 rookie class has been a disappointment, with only Grant Williams earning a regular role in the rotation. The lone lottery pick, Romeo Langford, has not played up to his draft position so far due to injuries and inefficiency.

That said, he should be able to at least double his modest 2.6 points per game output in the bubble.

7. Brad Stevens will experiment with small-ball

The five most talented players on the Celtics roster are guards and wings. The C’s will face some big teams in the seeding games and during the playoffs, but there could be times where a five-out system could maximize the offensive output.

We think there will be at least ten minutes of small-ball in the bubble.

8. Tacko Fall will play more minutes than Vincent Poirier

The 7-foot-5 messiah was last seen in the G-League, but that season has been cancelled. He and fellow two-way player Tremont Waters will join the Boston Celtics on their pursuit of banner #18.

Assuming the team’s health continues to be unscathed in the bubble, Fall could end up getting more burn than fellow rookie Vincent Poirier.

9. The C’s will beat their first-round playoff opponent in less than five games

Whether it is the Philadelphia 76ers or the Indiana Pacers (or in a worst-case scenario for Miami, the Heat), we are going to go out on a limb and say it doesn’t matter: the C’s will take them out in the first round with relative ease.

This is a top-five team with four players who could realistically go off for 25+ in any contest. They will have little trouble in round one.

10. Boston will reach the Eastern Conference Finals

I’m not about to guarantee victory over a historically great team like the Milwaukee Bucks. That said, a run through the rest of the conference is reasonable.

The Celtics handled the Toronto Raptors on a national Christmas Day stage, and own a winning record against everyone but Philadelphia. In a playoff setting, with every team healthy, Boston has enough to reach the penultimate round of the NBA playoffs.