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What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump?

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Pick Three Areas of Improvement to Get Us Banner 18 in Upcoming Season

Bench Depth/Scoring
29
18%
Big Man Upgrade
38
23%
Improvement in Coaching/System
11
7%
More Experience & Vets
18
11%
Health/Luck
14
9%
Higher Impact from Max Players
9
6%
MVP-Type Star
11
7%
Knockdown Shooters
22
14%
Toughness/Physicality
7
4%
None of the Above / We're Not Close
3
2%
 
Total votes: 162

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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#21 » by jfs1000d » Sat Oct 17, 2020 9:07 pm

Shooting and bench scoring.


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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#22 » by jfs1000d » Sat Oct 17, 2020 9:08 pm

OBisHalJordan wrote:If Hayward and Walker played up to their contracts, the Celtics would have been in the finals this year

Both were hurt.

When healthy, they did live up to contracts. Kemba especially concerning.


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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#23 » by jfs1000d » Sat Oct 17, 2020 9:08 pm

100proof wrote:I think Kemba has to go.

Just a bad fit, I get why Danny did it.
1) didnt think the Jays would make that big of a jumo
2) didnt think Marcus would improve like he did
3) needed something instead of nothing with the Kyrie ****

Find the right deal for Kemba and draft correctly the other things fall into place.

Kemba a perfect fit. Crazy talk.


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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#24 » by ddb » Mon Oct 19, 2020 1:00 pm

Celtics have a whole lot of dough tied up in 2 veteran players seem to have a difficult time staying healthy. That's a major concern. Kemba/Hayward need to be healthy otherwise this time will go backwards. The East is getting better and better.
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#25 » by CelticsVJ » Tue Oct 20, 2020 10:47 pm

This Celtics team is plenty good enough as is for regular season wins and coming out of the first round. After that, as we saw against Miami Heat and even Toronto Raptors, to advance and be a championship contender, you need players with championship experience and leadership. Our young players have had deep runs in the playoffs the last 3 years so we are getting there but we need a Iguodala, Udonis Haslem, Kyle Lowry, Rondo type players to take the next step and actually win it all. We have enough talent, assuming good health, even without a dominant big. Championship experience and mental toughness seems to go hand in hand so we need to get some of those. They do not have to be your starting players. Marcus Smart is that kind of player but I am not sure his tactic/expression in doing so is the best for a young team although I don't think it hurt the team against the Heat. Danny Ainge needs to get that type of players to supplement current core. I like the New England Patriots way - take a lesser talent who is all about Football and has mental toughness/leadership qualities and (almost) always bring the effort rather than a more talented player who takes days/plays off. As great a player James Harden is, he may be lacking the mental toughness and that is telling in late playoff rounds because talent alone can be successful in regular season and probably in Round 1 of the playoffs but not later on. This is the reason, I think, Miami Heat beat us. Jimmy Butler said that Celtics were more talented but young. To me young means inexperience and can mean toughness and confidence that comes with experience. As injured as the Heat were and missing players, they took Lakers to 6 games mainly on toughness and gritty play.
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#26 » by itrsteve » Thu Oct 22, 2020 1:11 pm

We need an assistant coach that can get under their asses since Brad isn't going to do it.

All the talent is there, it's just not maximized.
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#27 » by ConstableGeneva » Thu Oct 22, 2020 1:19 pm

It's been six days and ONLY ONE voted "we're not close." Love the optimism, guys!
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#28 » by Curmudgeon » Thu Oct 22, 2020 1:49 pm

The Celtics need a better bench with better shooting. Either guys like Langford start playing up to their potential, or else Trader Danny has to go to work.
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#29 » by 31to6 » Thu Oct 22, 2020 3:43 pm

Love the mentions of getting more guys cutting on offense, and of prioritizing what we're trying to do on offense in the clutch. I voted 'coaching/system' exactly because of stuff like that. Also voted 'health/luck' and 'get more from max contract players' because I think if GH never sprains his ankle we finish TOR easier, have more in the tank against MIA and beat them, and then we CRUSH Lakers with so much full perform that they give up their stupid Minnesota titles again.
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#30 » by Jammer » Thu Oct 22, 2020 4:20 pm

The Celtics have TWO MAX PLAYERS where:

Neither One is the best player on the team, factoring in two-way (includes defense).

