Boston Celtics: Why Paul Pierce believes team is headed in right direction

Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce likes the direction the team is headed in despite the loss of Al Horford and Kyrie Irving.

In just one year, the Boston Celtics have gone from NBA championship contenders to one of the unknown commodities in the league after losing both Kyrie Irving and Al Horford to free agency.

However, with the addition of Kemba Walker, Celtics great Paul Pierce doesn’t believe the team will take that much of a hit. He is certainly not predicting a trip to the NBA Finals, but he likes the direction that the team is taking and so should fans.

Here is what Pierce told the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett at the Las Vegas Summer League:

More from Chowder and Champions

"“Let’s put it this way, I like the direction they’re headed. I’m not sure if they’re a championship caliber team. That all depends on developing (Jayson) Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown. But, you know, if these guys can emerge into All-Star players, then we’ll see.”"

While the emergence of both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will tell how the season goes, the Boston Celtics are still a player away from being a legit championship contender. Even if Gordon Hayward regained his All-Star form, an effective big man could be the key to at least getting out of the East.

That is where Al Horford’s departure could hurt the team most. Pierce addressed the loss with Bulpett, but also pointed out Horford’s age and the amount of money he was demanding as a player on the decline.

But, despite the downgrades the team has experienced in free agency with the loss of Horford to Philadelphia and Kyrie Irving to Brooklyn, Paul Pierce noted Kemba Walker as an obvious upgrade because of the player he is and the type of chemistry he can instill in the team.

"“I mean, talent don’t always win. We’ve seen that plenty of times. It’s about fit,” Pierce said. “Who knows if Kemba’s going to be the right fit because it’s always about more than basketball. It’s about how you get along with your teammates and how the chemistry is. And that’s a strength of Kemba’s, so hopefully, it’ll work out.”"

With less pressure put on the team overall, Pierce’s observation of what has transpired over the last week or go should at least instill some excitement back into the team. Sure, there are some unknowns, but at least the team has players to root for again. They have a star in Kemba Walker who will lead by example and not throw the younger players under the bus.

Next. Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from Kemba Walker’s Players’ Tribune column. dark

Furthermore, they have two young players in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who now know they are the present and the future. While the Boston Celtics aren’t in the conversation as one of the top teams as of July, if everything meshes together, they may be in the conversation by the time May 2020 rolls around. That should be a safe bet, especially since Paul Pierce didn’t predict it.

Thank god he didn’t.

Home/Boston Celtics