Boston Celtics: 3 players to monitor during first half of schedule

With the first half of their schedule now released, the Houdini sees 3 specific players the Boston Celtics will be playing that should be monitored closely.

Heading into the 2020-21 campaign, the Boston Celtics are once again being viewed as one of the best teams the NBA will have to offer.

With NBA.com projecting them to finish as the sixth-best team in the league with a record of 46-26, fans of the franchise should be encouraged by their chances of contention for the Eastern Conference crown once more come playoff time.

However, though the team is certainly flush with top-tier talent — Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, etc. — it would appear that the Cs are still a piece away from thrusting themselves into the title-favorites category.

Through the first half of the season, Boston will be tipping off on 38 separate occasions. On many of these teams reside extremely talented players, some of which the shamrocks should closely monitor.

Here are 3 players from Boston’s first-half schedule the front office should have on their radar:

Player the Boston Celtics should monitor No. 1) Lauri Markkanen, Chicago Bulls

Date(s) he plays the Cs: January 12th & January 25th

Recently, rumors have started to circulate over Lauri Markkanen‘s future with the Chicago Bulls, as the two parties may soon find themselves at an impasse in regard to contract negotiations — the power forward is currently eligible for an extension.

While Markkanen is pressing for a new contract with the team, Chicago’s front office apparently is torn on whether the 23-year-old is worth the type of money he is asking for.

Should they decide to not pay up, the most logical route for them to take would be looking to the trade market.

This, of course, is where the Boston Celtics could come in.

Now, this is not the first time the Houdini has discussed the idea of the Cs pursuing the likes of the Finnish born baller. In fact, earlier in the week my co-editor Andrew Hughes brought forth this idea of the team targeting Markanen during this coming season.

"Some scars remain unhealed, and the Bulls did just draft a player who will need some time at the power forward in Patrick Williams. With Otto Porter also currently in tow, and Thaddeus Young and Cristiano Felicio needing some burn at the 4, Markkanen has a lot of competition for minutes. He should clearly play over all of those guys, but who knows. The Bulls have yet to prove capable of getting the most out of the #7 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. As they continue to rebuild, the Boston Celtics should do whatever it takes to procure Markkanen before he hits the restricted free agent market next offseason."

Through his first three seasons in the NBA, Lauri Markkanen finds himself posting 16.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and just over half a block per game on 43 percent shooting from the floor and 36 percent shooting from deep.

Deemed as the “best traditional power forward left in the league” by my co-editor, the Celtics could only stand to benefit from plugging the young talent at a position they currently have no set player at.