After finishing second in the Eastern Conference last season, the Boston Celtics will enter the new campaign with slightly lower expectations on their shoulders.
Earlier this summer, Brad Stevens made the unpopular decision to part ways with Jaylen Brown. An unintended consequence of that decision was that the Philadelphia 76ers, who acquired Brown via trade, went on to build a superteam that includes LeBron James.
Furthermore, Paul George, who was shipped to Boston as part of the Brown deal, has struggled to stay healthy in recent years. Therefore, Joe Mazzulla’s team isn’t expected to be among the superpowers in the East this season.
Despite those lesser expectations, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes Boston could prove a lot of people wrong during the regular season.
“I think the Celtics, for various reasons, are primed to have a good regular season,” Windhorst said during a recent episode of ‘The Hoop Collective’ podcast. “If Paul George shoots 42 percent on 3’s, which is what he shot after he came back last year from the suspension and fills that 3-and-D role, probably taking 7-plus 3’s a game. If that’s what that guy does, I’m ready to go.”
The Celtics have made a habit of overachieving. As such, as we get closer to the start of the season, Celtics fans will likely approach things with a cautious level of optimism.
Celtics Could Finish Above The New York Knicks
During the same episode of ‘The Hoop Collective,’ Windhorst also noted that Boston could potentially finish above the Knicks in the regular season. However, that’s not because Windhorst believes the Celtics are the better team. Instead, he’s expecting New York to be less healthy than they were last season.
“Part of what I’m pricing with the Knicks is, I think, just by the law of averages, I think they probably won’t be as healthy this year,” Windhorst said. “Not saying that Boston’s gonna be a better team. And I think Boston might be healthier. Tatum will play more games, hopefully.”
While Windhorst may be proven right, finishing with a higher seed than the Knicks in the regular season will mean little to Celtics fans. Boston cares about winning championships. As currently constructed, Mazzulla’s team doesn’t project to be among the genuine contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Windhorst Questions Celtics Addition of Paul George
George’s addition to Boston’s roster has been met with a sizeable amount of skepticism. The veteran forward has struggled to remain healthy in recent years. Yet, for the Celtics to be at their best, they’ll need George on the floor as much as possible.
When speaking via ‘The Hoops Collective,’ Windhorst also questioned whether George can remain healthy.
“There’s no way to predict what Paul George is going to do,” Windhorst said. “Like he actually shot the hell out of the ball in the playoffs last year… He looked really good, but that doesn’t mean anything. I have no idea how he’s gonna hold up.”
George’s health in the upcoming season will be a genuine swing factor for the Celtics. If he can stay on the court, Boston will likely be significantly better than expected. However, that’s a big if. Unfortunately, George’s health is a question we will only get answered once the season is underway. Until then, all we can do is wait and see how things play out.
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