A classic among classics, the Global Franchise Preview is ready for the customer du jour. And the client of the day is not just anyone since we are talking about the last NBA finalist, the Boston Celtics. After a turbulent off-season, can the Greens keep their place on the eastern throne? Attempt to answer in the preview that follows.
What happened last season
A two-faced team. The day and the night. Cold and hot. Use whatever phrase you want, they all match the Celtics’ 2021-22 season. Halfway through, the Greens had a negative record (20 wins – 21 losses), the new coach Ime Udoka was trying somehow to make his voice heard, Marcus Smart did not hesitate to put Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the spot stating that they weren’t passing the ball enough, and trade rumors concerning the Jay Brothers animated the news. Hello atmosphere. When we watched Boston play basketball, we had itchy eyes, especially in the money time when the C’s often cracked miserably. And then the Celtics found their cruising speed to smash everything in their path. Driven by a monstrous defense, a Marcus Smart in DPOY mode, a Tatum who crosses a very big milestone in the playmaking and some judicious additions to the trade deadline, Boston has achieved a fantastic rise in the rankings to finish second in the East at the end of the regular with 51 wins in total. The following ? It’s been a crazy journey in the Playoffs, with a sweep in the “shock” against the Nets in the first round, a huge series won 4-3 against the Giannis Bucks, a Game 7 snatched on the Miami floor to go to NBA Finals, all before losing to a possessed Stephen Curry on the biggest stage.
The summer market
- They leave : Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Nick Stauskas, Malik Fitts, John Morgan, Ime Udoka (coach)
- They prolong : Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet
- They arrive : Malcolm Brogdon, Danilo Gallinari, Blake Griffin, JD Davison, Mfiondu Kabengele
Just two title wins last season, the Celtics have not been shy in the summer market. Malcolm Brogdon arrived from Indiana (in exchange notably for Daniel Theis and Aaron Nesmith as well as a first-round pick) to further strengthen the talented Boston roster. Veteran Danilo Gallinari has also been signed, unfortunately his serious knee injury with Italy just before the EuroBasket will prevent him from wearing the green jersey this year. To try to compensate for this hard blow but also the absence of the pivot Robert Williams III for the first weeks of the season, Brad Stevens has decided to bring in Blake Griffin who will be keen to prove that he is not burned after a complicated campaign with the Nets. Finally, we also note the small contract extensions of Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet, without forgetting of course the Ime Udoka affair which caused a real earthquake in Boston. Suspended all season, Udoka will be replaced by young Joe Mazzulla, assistant to the Celtics since 2019.
The Celtics 2022-23 roster
- Leaders : Marcus SmartMalcolm Brogdon, J.D. Davison (two-way)
- Rears : Derrick White and Payton Pritchard
- Wingers : Jayson Tatum, Jaylen BrownSam Hauser, Danilo Gallinari (injured)
- Power forwards : Grant Williams, Blake Griffin, Mfiondu Kabengele (two-way)
- Pivots : Robert Williams III (injured), Al HorfordLuke Kornet
In orange the expected starters, according to the famous sources close to the file
With the injury of pivot Robert Williams III and given the lineups lined up in pre-season, we should start on a five with Marcus Smart and Derrick White on the backcourt, the Jay Brothers who take positions 3 and 4, with veteran Al Horford – excellent last season – inside. Other combinations are obviously possible for Joe Mazzulla, who has a very serious roster on hand even if the injuries of Time Lord and Gallinari limit the depth of the group. The arrival of Malcolm Brogdon in a role of leader of the second unit should in any case do a lot of good for the Celtics, while we will monitor the role of Sam Hauser who could well integrate the rotation of Boston this year. Overall, it’s obviously super solid on both sides of the field, in the backcourt but especially in the frontcourt, and the continuity found last year should allow this team to remain faithful to its status as a top team at the ‘East.
A little video by the way?
Boston Celtics 2022-23 salaries
TTFL: Celtics players to watch
Jayson Tatum et Jaylen Brown.
The Jays Bros, of course. In the collective of Boston, Tatum and Brown are those who darken the stats the most. The first has every intention of forcing his way into the race for the MVP, he who still remains on a campaign with 27 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists on average. Rather serious. As for Brown, he will want to find the All-Star Game after missing it in 2022 and seeing the production he is able to put out night after night (24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists in the last two seasons), we would put well a note on him. If we are not safe from “evenings without” with these two, they should most of the time make you happy in TTFL.
Infirmary: update on injuries
When we look at the Boston infirmary, five names stand out. Jaylen Brown, to begin with, made several quick stays in the infirmary: left patellar (patellar) tendinopathy, sprained right ankle and patellar tendinopathy in the right knee. It was a strained left hamstring that limited him the most, with thirteen games missed in total and discomfort that lasted until the Playoffs. Marcus Smart also suffered minor injuries: two games for a laceration of the right hand, two for a sprained right ankle, one for a contusion of the right quadriceps and a last during the conference finals for a sprained right midfoot . He slipped in the last game of the pre-season and suffered a minor groin injury but should be present for the restart. Robert Williams, meanwhile, has been hampered by his left knee all season. He started out missing three games in November and another in March with pain before suffering a torn meniscus two games later. Operated from a partial meniscectomy, he returned to the third game of the first round. He was unable to participate in the entire Playoffs, missing the last four meetings of the second round and another in the third. He finally returned to the pool on September 23, for a débridement this time, with an announced absence of eight to twelve weeks. Malcolm Brogdon missed three games with left hamstring fasciitis at the start of the season. At the end of December, he began to feel pain in his right Achilles tendon and missed 26 games. He ended his season on March 23 officially due to rest and back pain, but it seems that he was protected by the Pacers for a trade. Danilo Gallinari, finally, suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing for Italy in World Cup qualifying. He already had an ACL repair on the same knee in 2013. He switched to bouldering at the end of September and will probably not play this season.
What goals this season?
When you’re just two wins away from a championship banner the previous season, to say anything other than “winning the NBA title” would be blasphemy. The Celtics will want to confirm their supremacy over the Eastern Conference to give themselves another chance to win the ring, and it is to achieve this objective that they have notably recruited Malcolm Brogdon. Now, with the Ime Udoka case looming over Boston, the recent injury issues that plagued the Celtics and increased competition within the Eastern Conference, absolutely nothing will be given to the Greens. They will have to make sure to keep the same solidity and the same dynamic as last year, even with another face in the head coach’s seat. Will Jayson Tatum and his buddies be able to ignore the rumors of the hallway and other revelations to come concerning Udoka? To go as high as possible, you will have to pass this test.
The Editor’s Prognosis
54 wins – 28 losses. 2nd place East.
As said above, several challenges are on the road for the Celtics this season. But the workforce is sufficiently armed to surpass them and given the defensive solidity that emerges from this group, we have more confidence in Boston’s ability to come out of a season around 54-55 wins. Jayson Tatum will want to join the race for the MVP, Jaylen Brown can still progress, Malcolm Brogdon will give an extra dimension to this team coming off the bench, and Joe Mazzulla seems to have the shoulders to succeed Ime Udoka properly. It is only then – at the time of the Playoffs – that the serious things will really begin, that we will see if this 2022-23 version of Boston can really repeat the big course of last year.
Some useful links
So much for the Celtics preview for this NBA 2022-23 season. Everything seemed aligned to allow Boston to take another step forward this year, but with the big sores and the Udoka affair, the sky has darkened a bit in Beantown. Enough to knock the Greens off their eastern throne?