![The Boston Celtics revamped their lineup to challenge for the NBA championship. [Photo: NBC Sports]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/10/0dadf-16342861886502-1920.jpg)
![The Boston Celtics revamped their lineup to challenge for the NBA championship. [Photo: NBC Sports]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http%3A//www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns%3Axlink='http%3A//www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20viewBox='0%200%2010%205.625'%3E%3Cfilter%20id='b'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20stdDeviation='.5'%3E%3C/feGaussianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20type='discrete'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20tableValues='1%201'%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20filter='url(%23b)'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Boston Celtics come into the 2021-22 NBA season with a vastly retooled roster. They hope that last year’s early playoff exit was just a blip in their quest to add banner #18.
New President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens brought in a new head coach and a slew of free agents to help Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum reach the pinnacle of NBA success.
The organization's overhaul also means there are new storylines to keep track of as the Boston Celtics try to get back to where they were back in 2008. Newly installed and first-time head coach Ime Udoka has his work cut out for him in an Eastern Conference that is heavily stacked with talent.
The Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat are a murderer’s row of East playoff-bound teams. The Boston Celtics, meanwhile, feature the youngest and most explosive duo in the league right now. But they would need all the help they can get to stand toe-to-toe against elite opposition.
How the Boston Celtics’ featured storylines develop could determine how far they will go in this year’s NBA campaign. On that note, here's a look at five Boston Celtics narratives to monitor in the 2021-22 season:
#5 The Boston Celtics’ defensive performance
Ime Udoka has made a coaching career out of planning and executing defensive schemes. Brad Stevens, in Udoka’s introductory press conference, vividly recalled the new coach’s exceptional calling of the defense in the Boston Celtics' playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Last year, the Celtics yet again faced an Ime Udoka-led defense while he was with the Brooklyn Nets. The Gregg Popovich protege was partly hired by Stevens because of how he consistently gets the most out of his unit to focus and carry out his defensive plans.
Last season, the Boston Celtics slipped to 13th overall in defensive rating. They have to improve that because the best teams in the league are loaded with firepower. If the Cs hope to have a chance of getting deep into the playoffs, defense is most likely their calling card.
The Boston Celtics acquired a few pieces that could greatly help their defensive performance this season. Al Horford and Josh Richardson are solid defenders who don’t buckle under pressure. The Celtics will also count on the development of Robert Williams to become an All-NBA defensive talent. A unit of Marcus Smart, Josh Richardson, the Js and Williams could be a pain to score against.
Ime Udoka has, potentially, the pieces to make the Boston Celtics’ defense a difficult problem for opposing teams to solve.
#4 Aaron Nesmith’s emergence
Aaron Nesmith came into the league with a reputation for being a deadly shooter. He shot a sizzling 52.2% of his threes in his second and final year at Vanderbilt. The lack of training camp, the quick adjustment from college to the pros, and the unforgiving physicality of the NBA caused him to struggle initially. He could hardly get playing time, let alone score a basket.
The incoming 21-year-old sophomore did start to turn things around in the last ten games of the regular season, though. He averaged 21.6 minutes, where he registered 9.7 PPG on 45.2% shooting from rainbow country. The minutes he earned were not largely because of his shooting, but more because of his all-out energy and hustle.
Nesmith’s improved play for the Boston Celtics continued into the summer league, training camp and preseason. Together with Payton Pritchard, they could give the Celtics bench a much-needed scoring boost when the starters are rested.
If the Boston Celtics can get that kind of shooting efficiency from Nesmith to go along with his defensive intensity and hustle, he could crack the starting lineup sooner than expected. Nesmith’s shooting could force defenses to account for him, giving Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum even more room to operate.
Nesmith could become the Celtics' X-factor that’d allow them to be a serious threat to challenge the best teams in the NBA.
#3 Marcus Smart’s play at both ends for the Boston Celtics
Marcus Smart’s tenure as the official point guard of the Boston Celtics did not get off to a good start entering the 2021-22 season. He has been suspended for breaching team policy, and will be ruled out of the team’s preseason finale against the Miami Heat.
The Boston Celtics have high expectations of the longest-tenured Celtic, though, as he is now the team’s primary ball-handler. After seeing the likes of Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker direct the plays in the last few years, Smart could finally get his turn.
The former Oklahoma State point guard had a career-high 5.7 assists last season in 48 games despite injuries. He has managed to dish out better numbers in each of his seven seasons with the Boston Celtics, but never as the main point guard. How he sustains that career number in a full 82-game schedule could play a key role in the Celtics’ playoff run.
With Smart getting more minutes and usage, would he still be the defensive ace the Boston Celtics have had through the years? Directing plays and setting up teammates is an energy-sapping task that could complicate his defensive chores. This is another plot worth keeping an eye on for Celtics fans.
#2 The health and improvement of Jaylen Brown
The jump in Jaylen Brown’s performance last season was quite remarkable, as it helped him get his first All-Star nod. He had career-best numbers across the board that gave the Boston Celtics hope that he'd finally blossom into the talent the front office hopes he’d become.
The 24-year-old tore a ligament in his left wrist that cost him the rest of the regular season and the playoffs last year. However, his importance to the team can’t be over-emphasized, as the Celtics mightily struggled without him. They ended the regular season with an even 36-36 record, and were quickly eliminated by Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets.
An argument could have been made that had Brown been around for the Celtics, the team would have been more competitive against the Nets in the first round of the playoffs. Without Brown, the Celtics were a one-star wonder who had to wait for a Tatum explosion to avoid a sweep.
Jaylen Brown had an impressive preseason opener. He torched the Orlando Magic for 16 first-quarter points to prove he is back and fully recovered. A few days later, he tested positive for COVID-19, though. Boston Celtics fans will surely remember how Tatum’s performance suffered after his bout with the virus.
Although Brown’s injury is on his left wrist, that area is prone to some of the most vicious hits in basketball. How the wrist survives a nightly hit in an 82-game season could mean the difference between another disappointing or successful season for the Boston Celtics.
#1 Will Jayson Tatum play like a top-5 player?
Jayson Tatum is a scoring machine that causes all sorts of trouble for other teams. Like Jaylen Brown, he posted career-high numbers in different categories last season. It will be his improved ability to manipulate defenses and set up teammates that'll take his game to an MVP level.
His 4.3 APG last season was not enough for someone who touches the ball with almost every team position. The two-time All-Star might never become the passer that Luka Doncic or LeBron James is. But he can certainly improve that part of his repertoire, enabling him to dictate games with his passing.
Ime Udoka stressed before training camp that Tatum and Brown would have to be better playmakers for the Celtics duo to reach the next step in their development. Tatum is going to demand a double team almost every time he touches the ball, so the opportunity to create for his teammates will always be an option.
With a top 5 player in Tatum, a healthy Jaylen Brown reinforced with a suffocating defense, the Boston Celtics could pose a serious threat to come out of a stacked East.
Guess the Lakers players!
