The Boston Celtics had themselves one of their most disappointing campaigns in recent memory last season, finishing the year off with a mere .500 record of 36-36 and a first-round exit via gentleman’s sweep.
Because of this, the front office opted to step into action this summer by taking part in quite a number of necessary shakeups, with notable transactions including the trade that sent Kemba Walker to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for big man Al Horford and the free agency signing steal that brought Dennis Schroder to eastern Massachusetts.
With these moves made by rookie President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, the shamrocks seem to have a much more well-rounded roster to work with in 2021-22 than they did in 2020-21.
However, just because there have been improvements made this offseason, this is not to say that there aren’t still weaknesses found within the team’s rotation.
Because of this, we at HH believe that Stevens and co. should continue their offseason acquisition trend by scouring the remnants of this year’s free agency class and, in turn, shell out some low-risk training camp invites to some potentially worthy talents.
Of those who still remain unsigned, there are 3 veterans we believe could be deserving of such an invitation:
Potential Boston Celtics training camp invite No. 1) Darren Collison
Looking at the current state of the Boston Celtics, it would appear that their starting five is all but figured out, with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart seemingly guaranteed to be placed in the lineup while guys like Josh Richardson and Al Horford are more than likely to take on the final two spots.
Because of this, the team’s bench unit is what the front office would likely be looking to bolster should they pursue any more players and Darren Collison could be a veteran worth considering.
Opting to step away from the game two years ago to pursue his religious beliefs, the 10th-year pro has officially made it clear that he intends to attempt an NBA comeback and, just recently, held a workout for the Golden State Warriors.
Despite this event, Collison is still unsigned but looks to continue his road back to the league, and the Boston Celtics could be a team that aids in his desires with a training camp invite.
Prior to his decision to step away from the game, the point guard found himself having quite a productive season with the playoff-bound Indiana Pacers.
In 76 games played, Collison posted per-game averages of 11.2 points, six assists, and 1.4 steals on 47 percent shooting from the floor and nearly 41 percent shooting from deep.
A sharpshooter (shoots 39 percent from deep for his career) with ample experience in the league, the 34-year-old may still have some gas left in his tank and could be a serviceable depth piece for the C’s rather pedestrian backcourt rotation.
Though it’s hard to say all this for certain, perhaps with a training camp invite the Celtics could wind up getting a better look at what Darren Collison may still have to offer.