Neither One is an effective closer against the best 6 teams in the league.

They can run up their stats against the chumps in the league. And there are below 0.500 teams that will give max slots to guys who put up numbers and tout them as All-Stars. But neither one of the two Celtics Max Players is an EFFECTIVE PLAYOFF CLOSER.

And neither one is a good defender.

And Every single player in the Celtic locker room knows this.
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#31 » by jfs1000d » Thu Oct 22, 2020 4:41 pm

ddb wrote:Celtics have a whole lot of dough tied up in 2 veteran players seem to have a difficult time staying healthy. That's a major concern. Kemba/Hayward need to be healthy otherwise this time will go backwards. The East is getting better and better.

Yeah. Kemba worries me because of knee. Hayward? Weird injuries this year. Not reoccurring.


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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#32 » by jfs1000d » Thu Oct 22, 2020 4:43 pm

31to6 wrote:Love the mentions of getting more guys cutting on offense, and of prioritizing what we're trying to do on offense in the clutch. I voted 'coaching/system' exactly because of stuff like that. Also voted 'health/luck' and 'get more from max contract players' because I think if GH never sprains his ankle we finish TOR easier, have more in the tank against MIA and beat them, and then we CRUSH Lakers with so much full perform that they give up their stupid Minnesota titles again.

Healthy Kemba a closer. No idea where your view here came from.

Hayward is a facilitator late.

Btw. Lebron isn’t a closer either. He is a playmaker.

Anyhow. Tatum and Brown our our scorers.


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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#33 » by ddb » Thu Oct 22, 2020 4:43 pm

jfs1000d wrote:
ddb wrote:Celtics have a whole lot of dough tied up in 2 veteran players seem to have a difficult time staying healthy. That's a major concern. Kemba/Hayward need to be healthy otherwise this time will go backwards. The East is getting better and better.

Yeah. Kemba worries me because of knee. Hayward? Weird injuries this year. Not reoccurring.


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If Hayward is back then I'm in the camp that believes he'll have his healthiest/best season in Boston.
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#34 » by 31to6 » Thu Oct 22, 2020 4:53 pm

jfs1000d wrote:
31to6 wrote:Love the mentions of getting more guys cutting on offense, and of prioritizing what we're trying to do on offense in the clutch. I voted 'coaching/system' exactly because of stuff like that. Also voted 'health/luck' and 'get more from max contract players' because I think if GH never sprains his ankle we finish TOR easier, have more in the tank against MIA and beat them, and then we CRUSH Lakers with so much full perform that they give up their stupid Minnesota titles again.

Healthy Kemba a closer. No idea where your view here came from.

Hayward is a facilitator late.

Btw. Lebron isn’t a closer either. He is a playmaker.

Anyhow. Tatum and Brown our our scorers.


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Did you mean to quote someone else’s post?
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#35 » by Darth Celtic » Thu Oct 22, 2020 5:21 pm

I can't vote as my opinion isn't listed in the options.

Time.

we've been so good for so long, we forget that the core of the team is like average 22 years old. I would say if Hayward and Kemba stay, year 2021-2022 season should be our time for many reasons.

1. Smart, Tatum, Brown will be closer to prime. Young role players like Timelord/grant/this years picks/Romeo will be either strong contributors or gone for players who can be.

2. Some of the MVP players we have to get past will be gone or so old it won't matter. Lebron, KD, will be past that top 3 player time. Many of the new superstar top 5 players are in the west.

3. Some super teams will probably be out of money with the economy leaving a team ran by DA and Zarren with wise money choices able to compete.
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#36 » by celtics543 » Thu Oct 22, 2020 5:58 pm

The bench is a disaster. We need a better big man rotation. A knockdown shooter is imperative. Ideally you could fix all of those things with one guy who is a big man that can shoot and get out defensively on switches. That pushes Theis to the bench which strengthens that.

