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Heading into the 2018-19 NBA season, many people predicted that a healthy Boston Celtics team would demolish the Eastern Conference and finish as a definite top two seed. But almost a quarter of the way through the season, the Celtics are currently sitting just over .500 with a record of 9-8.
Former All-Star forward Gordon Hayward has not been meeting expectations, averaging only 9.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 3.1 APG and shooting 38.9% from the field. Hayward has stated he is willing to take a bench role if that's what it takes to help the team; he’s currently started 15 of the Celtics' 16 games.
Reports suggest that Celtics young star Terry Rozier is getting increasingly frustrated with his playing time, due to the return of Kyrie Irving from injury. Last season when Irving went down with his injury, Rozier came through and showed the league that he has a bright future in the NBA. But this time he has been pushed to the background again, and his frustration could have affected his overall play - he is only averaging 8.8 PPG.
That said, Boston seem to have a very bright future, with 3-star players in Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier all being under 24 years. If they can keep this young core together they will definitely win some Championships in the coming years.
Jaylen Brown is so confident in this team that he believes the Celtics will win five of the next six NBA Finals. Regardless of their start, Brown remains super confident in the ability of the team, and sees them definitely making the Finals this year.
The core for the Boston Celtics seemed to be a potential super-team with five potential All-Stars in Irving, Brown, Tatum, Hayward and Horford. But the slow start to the season sees them currently sitting as the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference, with lots of issues needing to be addressed.
Boston may need to move some players around and test out various rotations to figure out what will work best for them. I definitely believe they are still very strong contenders in the East, with great young talent and great veterans on their team. They definitely have room for improvement, but there are also lots of positives for them to build off of.
