Boston
Celtics ROSTER
4-1 • 2nd in EASTERN CONFERENCE
| NAME | POS | AGE | SALARY | HT | WT | COLLEGE | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #42 | AlHorford | C-F | 38 | $9,500,000 | 6' 9" | 240 lbs | FLORIDA | |
| #9 | DerrickWhite | G | 30 | $20,071,429 | 6' 4" | 190 lbs | COLORADO | |
| #41 | DmytroSkapintsev | C | 26 | N/A | 7' 1" | 260 lbs | N/A | |
| #13 | DrewPeterson | F | 24 | N/A | 6' 9" | 205 lbs | USC | |
| #44 | JadenSpringer | G | 22 | $4,018,363 | 6' 4" | 202 lbs | TENNESSEE | |
| #7 | JaylenBrown | G-F | 27 | $49,700,000 | 6' 6" | 223 lbs | CALIFORNIA | |
JayScrubb | G | 24 | N/A | 6' 5" | 220 lbs | JOHN A. LOGAN COLLEGE | ||
| #0 | JaysonTatum | F-G | 26 | $34,848,340 | 6' 8" | 210 lbs | DUKE | |
| #20 | JDDavison | G | 22 | N/A | 6' 1" | 195 lbs | ALABAMA | |
| #27 | JordanWalsh | F | 20 | $1,891,857 | 6' 6" | 205 lbs | ARKANSAS | |
| #4 | JrueHoliday | G | 34 | $30,000,000 | 6' 4" | 205 lbs | UCLA | |
| #8 | KristapsPorziņģis | F-C | 29 | $29,268,293 | 7' 2" | 240 lbs | N/A | |
| #12 | Lonnie WalkerWalker | G | 25 | N/A | 6' 4" | 204 lbs | MIAMI (FL) | |
| #40 | LukeKornet | C-F | 29 | $2,087,519 | 7' 1" | 250 lbs | VANDERBILT | |
| #88 | NeemiasQueta | C | 25 | $2,162,606 | 7' 0" | 248 lbs | UTAH STATE | |
| #11 | PaytonPritchard | G | 26 | $6,696,429 | 6' 1" | 195 lbs | OREGON | |
| #51 | RonHarper | G-F | 24 | $2,087,519 | 6' 4" | 233 lbs | RUTGERS | |
| #30 | SamHauser | F | 26 | $2,092,344 | 6' 7" | 217 lbs | VIRGINIA | |
| #26 | XavierTillman | F-C | 25 | $2,237,691 | 6' 7" | 245 lbs | MICHIGAN STATE |
Current Celtics Roster Status
While the Boston Celtics' two best players, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, are just 22 and 24 respectively, the Cs are actually a very experienced side. They've been to the Eastern Conference Finals three times over the past four years, and at this point, it feels that anything less is going to be a disappointment.
Kemba Walker entered the new season dealing with some knee problems, but once he gets fully up to speed, he is going to play a key role in Boston's success this term. The always outspoken Marcus Smart will continue to serve as the team's anchor on the defense, as well as the squad's vocal leader on and off the court.
Boston lost Gordon Hayward in free agency, while Enes Kanter was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Vincent Poirier and Brad Wanamaker will both be playing their basketball away from Boston this season.
The Cs, however, signed a couple of key vets in free agency. Jeff Teague made his way to Bean Town from the Atlanta Hawks, while Tristan Thompson snubbed an extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Celtics.
Finally, Boston also drafted a couple of studs in Aaron Nesmith (14th) and Payton Pritchard (26th), with the latter particularly proving to be quite a steal early in the campaign.
With Walker back from injury, he took over the starting point guard spot, shifting Smart to the two spot. The trio of Brown, Tatum, and Daniel Theis comprises the squad's starting frontcourt.
boston celtics Team Analysis
Offense
—The 2019-2020 Boston Celtics were the 4th ranked offense in the league, which helped them climb their way all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Putting points on the board wasn't an issue with potent scorers like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker leading the way. With a deadly three-headed monster in their backcourt, the Celtics finished 9th in the league in points per game (113.7). They also finished in the top 10 of both fastbreak points, with 14.8 points per game (7th), and free-throw percentage with a clip of 80.4% (4th). They also took care of the ball quite well as they finished 8th in the league with an average of 13.7 per game.
Unfortunately, the main issue for last season's Celtics offense was the fact they didn't pass the ball a whole lot. They finished the regular season with an average of 23 assists per game, which was way down at 25th. The lack of ball movement seemingly slowed their game down and limited them to a 99.92 pace, which ranked them at 17th.
