When Kyrie Irving departed in the summertime of 2019, the Celtics had been turned over to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The younger wings confirmed flashes all through their careers, together with an Japanese Convention Finals run a yr prior that proved that taking a shot and constructing round them was price it.
There have been nonetheless questions on Tatum and Brown. Might they be the 2 greatest gamers on a championship crew? Ought to the Celtics decide to them because the constructing blocks?
In free company, Ainge looked for a 3rd star. Enter Kemba Walker. Walker was the Kyrie substitute. He was the brand new level guard, the brand new lead ball handler and the brand new man who was going to take the final shot.
Subsequently, the 2019-20 season noticed the breakout of the Jays and a return journey to the Japanese Convention Finals. Nevertheless, it was a really flawed roster. The 5 greatest gamers —Tatum, Brown, Walker, Gordon Hayward and Marcus Sensible — had been nice however there was an absence of middle depth and too many little guards.
Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter and a younger Robert Williams was a flawed middle room. Kemba headlined a tiny entrance court docket that included Carsen Edwards, Tremont Waters and Brad Wanamaker.
Through the 2020-21 season, these roster points once more reared their ugly head. They added Tristan Thompson, however Hayward’s departure left a gap on the bench. Once more, shaky middle depth (although Robert Williams started to emerge) and too many little guards was the Celtics’ demise.
This led to a 36-36 document within the shortened season. When Jaylen Brown missed the final seven video games of the season and the entire playoffs attributable to a torn ligament in his wrist, the Celtics had been bounced within the first spherical.
After that season, Ainge stepped down and went to work for the Jazz and Brad Stevens turned the brand new man in cost. Subsequently, the team-building strategy modified.
The primary transfer Brad made, even earlier than changing himself as head coach, was buying and selling Kemba Walker for Al Horford. That transfer signaled a brand new technique on constructing round Tatum and Brown: be an elite protection and let the Jays carry the offense.
Derrick White was acquired on the deadline and he was the proper match as a superb determination maker and an elite level of assault defender; he simply wanted to develop a soar shot. After capturing 40% from three within the playoffs this previous season, I’d say White has discovered it.
Within the second half of the 2022 season, the Celtics turned themselves into one of many best defenses the sport has seen. It carried all of them the best way to the Finals till the offense ran out of gasoline as turnovers killed them and costed them a championship.
After a disappointing finish of the 2022-23 season, Stevens received again to work, reshaping the roster once more. He despatched out the center and soul and fan favourite Marcus Sensible together with Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams and Grant Williams, to amass Jrue Vacation and Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis modifications the best way you must guard the Celtics. He’s a mismatch nightmare for the opponent and he stretches the ground in methods a 7-foot-3 particular person shouldn’t be capable of do. He’s additionally top-of-the-line rim protectors within the NBA to go on prime of all of the issues he brings on the offensive finish.
Vacation is the proper do-it-all guard to pair with Derrick White within the backcourt. Vacation is a knockdown shooter who can have an effect on the sport on protection in quite a lot of methods. He’s nonetheless capable of guard excessive scoring guards at an elite degree however Mazzulla unlocked Vacation as a roamer off the ball, too.
Stevens has additionally focused pure shooters greater than Ainge did, together with Sam Hauser, Nik Stauskas, Svi Mykhailiuk and Baylor Scheierman.
In the meantime, Ainge beloved little guards who might rating like Isaiah Thomas, Kemba Walker and Carsen Edwards. Even a few of the guys he has with the Jazz are little guards who can rating like Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Keyonte George, and Isaiah Collier.
Underneath Stevens and Joe Mazzulla, Tatum and Brown have the ball of their fingers lots so having a guard who’s at their greatest with the ball in his fingers doesn’t make sense, particularly if they’re little and don’t play protection.
Empowering the Jays has allowed them to develop to new ranges. With a championship already in hand and the roster locked in for a number of seasons, the following step is placing collectively a dynasty.
