Even after coming off a disappointing loss in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat last season, the Boston Celtics are a team that is considered to have one of the more complete rosters, from top to bottom, in the NBA. However, that may not be the case for much longer.
With the likelihood that the Celtics are going give Jaylen Brown the supermax contract extension and with Jayson Tatum in line not far after that, there’s reason to believe that Boston’s roster is going to look a lot different than it does right now. And one of the biggest differences could be the lack of depth. That’s where the team’s developmental system should come into play.
Heading into the season, we explore three young players the Celtics should be willing to continue developing and four young players that they should be ready to move on from.
Young players the Boston Celtics should be willing to develop or give up on
Give up on: Luke Kormet
Luke Kormet may not be as young as some of the other prospects on this list but he just turned 28 years old and is still trying to find his footing in the NBA. He’s spent stints with the Boston Celtics in each of the last three seasons (along with time in Cleveland and Milwaukee). However, the hope was that he found somewhat of a home in Boston this past season. That’s far from a certainty after the addition of Kristaps Porzingis, another player he will be stuck behind. Entering the final year of his contract, I believe it’s time that Boston moves on from Kormet.
Kormet appeared in 69 games this past season for the Celtics, the most he’s played in a year through the first few seasons of his career. With how stacked Boston’s frontcourt is now with Kristaps, it’s likely that he won’t even be in the rotation when the Celtics open the regular season.
You could see the Celtics holding on to Kormet for insurance and depth purposes, but the writing seems to be on the wall for him in Boston. It would be somewhat shocking if he was back with the team next season.