Another tough hurdle for the Celtics' offense last season came in crunch time. Boston lacked consistent quality looks to finish games, which was evident in the playoffs. Their best option in the clutch was Walker, who scored an average of 2.5 points per game during the final minutes of play. Walker's average was far from the league's best though, as he ranked only 18th in the league during crunch time. Their second-best was big man Daniel Theis with 1.6 points per game. Two of their leading scorers were nowhere to be found, as both Brown and Tatum ended up being tied at 33rd with an average of just 1.5 points per game during crunch time.
Still, you could say that it wasn't all bad for the 48-24 Celtics, who finished 3rd in the Eastern Conference. They were a couple of wins away from booking a trip to the NBA Finals.
Defense
—Boston's defense was elite in 2019-20, finishing the regular season as the 4th ranked unit in the league. The Celtics' tough defense held their opponents to just 107.3 points per game which was the league's second-best. They also ranked 5th in blocks (5.3 per game) and 6th in steals (8.3 per game). Marcus Smart was the leader of the pack, as he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the second straight year. With Smart's gritty defense setting the tone, the Celtics made it all the way to the top-3 of the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics brought their top-rated stop unit inside the bubble as they continued to ride their defense series after series. Jayson Tatum also contributed in a huge way as the team's second-leading rebounder, leading the team in defensive boards in the playoffs with 8.7 per game. He was also tied with big man Daniel Theis as the Celtics' top shot blocker in the playoffs with both of them tallying 1.2 swats per game.
Even though they ended up losing against the Miami Heat in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics should be proud of what they accomplished last season - especially when it comes to their defense. Coming into the 2020-2021 season, Brad Stevens should have a relatively easier time knowing that his defensive investments throughout the years are slowly paying the team dividends.
Coaching
—44-year old tactician Brad Stevens is the head coach of the Boston Celtics and has tallied a 318-246 (.564) win-loss record in the regular season after seven seasons. Stevens' career in the NBA has been entirely with the Celtics after he joined as head coach in 2013. Though the former coach of Butler missed the playoffs in his debut season, Stevens has been able to bring Boston to the postseason six consecutive years with three conference finals appearances.
Stevens has six assistant coaches to help him man the locker room with Jerome Allen, Brandon Bailey, Jay Larranaga, Joe Mazzulla, Scott Morrison and Jamie Young.
Top boston celtics Roster Questions
Who Did The Celtics Recently Sign?
—The Celtics most recent addition was forward Amile Jefferson on a one-year Exhibit 10 contract. Jefferson played two seasons with the Orlando Magic and was only able to suit up for a total of 30 games. However, Boston eventually released Jefferson. Their last significant signings prior to that were Jeff Teague and Tristan Thompson.
Who Are The Celtics Targeting In Free Agency?
—Coming into the 2020-2021 NBA season, the Celtics needed to fix a few spots on their roster, primarily in the frontcourt. The Celtics lost Enes Kanter in free agency, but they were able to acquire former NBA champion Tristan Thompson. Though Thompson's health is a bit of an issue, they're hoping that his experience and presence in the paint can help them down the stretch.
Another thing they needed to address was a consistent back-up for Kemba Walker. Walker had his fair share of off-nights during the postseason, which hurt the C's in the long run. They picked up Jeff Teague as a reliable insurance at the one spot, which could be huge for Boston as the season progresses. The former All-Star is an experienced playmaker that Brad Stevens can rely on every night.
Who Did The Celtics Most Recently Trade?
—The most recent trade the C's executed was a sign-and-trade deal with the Charlotte Hornets for superstar Gordon Hayward. Boston sent Hayward and two future second-round picks (2023, 2024) to Charlotte in exchange for a conditional 2022 second-round draft pick. The condition for Boston's acquired pick is that they get it only if the Hornets finish in the top five of the league, which, from the looks of it, virtually means they get nothing.
What the Celtics did get from that blockbuster trade was a huge $28.5 million trade exception, the largest in NBA history.
What Is The Best Celtics Roster Of All-Time?
—The 1985-1985 Boston Celtics remain the best roster in franchise history. The Larry Bird-led squad dominated the regular season, finishing with a league-best 67-15 regular season record. Their 67 wins were one shy of their best franchise finish of 68 victories in 1972-1973. Bird went on to win his third MVP trophy and led the Celtics to a historic 40-1 home record.
Alongside Bird were two incredible big men in Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, with Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge completing the starting unit. The Celtics also had the services of Bill Walton and Rick Carlisle off the bench. Head coach KC Jones took full advantage of one of the best rosters in NBA history as they marched all the way to NBA supremacy, beating the Houston Rockets in the 1986 NBA Finals in 6 games.
What Is The Celtics' Salary Cap?
—Coming into the 2020-2021 NBA season, the Celtics' salary cap is at $116,911,260 (via Spotrac). This current figure puts them $7 million over the league's max salary cap for the season.
