For the first time in years, the Boston Celtics will not enter the season as championship contenders. A mixture of second-apron-inspired roster moves, free agency losses, and Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury has eroded the level of talent in the squad.
Staples like Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, and Payton Pritchard all remain, but there aren’t many long-term players beyond that bunch.
Who knows what the roster will look like the next time the Celtics are ready to push for another championship?
Franchise legend Paul Pierce believes that this upcoming season will be the first step in finding out.
“But I think this is an evaluation year for us,” Pierce told Heavy’s Steve Bulpett. “I think you’ve gotta just start evaluating, you know, who’s going to be here longer term and who’s not. I think every year is like that when you don’t win. You know Brown and Tatum are going to be here, then after that it’s like, we’re evaluating everybody else. Who knows?”
The Celtics have plenty of players to evaluate this year
With no significant expectations in Boston this season, the team will have plenty of opportunities to evaluate some of its younger talent. Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Neemias Queta all could have career-defining years ahead. At the very least, their performances will determine their future with the Celtics.
After seeing how impactful the second-apron restrictions can be, making the most of every dollar of the salary cap will be essential to building the next great team.
Some of the pieces may already be in Boston. Take someone like Pritchard, for example. The 27-year-old guard is under contract through the end of the 2027-28 season, earning an average of $7.5 million per year.
He’s undoubtedly worth more than that, but the bargain deal enables the Cs to spend elsewhere down the line.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens hoped to replicate that value by taking chances on low-budget free agents this summer.
"We were looking for those guys on those contracts that have upside, and who are competitors, who are workers, who want to be good and haven't hit their peak yet, but we've seen something in them that gives them a chance to be very impactful," President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens said of acquisitions Luka Garza and Josh Minott back in July.
Neither player saw much opportunity during their time with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The hope is that the Celtics can determine whether or not either guy is part of their long-term plan by evaluating their play in the upcoming campaign.
As unlikely as it is that either Garza or Minott has a breakout season, it’s worth looking into them. The same can be said for Scheierman, Walsh, and Queta.
If even one of the bunch overachieves, it could go a long way from a team-building point of view.