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Boston Celtics: 3 key takeaways from this year’s postseason

By Seth Quinn

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JULY 20: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks goes up for a shot against Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half in Game Six of the NBA Finals at Fiserv Forum on July 20, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JULY 20: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks goes up for a shot against Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half in Game Six of the NBA Finals at Fiserv Forum on July 20, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Boston Celtics key takeaway No. 2) Veterans

This next takeaway is a big reason why many Boston Celtics fans had issues with Danny Ainge over the past few seasons as GM.

When the Cs acquired all of those draft picks from the Nets, it wasn’t expected for the team to use all of them.

While obviously drafting both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown was incredible, the fact is this team currently has way too many young players that are asked to play significant minutes early in their careers for a team trying to contend for a championship.

That really came back to bite the Cs this year, as we saw a player like Aaron Nesmith struggle at first, but really improved his play down the stretch.

Nesmith just wasn’t ready to play a lot early on, but was kind of needed to play given Boston’s lack of depth and injuries to key players.

While watching young players blossom is great, in order to win a championship, veterans are required.

Taking a look at the average age of NBA teams last season, the Cs were the eighth youngest roster in the entire league.

The list of the ten oldest teams in terms of average age in the NBA consists of all playoff teams, and includes the two Finals participants in the Suns and Bucks.

Along with average age, each of those two teams also had important 36 year old players in their starting lineups in P.J. Tucker for the Bucks and Chris Paul for the Suns.

While getting older as a team just for the heck of it isn’t the way to go, the Boston Celtics are beyond the point of building through the draft.

They’ve used a ton of picks already with some successes and some failures, and have built a competitive, playoff caliber team.

The next step toward building a true championship contender is finding veterans to slot in the rotation, whether that means through trades or free agency to help support the young and talented players already on the roster.

While acquiring Al Horford is a good start, more veterans still need to be added in order to further elevate the team.

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