Though the Boston Celtics have managed to find a substantial amount of success throughout the first 23 games of the 2020-21 campaign, their last few outings have been an all out struggle.
Not winning two consecutive games in about a month, over the course of their last seven contests the Cs boast an undesirable record of 2-5 and, most recently, lost to the Utah Jazz due, in large, to a lousy fourth-quarter showing.
Remaining stagnant in Bleacher Report’s latest power rankings, this team looks somewhat far removed from their preseason status as a legitimate favorite to take the Eastern Conference crown come year’s end.
While some would chalk up their struggles to injury woes and COVID-19 complications, others would venture to say an underwhelming offseason could be a major factor in their unimpressive 12-11 record.
The Boston Celtics should have handled draft day differently
One aspect of the offseason that some may have wished they handled differently is draft day, where the Celtics came away with more questions than answers in terms of their roster and future prospects.
While there is no denying that Danny Ainge may have nabbed the steal of the 2020 NBA Draft in Payton Pritchard, ultimately fans and we here at HH were underwhelmed with the front office’s decisions.
What they did do and what they didn’t do both played a part in where the team finds themselves at this stage in the season.
Recently, we published a piece discussing 3 offseason regrets the team may wish they could have back
Today, we pinpoint 3 draft night mistakes the Boston Celtics made that they are currently feeling:
Boston Celtics draft day regret No. 1) Trading away Desmond Bane
The Boston Celtics came into the 2020 draft with 3 total first-round selections at their disposal. Once the night came to an end, the team only opted to keep two of them, selecting Aaron Nesmith at 14 and Payton Pritchard at 26.
With their 30th overall pick that was immediately dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies, they selected TCU sharpshooter Desmond Bane.
Trading him, in and of itself, was a mistake.
Leading up to the draft, we at the Houdini discussed how the wing would be a nice addition to Boston’s rotation, citing his shifty shot-creating skills and 3-point prowess (249 made in four seasons) as the biggest reasons for our belief that his game could easily transition to the next level.
Now, through 19 games played, Bane has proven us right. Unfortunately, however, it’s not with the shamrocks that he’s doing this.
Averaging 22.6 minutes per game, the 22-year-old is posting 9.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game on 48 percent shooting from the field and 48 percent from deep (sixth-best in the NBA).
Most recently he logged the first start of his career and, in turn, played quite well, posting 13 points, three assists, and three boards on 43 percent shooting from deep on seven attempts.
This bench that currently ranks 24th in points, 27th in 3-point attempts, and a middle of the pack 15th in offensive rating could have certainly used Bane’s attributes.