Boston Celtics: B/R cites Kemba Walker injuries, lack of depth as main Cs drawbacks

If you’re wondering why the Boston Celtics have not looked any bit the part of a contender on most nights during the 2020-21 season–this. a year after coming to within two games of the NBA Finals in their third ECF trip in four seasons–you’re not alone.

Hardwood Houdini has seen the campaign’s worst nightmares come to fruition this season after repeatedly campaigning for deals that would include the contract of Kemba Walker. Sitting behind the New York Knicks and Gordon Hayward’s Charlotte Hornets with a sub-.500 record seemed like a cruel and unrealistic fantasy in November.

Look, as great as Walker has been throughout his career, and despite an almost idyllic first season in green and white, the injuries he suffered last year have reared their ugly heads even a year later…despite a several-month layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grant Hughes agrees that Walker’s contract is one that has been holding the potential contender back, among other things:

"The Boston Celtics are a .500 team 50 games into their season, and that’s not the only reason they have to settle for honorable mention. Kemba Walker’s knee may not hold up over multiple playoff series, the offense ranks in the bottom 10 in free-throw attempt frequency (while the defense puts opponents on the line too often on the other end), and there are real depth issues behind an admittedly dangerous first unit with Evan Fournier."

Granted, Hughes didn’t single out Walker’s injuries. If you look closer, though, the other problems he mentioned stem from them.

Walker’s contract is the highest on the team. You can’t blame one man for clogging up the Cs cap,  as Jaylen Brown’s cap figure is also hefty, but as the Celtics’ marquee signing in the chaos that was 2019 free agency, owning the responsibility of being the franchise player is an unwritten rule of the job.

Walker’s knees have prevented that.

Secondly, regarding free-throw attempt frequency, again, the blame cannot be put solely on Walker. Jayson Tatum has a tendency to hunt for isolation attempts from the mid-range and beyond the arc, and the team lacks an interior threat that can get to the line by drawing fouls on the block.

That said, we cannot ignore the fact that Walker’s free-throw attempts have been almost cut in half since his final season in Charlotte (5.5 in 2018-19, 3 in 2020-21).

There are a ton of issues plaguing this Boston Celtics team. These are just some that HH agrees with Hughes about.

Danny Ainge, it’s your move to address this in the offseason.