The season didn’t end the way that the Boston Celtics wanted it to last season. They barely clawed their way out of the second round of the playoffs before going down 3-0 to the 8-seed Miami Heat. They did manage to come back and force a Game 7, but they ran out of gas and were blown out to end their season.
Some of the reasons for their loss could be explained away, such as the coaching turmoil at the start of the season or random variance in shooting. The Celtics clearly didn’t want to rest on pat answers, however, and instead attacked this summer as if there were structural reasons that needed to be addressed.
How did the Celtics do this offseason?
Those same Miami Heat that the Celtics lost to are the front-runners to add Damian Lillard, a move that could catapult them back to the top of the conference. While the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers look more vulnerable than ever before, rising threats like the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks are knocking at the door.
Did the Celtics get better this summer with a couple of bold decisions, or did they end up hobbling themselves in an attempt to present a new face? Let’s look at each move that they made, giving them a grade individually, before assigning an overall grade to the offseason to finish Boston’s “Report Card.”
Our rubric will award an “A” for an excellent move, a “B” for a move worth making, a “C” for a questionable move and anything worse for a clear miss. We’ll go from best grade to worst, and start with the home-run swing that will define this offseason for the Celtics.