Despite having a solid postseason run, the Boston Celtics could be in the market to replace their primary backup point guard Brad Wanamaker this offseason.
The Boston Celtics come into this year’s offseason with equal amounts of both promise and question marks.
Though 2019-20 was a campaign full of triumphs and success stories — rostered two All-Stars, finished as the third seed in the Eastern Conference, made it to their sixth-straight postseason berth, went to the Conference Finals, etc. –, as we venture toward the climax of this emotional roller coaster of a season the shamrocks will look to make their prospects even better in 2021.
It’s evident that Boston is not yet good enough to hang with the big boys out West like the Los Angeles Lakers, and they were even stated to be as such by President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Danny Ainge during his first media appearance of the offseason.
"“Unfortunately, we didn’t see enough time when our team was healthy. But we learned a lot about our team and our individuals. We also learned we aren’t good enough.”"
One of the most likely routes the C’s front office will take in bettering the team’s chances of contention moving forward will be in the shape of roster shakeups.
Coming into the offseason, Beantown could find themselves having as many as five of their players test the open market — however, it will likely only be three, as Gordon Hayward and Enes Kanter both are expected to exercise their player options.
One of said talents will be point guard Brad Wanamaker, who will be under the moniker of “restrict free-agent.” As the primary backup to Kemba Walker, the 30year-old posted career-high averages of 6.9 points and 2.5 assists per game on 45 percent shooting from the floor and 36 percent shooting from deep.
Though the sophomore guard had his moments that impressed — take Game 5 of the Semifinals for example –, in the end, there could wind up being better options on the open market for this role on a team vying for the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Should he and the Celtics part ways, there are two players, specifically, we believe to be quality replacements, and in some cases improvements over Wanamaker:
Brad Wanamaker replacement No. 1) Rajon Rondo
Make no mistake about it folks, the Houdini absolutely loves the talent that is Rajon Rondo. Despite his ripe NBA age of 34, the point guard is still proving capable of providing substantial efforts off the pine for his respective ball club.
Through 48 games played, Rondo posted solid per-game averages of 7.1 points, five assists, three rebounds, and just shy of a steal per game on 42 percent shooting from the floor. In this year’s postseason, however, the veteran baller is showing that, despite his wear-and-tear over the past 14 seasons, he still knows how to put his best foot forward when it matters most, hence why he’s been bestowed the nickname “Playoff-Rondo.”
In 12 games, the former All-Star is boasting 9.5 points, 7.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on an impressive 49 percent shooting from the floor and 45 percent shooting from deep.
Not only would his statistical efforts be welcomed to the Boston Celtics with open arms, but so too would his leadership skills and his ability to run an offense when Walker is found on the bench.
With a young core like Boston’s, it was evident they could have used that savvy/ experienced veteran during their Eastern Conference Finals series to hold them in check.
During their final round of the playoffs, the shamrocks seemed to gravitate more to an isolation-centric style of offense, which played a massive part in their downfall — just re-watch the final half of Game 6 and, essentially, all their double-digit lead collapses.
The team found the most offensive success when executing fluid ball movement and finding the open man for a swift look at a score.
Boston Celtics fans know first hand the wonders that are Rondo’s facilitation skills — averages 8.3 assists per game for his career — and, at this point, should realize why someone of his ilk could have seriously helped this team down the stretch.
On the verge of attaining his second NBA Championship, the future Hall of Famer could wind up taking the nostalgia route and bringing his final years of his career to where it all began.
Still referring to Boston as “home”, the veteran point guard could easily be enticed to bring his talents back to Beantown in an effort to have that storybook ending so many players dream of having in the twilight years of their playing days.
Brad Wanamaker replacement No. 2) D.J. Augustin
This is certainly not the first time we’ve brought up the idea of the Boston Celtics pursuing veteran point guard D.J. Augustin and, if we’re being frank, it likely will not be our last.
The 12th-year-veteran is once again continuing to produce at a quality rate for his respective team. In the fourth and final season of his contract with the Orlando Magic, the 32-year-old is finding himself posting solid per-game averages of 10.5 points and 4.6 assists on 40 percent shooting from the floor and 35 percent shooting from deep.
Upping his per-game numbers to 13.2 points and six assists per game on 47 percent shooting from downtown in this year’s postseason, Augustin has shown that he is not one to shy away from the spotlight.
A big reason why we believe the point guard could be an amazing addition for the shamrocks this offseason is because of his impressive offensive prowess. We are constantly preaching the fact that Danny Ainge needs to address the C’s putrid scoring efforts off the pine.
Finishing the season ranked as 29th in points per game (28.5), 28th in 3-point percentage (31.8), and 20th in offensive rating (53.6), Boston’s bench desperately needs an added scoring punch off the pine.
Sure, Wanamaker does shoot a solid 37.6 percent from deep for his career, but his 1.3 long-range attempts per game average have not been something that truly makes this conversion rate help the team’s struggles. Proving to be more of a catch-and-shoot scorer, it’s evident the team could benefit from bringing on a player who can create for himself.
Though not a star by any sense of the word, the veteran has the ball-handling skills, quickness, and confidence to buy himself a bucket from seemingly anywhere on the court — think Kemba Walker-lite.
In an offense that caters to smaller guards like the one Brad Stevens runs, a talent like D.J. Augustin could prove to be an excellent grab as the primary replacement at point guard in this Boston Celtics rotation.