The Celtics Will Be Taking A Step Back This Upcoming Season

[OrangeBlueSkies]

Consistency, continuity, and that one-of-a-kind grit, combined with two young stars, these Celtics looked like they were destined for a title in Bean Town. They could taste it when they got to the Finals. However, with that all being said, can we take a consensus of what the brain trust here at REALGM is thinking?

In my opinion, trading Smart for Porzingis was a fatal mistake by the Celtics. They already have a 7 footer who cannot stay healthy. Now, they add Porzingis' health concerns to that... I love D. White.. Guys, I really really love this mans game. But is he the starting point guard on a championship team? Is Brogdon?


yes, the Celtics still look deep and formidable. But I think they are about to have a struggle of a season.

[Triple M]

I think this is more wishful thinking than presenting any strong evidence for your case. The KP trade was a risk and i think it's fine to have doubts about it but its not like the Celtics competition in the East has improved.

Are the Bucks, Heat and Sixers better than a season ago because i think these teams have likely stagnated or gotten worse.

Are teams like the Knicks and Cavs ready to tske another jump up?? I dont quite see it

Because their is no dominant team in the East i think it comes down to the perennial contenders the last few years which Boston is in the mix in with Milwaukee and Miami

[Karate Diop]

The East isn't build for the demons out west.

[Stone]

The Celtics have to hope that their young and inexperienced coach learned from last seasons playoffs. The Celtics have a strong roster. This is a make or break season for Joe Mazzulla.

[IAMZOOTED2]

Losing one of the biggest culture drivers in smart won't help, but they're battle tested af. Fwiw, I think they'll flame out too, but not because they can't get over the hump. it's because they won't. Look at Tatum for example. Dude is Uber talented but suffers from an identity crises that limits his effectiveness

[dolphinatik]

its wait and see. I think losing Grant Williams is as big as the Smart loss However Jordan Walsh has the ability to make everyone forget about those two this season. Kristaps has no pressure and do what he needs to do to be ready for the playoffs, same with Timelord. If the Celtics can get marginal performances from both of those guys they will be better than last year. They also opted to double down on Payton Pritchard to allow him more playing time. Less stat chasing and more team play could see this years Celtics much better than last years. I also expect a mid season trade to bolster this roster something like a Center. Whiteside would be decent.

[Darthlukey]

The Celtics have to hope that their young and inexperienced coach learned from last seasons playoffs. The Celtics have a strong roster. This is a make or break season for Joe Mazzulla.

This is not untrue. Even if the RS is underacheived, he needs to be able to make it work come playoff time

[Johnny Bball]

You don't win too often in this league without a DPOY candidate (past or present). Denver did it last year, but that's the first in forever. I don't like the idea of trading Smart for Porzingis either. Smart missed less games and has less knee, ankle, foot injuries to worry about.

Knid of looks like they should step back. But their guys are pretty young still.

[JustBuzzin]

Heat will win the East if they get Dame.

Celtics are still the favorites right now.

Giannis rumors ain't starting up for nothing. He's planning his exit from Milwaukee.

[Pointgod]

Celtics will be the same team in regular season. They have enough top end talent and depth to sustain the injuries. The question is the playoffs. I believe that moving Smart will force Tatum and Smart to become better passers and playmakers. I kind of think the Celtics will be better off in the playoffs without Smart’s poor decision making and ill timed shots.

[Triple M]

The Celtics as a whole saw their defense slip last year so i wont single out Smart and Grant. I think injuries were starting to catch up with Marcus that caused his defense to regress. While Grant was playjng for his contract and the Celtics were miss using him on D. He is much more effective vs bigs but he was on guards and quick wings too often. I can see Walsh as a better defender against guards and quick wings but they need another defender for bigs and bigger wings because im not sure Brissett can fill that role.

As for replacing Marcus i would try and get Caruso because he can also guard wings and has more experience than relying on a rookie in Walsh. As boring as it sounds i think people need to wait until the trade deadline.

The Lakers were the 13th seed, the Heat were in the play in, the Nuggets werent a top 5 team in term of odds last summer. With as much parity there is we can see teams fluctuate between the thin line between being good or bad in today's NBA.

So even if people are bang on their predictions for a team it might not hold up for the playoffs, for example i had the Heat finihing 7th last year which was bang on but in the playoffs they were a different team.

