What do the Boston Celtics need to do to make the NBA playoffs?
Celtics new head coach Brad Stevens
There are very few teams we can predict for certain that would make the NBA playoffs. The Boston Celtics do not feature on that list.
They blew up their roster in the off-season with the view of building a younger team for the future. With no Big 3 assuring them a playoff spot, the C’s are in a spot of bother:
Brad Stevens as new head coach:
Stevens was announced as Doc Rivers replacement and the new head coach of the Boston Celtics this off-season. A young coach making his transition from college basketball to the NBA, Stevens is good at identifying his players’ strengths and using them to their full potential. Unlike Rivers he focuses on putting pressure on the offensive glass and would certainly enjoy having Kris Humphries and Jared Sullinger in the roster.
The Celtics’ philosophy of playing strong defence will continue to prosper under Stevens. His Butler Bulldogs were ranked consistently in the top 10 among 347 teams for points per game allowed. If the combination of him and Gerald Wallace, a fierce man to man defender, clicks the Celtics defence could soon be a team opponents would not enjoy playing against.
Rajon Rondo’s recovery:
The last thing the Celtics want is having their floor general in point guard Rajon Rondo injured for a major part of their rebuilding. It is crucial that the team does not rush Rondo into making a return before he is fully healed.
Being the only member on the roster who has spent more than two years with Celtics and given his talent, it is safe to assume that the team would be built around his skills of running the offense.
They could make it through the season without him by running the half-court offense through Jeff Green. However his return would not give the C’s a guaranteed ticket to the post-season as he would require time to get his rhythm back and they would certainly require him at his best for them to make a run ending the regular season.
Playing just 38 games previous season before tearing his ACL in a game against Miami Heat, Rondo averaged a double-double for the third consecutive season in his career. Although Danny Ainge, President of Basketball operations for the Celtics, announced he would be ready for the training camp, an ideal recovery time table from a torn ACL in March puts Rondo’s full recovery in December.
Off-season picks:
Surprisingly, their best addition for the future was a young centre, who was drafted as the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft Kelly Olynyk. His unique offensive game, coupled with his impressive size and handle, should allow him to score at the NBA level.
Stevens witnessed Olynyk’s summer league performance first-hand, and the new head coach had to be impressed with what he saw. Though he has a defence which could be debated on, the Celtics can’t really be picky with their current roster.