The NBA offseason is a crazy time for the league, and the fans of the Boston Celtics learned that lesson this year. On the opening day of free agency, Boston traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George, two firsts, and two second-round picks. A majority of fans (myself included) were quick to be angry with the trade.
In the aftermath, it was a fair assumption that the trade would make Boston worse next season, especially after getting back the worse of the two players in the trade. Now, over a month removed from the trade, I can still see a world where the Celtics are one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference next season.
While I still stand by the trade being bad for Boston, I'm not going to count out the Celtics being good.
Celtics made some great additions, as long as they stay healthy
Let's start with Paul George, who, while not in his prime, can still give you a quality play. George has become one of the better three-point shooters in the NBA, shooting 39.2% from three. Yes, Brown is still a better player than George individually, but I think fans have underrated the Fresno State alum.
Something Boston will have to do this season is manage the health of George throughout the season. He is 36 and has only played more than 70 games once in the 2020s. In Philly, George played in 41 games two seasons ago and 37 last season (granted, 25 were for a suspension, not an injury).
Like George, Boston will need to do the same with Mitchell Robinson. Robinson was the top free agent signing in the offseason and addresses the Celtics' biggest need: help in the frontcourt. After playing a key role in the New York Knicks' championship run, Boston hopes he can do the same for the Celtics.
Keeping Robinson healthy will be important for Boston, given his injury concerns. It wouldn't be shocking to see the 28-year-old sit on back-to-backs. Hopefully, this will help Boston have a healthy Robinson late in the season.
Jayson Tatum could be in for a career season
The biggest reason fans shouldn't count out the Boston Celtics next season is Jayson Tatum.
We saw Tatum return from his ruptured Achilles last season and show how much of a game-changer he is. Now with a full offseason, he should be even better when next season begins.
Tatum, in a way, will be given a similar role to what Brown had last year. With this, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a career year from Tatum. My two reasons are that the Duke alum is a better player overall than Brown and that the supporting cast will be stronger than they were last season.
The Celtics have a strong supporting cast
Finally, I think the remaining cast will be stronger with a season of being main rotation guys. Guys like Neemias Queta, Hugo Gonzalez, and Baylor Scheierman should continue to grow after last season. Boston still has Payton Pritchard, who had his best season and will hopefully get a bounce-back season from Derrick White.
I understand why fans were down on the Celtics after trading away Brown (I was as well), but Boston should still be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. Just last offseason, it seemed like Boston would be in the lottery, but instead they finished with 56 wins. While they may be worse record-wise, I think that will be more indicative of the rest of the league being stronger than last season.
Maybe it's blind optimism, but one thing for certain is I won't be counting out the Celtics being a top team next season.
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