Celtics ranked No. 7 in ESPN’s offseason NBA power rankings

by **bobheckler** Tue Jul 16, 2019 4:38 am

https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-boston-ranked-no-7-espn-offseason-nba-power-rankings/

Celtics ranked No. 7 in ESPN’s offseason NBA power rankings

by Matthew Schmidt

July 15, 2019

The Boston Celtics may not have the same types of high expectations they had a year ago at this time, but they are still ranked seventh in ESPN’s offseason NBA power rankings.

The Celtics not only lost Kyrie Irving and Al Horford to free agency, but they also traded Aron Baynes and saw both Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier sign elsewhere.

Boston went on to sign Kemba Walker to a max deal and also landed big man Enes Kanter.

The C’s will likely sport a starting lineup of Kanter, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown and Walker next season with guys like Marcus Smart and Robert Williams coming off the bench.

Once one of the deepest teams in the league, the Celtics have seen their depth take a massive hit this summer, but if Hayward is able to rediscover his pre-injury form, Boston could have one of the best starting units in the league.

The C’s are coming off a 2018-19 campaign in which they won 49 games, about 10-to-15 games less than what many expected them to win. They finished fourth in the Eastern Conference and swept the Indiana Pacers in the first round, but they then lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round, completing what was one of the most disappointing seasons in the NBA.

Locker room issues plagued the club throughout the season, with Irving’s looming free agency spreading a cloud of uncertainty over the team and his inability to get along with the younger players on the roster causing significant issues.

bob

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by **dboss** Tue Jul 16, 2019 7:25 am

I was surprised at their lofty ranking.

by **mrkleen09** Tue Jul 16, 2019 8:23 am

Doesnt sound like a rebuild to me Basketball

by **kdp59** Tue Jul 16, 2019 8:33 am

I like Hayward in the 6th man role for us next year , with Kanter, Tatum, Brown, Smart and Walker as the starters.

we may need Brown and Smart for their defense intensity with Kanter, Tatum and Walker. While Hayward could run the second team with Theis, Rob or Grant W., Semi and Carson the gunner.

BTW, rebuilds can happen fast..... Very Happy

by **dboss** Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:28 am

mrkleen09 wrote:Doesnt sound like a rebuild to me

True but with so many new players on the roster the team has been partially rebuilt.

by **gyso** Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:42 am

mrkleen09 wrote:Doesnt sound like a rebuild to me

We already had most of the cards dealt to us. The frigging dealer forgot to take the jokers out of the deck. Once they were removed from our hand, we got a couple more cards dealt to us. We're good now, for the most part.

Now we are at Lucky 7, ATM. I hope the C's surprise the league and improve on that number a bit.

gyso

by **dbrown4** Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:45 am

But I believe we are way off the radar going into 2019-20 campaign. This goes back to working in Brad's "underdog" favor. No one is really expecting much out of us after the shakeup and the 7th place rating even looks a little lofty as dboss points out.

Now sit back and watch the fireworks!!

db

by **mrkleen09** Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:57 am

Call it what you want....but it will be fun, thats all the matters.

So many teams are one big injury away from collapse - anything could happen.

by **NYCelt** Tue Jul 16, 2019 4:12 pm

Although 7 may seem a little generous, I don't think its unreasonable.

The Celtics are a team with three rising young stars in Tatum, Smart and Brown. Walker is a solid addition, Kanter will add some interior offense and if Hayward can take another step back toward his former self, we're a notch deeper. I think R Williams will step up with more minutes, and at least a couple of this year's draft picks, notably Edwards and G Williams, will be ready to make a contribution.

I believe this will be a decent team. Better than many expect.

by **dboss** Tue Jul 16, 2019 6:53 pm

Once season starts rankings will change regularly.

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Celtics ranked No. 7 in ESPN’s offseason NBA power rankings

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