Boston Celtics: Young Dynasty?
Keandre medium.com
It is premature to assume this era of the Boston Celtics will be the next NBA team with dynastic tendencies. But, after their improbable run without their two stars (Kyrie Irving & Gordon Hayward)…
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Medium
It is premature to assume this era of the Boston Celtics will be the next NBA team with dynastic tendencies. But, after their improbable run without their two stars (Kyrie Irving & Gordon Hayward) and the rapid development of their young players (Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier) it may be time to look at what’s ahead for this team.

The Celtics meet the criteria of a great team in the modern NBA. They have the right combination of youth/athleticism and veteran leadership. Versatility is their strong suit and they have one of the premier modern big men in Al Horford.

2018–19 Projected Roster

PG: Kyrie Irving, Terry Rozier,

SG: Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart

SF: Gordon Hayward, Semi Ojeleye

PF: Jayson Tatum, Marcus Morris

C: Al Horford, Daniel Theis, Aron Baynes?, 27th Pick?

This roster has the potential to be among the best in the league. If we’ve learned anything from this season, it’s to never under estimate their young guys development. Jaylen Brown went from a player struggling for minutes behind Jae Crowder, to a go-to scorer on a top-2 team in the Eastern Conference. Jayson Tatum has lead the Boston Celtics in scoring during the playoffs as a 20 year old rookie, which is not normal, to say the least. Including a legendary dunk/moment over LeBron in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Since Kyrie Irving’s season ending knee surgery, Terry Rozier has looked like a legitimate starting point guard. These three guys have progressed unlike I could have imagined a year ago. And of course you cannot forget this promising team is coached by NBA Twitter’s lord and savior, Brad Stevens. The ATO King has put his team in a great position to win in every game this season.

The resilience of this team is one of their scariest attributes. They had several 20+ point comebacks this season. Including memorable moments @ Indiana, @ Houston (The Marcus Smart Flop Extravaganza), vs OKC (Down 5 in last 20 seconds) and several more. This is an attribute that we have often seen from the Golden State Warriors and a common denominator among many of the great teams in NBA history. Adding one of the game’s best big shot takers/makers in Kyrie Irving to an already successful team has the opportunity to be lethal.

The Boston Celtics will find themselves in a bit of a predicament over the next two off-seasons due to their salary cap situation. Marcus Smart is an intricate part of their team, and though he may not be the most talented, he is the vocal and emotional leader. He will be a restricted free agent this off-season after failing to agree to an extension earlier this season. Boston will hope that no one offers Smart a deal that he cannot refuse this summer as he is one of their most important pieces. The market for Marcus Smart should be pretty slim. Most teams have little to no cap space, and the ones that do are bad teams (PHX, DAL, ATL etc.). The most likely outcome is that Smart will take his qualifying offer for about 6 million.

Terry Rozier will be a restricted free agent next summer and retaining him could be the most difficult for Boston. Rozier’s motives will decide whether or not Boston can keep him. Will he want to stick around, take a pay cut and be a legitimate contender for a championship? Or will he want to sign with a different team for more money, and become a starter.

One of either, Smart or Rozier could end up being unnecessary if the Celtics can nail their draft picks, which they have shown a tendency of doing in the past. Boston owns the Kings 2019 1st Round Pick (Top 1 Protected) which should be a surefire Top-10 selection which could get them another good young piece. The Celtics also own the Clippers lottery protected first rounder in either 2019 or 2020. As well as the Memphis Grizzlies Top 8 protected pick in 2019 or Top 8 protected pick in 2020.

Kyrie’s Free Agency is looming in a couple of seasons, but being the centerpiece of this Celtics team, I’d say there is a much less likely chance they struggle retaining him, as opposed to Terry Rozier or Marcus Smart.

This Celtics team should be a perennial finals contender for the next five years with all of the assets they have accumulated. Danny Ainge has not been shy from trading players in the past and I would not be surprised if he finds another great deal to build around the rising duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the future. Even if it means 28 year old Gordon Hayward and 31 year old Al Horford are part of it, who knows maybe even Kyrie…

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