The Boston Celtics head into the last 14 games of the season with a 49-19 record, firmly locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Joe Mazzulla will be cautious over this final stretch of the season to ensure good health for the playoffs.
Boston has its key pieces under contract for next season, including the entire starting five, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser. The Celtics set to hit free agency this offseason include Al Horford, Luke Kornet, and Torrey Craig.
Horford and Kornet have been valuable contributors off the bench for Boston this season and have also produced when placed in the starting lineup. The Celtics would love to have both of them back for next season, as they fit what Boston does so well -- space the floor and defend.
The same cannot be said for veteran wing Torrey Craig. Boston signed Craig to a one-year, $779k deal on February 6 after he was waived by the Chicago Bulls.
Of course, the contract is not the problem. Craig is making the least money on the Celtics while averaging 9.8 minutes per game for Boston.
Through eight games and one start for the Celtics, Craig is averaging 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds while shooting an even 40% from three.
Shout-out to Torrey Craig ☘️
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) March 7, 2025
Made some nice plays last night against the 76ers and finished with 12 points (2-2 3PT) and 4 rebounds (4 offensive) in 20 minutes: pic.twitter.com/RfMfZqzyjx
While those counting stats may not seem too bad, Craig is a -16 in terms of plus/minus for Boston. The only player below Craig on that list is the young two-way guard JD Davison (-40). When Craig has been on the court, results show he may be more of a liability than a contributor at this point in his career.
The thought process behind adding a player like Craig is to give the team another veteran with playoff experience. The eighth-year veteran has appeared in 75 playoff games for the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns, having played the fifth-most playoff games on the Celtics behind the J's (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown), Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford.
Craig should see his role increase in the coming weeks as Boston will be resting key players to prepare for the playoffs. Craig could still see limited minutes here and there when playoff time comes around. However, given the vet's experience, his play will be monitored more closely.
Over the offseason and into next season, the Celtics should see progression out of rookie Baylor Scheierman or Jordan Walsh, as the team would ultimately be able to replace Craig with younger players under contract.
An abundance of teams could use Craig's experience and steady three-point shooting, but the Celtics seem to be set with their current stars and young players developing at the wing positions. If Boston isn't able to repeat as champs, Craig will most likely be looking to sign with another contender come July.
Approaching the latter stage of his career, it would be hard for Craig to find a better chance of winning a title than this season with the Celtics.
Boston is in a great position to win back-to-back titles, as they hold the second-betting odds to do so (+190) on FanDuel Sportsbook. The Thunder (+175) slightly passed Boston as favorites in the past week.