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Youth, once again, has been prioritized by the Boston Celtics as they enter their 76th NBA season hoping to win their 18th championship. Fans are eager to see what lies in store for the storied franchise in the 2021-22 NBA season.
The Boston Celtics had an average run in the NBA last season, going 36-36 to finish seventh in the Eastern Conference standings. They had to go through the play-in tournament. There, they lost to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. Since they last reached the NBA Finals in 2010, the Celtics have failed to get past the conference Finals for more than a decade now.
The 2021 offseason was an opportunity for the Boston Celtics to make some changes and try a different approach for the upcoming season. One can argue that they have done a decent job at that. They brought in rookie head coach Ime Udoka, and made a few changes to the roster while preserving their core.
Although not much is expected from this relatively young team in terms of championship contention, they could upset the balance in the East. On that note, here are three weaknesses of the Boston Celtics that could be used against them in the upcoming season.
#1 The Boston Celtics do not have an All-Star-caliber point guard
The Boston Celtics have exceptional talents on the backcourt, including Marcus Smart, Josh Richardson and Dennis Schroder, but all are still average players. That does not take anything away from the abilities of these players. But with this crop, getting the better of guards like Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry could be very difficult.
Smart is an elite-level defensive-minded guard. But when it comes to orchestrating the offense or scoring at an incredible rate, he is not high up in the pecking order. Schroder, meanwhile, can score but is also not a leader. On occasion, Jayson Tatum will still have to bring the ball up the court because he is the go-to bucket-getter, and has decent ball-handling skills.
While these players could undoubtedly do a decent job, their contributions might not be enough to carry the Celtics on a deep playoff run.
#2 The Boston Celtics do not have many scoring options
With a new head coach, there could be lot of changes in how the Boston Celtics approach games next season. But one thing is a given: not much scoring will likely happen outside of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The franchise is committed to building a team around these two All-Stars. But whether they have done a good job of that heading into the 2021-22 NBA season is yet to be seen. In terms of fielding players who can score baskets, it could be argued that the Boston Celtics had a better lineup last year.
Kemba Walker, despite struggling to stay healthy, averaged 19.3 points, 4.9 assists and four rebounds in 43 appearances for the Celtics last season. In the playoffs, he posted decent numbers in the three games he featured in.
The same goes for Fournier, who joined the team on the transfer deadline. In only 16 games (ten starts) for the Celtics, he averaged 13 points, 3.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds. His efficiency improved in the postseason, as he averaged 15.4 points.
However, Richardson averaged 12.1 points in 59 games last season, while Schroder finished with 15.4 per game while playing for the LA Lakers. So the onus to score will almost always be on their All-Star duo, and the team could struggle if either or both of them are unavailable.
#3 The Boston Celtics do not have enough rim protection
While the Boston Celtics have exceptional perimeter defenders in Smart and Brown, the same cannot be said about their interior defense. While Robert Williams deserves praise for his development as a rim protector, the same cannot be said for Al Horford or Enes Kanter, though.
Williams has continually developed his defensive players over the years, and has come a long way from his rookie years in a Celtics uniform. He has developed a lot more discipline, and has put his 7' 6" wingspan to good use with regard to swatting shots.
It is no secret that Kanter is not a great defender, as he struggles to move his feet in situations where he has to guard a quicker player. These situations occur more often than not due to pick-and-rolls. Horford, despite knowing the fundamentals, has lost his athleticism. and could also be a defensive liability in the paint.
The Celtics could undoubtedly struggle when playing against dominant big men like Joel Embiid and even Zion Williamson.