[AussieCeltic]

You don't win too often in this league without a DPOY candidate (past or present). Denver did it last year, but that's the first in forever. I don't like the idea of trading Smart for Porzingis either. Smart missed less games and has less knee, ankle, foot injuries to worry about.

Knid of looks like they should step back. But their guys are pretty young still.

Smart missed more games than KP last season and that’s with KP sitting out the last 6 games so the Wizards can tank.

Don’t get me wrong, KP obviously has injury concerns but I feel people gloss over Smarts injury history. He’s only played over 70 games in 3 of 9 seasons averaging 64 games played per year.

KP was also one one of the best defenders last season and more of an impact than Smart. He was the 4th best pick and roll defender and 5th best defender on close outs all while being an infinitely better offensive player.

The trade will come down to health but if he is healthy, the trade is an absolute steal.

[Johnny Bball]

You don't win too often in this league without a DPOY candidate (past or present). Denver did it last year, but that's the first in forever. I don't like the idea of trading Smart for Porzingis either. Smart missed less games and has less knee, ankle, foot injuries to worry about.

Knid of looks like they should step back. But their guys are pretty young still.

Smart missed more games than KP last season and that’s with KP sitting out the last 6 games so the Wizards can tank.

Don’t get me wrong, KP obviously has injury concerns but I feel people gloss over Smarts injury history. He’s only played over 70 games in 3 of 9 seasons averaging 64 games played per year.

KP was also one one of the best defenders last season and more of an impact than Smart. He was the 4th best pick and roll defender and 5th best defender on close outs all while being an infinitely better offensive player.

The trade will come down to health but if he is healthy, the trade is an absolute steal.

Sigh. I'm obviously talking about their careers when I'm mentioning three different type of injuries and plural.

[FrodoFraggins]

KP, Brogdon and Timelord are just too much of a risk for my tastes. But what can a fan do? I wouldn't be surprised if they trade Brogdon if he gets healthy enough to move.

[165bows]

Big Smart fan since before he was drafted but the Celtics added almost a foot of height to their starting lineup, and swapped one of the bottom 50 volume/efficiency scorers for one of the top 50.

Plus the coach keeps his lips taped at night let alone opening his zipper so that should help.

Should be fun to watch.

[CobraCommander]

Losing one of the biggest culture drivers in smart won't help, but they're battle tested af. Fwiw, I think they'll flame out too, but not because they can't get over the hump. it's because they won't. Look at Tatum for example. Dude is Uber talented but suffers from an identity crises that limits his effectiveness

100% on everything you said-

Smart won them critical games when Tatum and Brown were playing like Embiid - gonna be interesting to see if Improved Talent is more important than Grit and heart on the Celtics - I would bet on regression

[Up-And-Coming]

I don’t think so but even if they do I feel like the Celtics had to make some change. The Porzingis deal was a good value trade just in terms of ROI regardless.

[Roger Murdock]

I get the love for Marcus Smart. I do. He's tough as nails, he's a culture builder, nobody plays harder, he's a leader.

But ultimately Marcus Smart was the point guard for a team that always loses in the playoffs due to poor passing, ballhandling, decision making, and shot selection. Basically the point guard responsibilities are what's let the Celtics down time and again. While the Celtics might lose some grit and tenacity, what they actually need as a team is control and intelligence which Smart always lacked.

If the Celtics needed Marcus Smarts locker room leadership, and guys like Brown and Tatum and White can't pick that part up, then they were always screwed anyway.

I understood the trade overall even though I didn't like it that much. I thought Tyus made a ton of sense for them and wish they got him 1:1 for Smart and addressed big man depth elsewhere.

[zeebneeb]

Any rational observer can see that what the Celtics have done is a huge risk. The question is if it will pay off.

Smart was the emotional leader of that team, which is a huge blow.

Porky is a top-end talent, that can have a huge impact on both ends.

Gut reaction is that it will not payoff, and they will take a step back, then scramble to try and "fix" whatever it is, that is broken.

The Piston fan in me wants to watch it fail spectacularly, but you can't win a title without taking some risks, so I respect the willingness to put it all on red.

Shades of the Rasheed Wallace deal that put them over the top. High-end talent that comes with baggage. Here its just of the injury variety.

[MoneyTalks41890]

If they played in the West maybe but the East is too weak and the Celtics are still too strong.