At full strength things sort of fall into place but health has been a major concern. A fully healthy:

Kemba
Brown
Tatum
Hayward
NEW CENTER

w/ bench: Smart, Theis, Timelord, Grant, Romeo, etc.

Would be ok. Maybe one more bench piece 3 and D guy that isn't Semi.
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#37 » by BostonCouchGM » Fri Oct 23, 2020 4:28 am

1) Big Man. Theis did an admirable job but he's not really a starting center and was constantly in foul trouble due to the constant mismatches. He certainly maxes out his abilities and I love him on the bench

2) Bench. Danny's disastrous 2019 draft haunted us all year and did nothing to help us weather the impending FA losses going forward.

3) System/Coaching. Brad's inability to rein Smart in, to get Theis to shoot the three when wide open and his whack substitutions where he takes Tatum out after five minutes and plays Jaylen the entire first quarter does not work.
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#38 » by Jammer » Sun Oct 25, 2020 2:46 am

In the spirit of the initial poster's question, and after quite a bit of thought:

1) Coaching. Goes way beyond offensive and defensive schemes. Stevens needs the patience to break down aspects of the game, play strategy, in a way that he has apparently never done before and be effective in communicating insights and strategies, with individual vs team responsibilities, EFFECTIVELY. Meaning he has to get thru, and behavior has to change. This is a lot to ask. He may need a "counselor" to get him to accept all the areas he has failed to address, and then break it down for his players. Requires insight, diligence, PATIENCE and Effective Communication.

2) Wing Player off bench who can SHOOT and has a high b-ball IQ. There isn't a guy there. Danny tends to favor athleticisim (Romeo Langford, J. R. Giddens) but he needs to get guys without broken mechanics who can drill the ball with high I.Q.s. Miami killed the Celtics with undrafted Duncan Robinson and #13 pick Tyler Herro. These are not the types of guys Danny Drafts. And when Danny does try, he drafts guys like R.J. Hunter, who couldn't shoot in the NBA and wasn't athletic.

3) Full Length Defensive Center who Rebounds. Before the 2020 playoffs, I never fully understood why OKC felt Kanter was unplayable in the playoffs. His regular season stats were always mint every year. But now I understand why OKC felt Kanter was unplayable in the playoffs. Miami abused Kanter defensively.

4) Stretch PF who can do what Grant Williams does. If Grant could actually score more regularly, that would be great. Maybe he can be like Don Nelson and learn to shoot by his 5th season. Too bad we need it sooner.
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#39 » by thomas1897 » Sun Oct 25, 2020 2:28 pm

The Celtics need to establish soon who are the core players returning for the 2021 season. Next is acquiring a center and moving Daniel Theis to power forward and reserve center. Theis can continue playing multiple minutes from both positions. Grant Williams can be used as a trade chip for bench players or future draft picks. Theis and Grant Williams are very similar in playing style. But Theis is the better player. Danny Ainge is a creative and resourceful GM. He could put together a package of players such as Grant Williams, Tremont Waters, Vincent Poirier and some draft picks for a good bench player or players. There are some good centers available. Hassan Whiteside could help the Celtics tremendously if he is willing to listen to Brad Stevens and control his temper. It would not cost the team much and Gordon Hayward could be retained. This does not require a complete renovation of players just some tweeks of very good players and some additional size can remedy this problem.
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Re: What is the Celtics' Biggest Need or Area of Improvement to Get Over the Hump? 

Post#40 » by Ernest » Sun Oct 25, 2020 6:21 pm

We need a lot of help. We have a solid starting 4, a great 6th man, and ok center, a decent back up point and a ton of kids. We need vets at all spots. Let everyone fight it out for minutes. We can't go into the playoffs next year with no bench. We can't expect the guys on rookie contracts to step up so much. Just get a lot of vets and we can see who is worthwhile come playoff time.

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