Choose your path with these Boston Celtics

 

This year's iteration of the Boston Celtics have been an enigma at best. From their thrilling opening night victory vs Eastern Conference favorite Milwaukee, to the epic collapse vs New Orleans, the green have had as many highs and lows as any team in the league. Now, sitting at 4th in the conference, the question is - where do we go from here? The second half of this season should be quite interesting, with fans clamoring for a variety of different things. From my perspective, there are 3 distinct paths the green can follow, each with their own compelling argument

Path 1 - Status Quo 

If we've learned anything from the first half of the season, it's that we really don't know what this team is quite yet. The core four of Kemba, Smart, Tatum, and Brown have played 28 minutes together, and we have yet to see former lottery pick Romeo Langford. So, what's the rush? While I doubt that this roster is currently a championship contender, anything is possible in the year of COVID. Anyways, is there any move that could really change the landscape? What is the harm in continuing to develop guys like Langford, the Williams's, Nesmith, Pritchard, etc, and seeing where this team can go on the backs of its stars. Absolute worst case scenario, the team sees little playoff success, but gets a better idea of what it may have in their young assets, and could be better positioned to make a big splash in the offseason, where we'll have the full capacity of the Hayward TPE to use. While this may not be what fans want to hear, the most prudent move this year may be no move at all. 

Path 2 - Reinforcements

Counterpoint - anything can happen in the year of COVID! While the Lakers and Nets (and maybe Utah and Philly?) look like the cream of the crop, it really is a wide open race for the title. And besides, with JT and JB playing at an All-Star level, who's to say this team isn't a championship contender? Especially if Kemba maintains his high level of play, then we can absolutely play with anyone in the league. So why not bolster the roster and make a run? Harrison Barnes,  Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, or whoever else can be acquired with the TPE could make a huge difference in a 7 game series. We have the assets and picks to make a move, so why not? The clock is ticking on the Jay's contracts, so any season not spent all in on a championship is a season wasted.

Path 3 - Total Shakeup

This only way for this team to win a championship is by maximizing Tatum and Brown. A team fully built around them is fully capable of winning the title, and this is what we should be working towards. Guys like Smart and Kemba don't necessarily fit, and could be flipped for assets/players that would better work towards that goal. Plenty of teams could use another high level shot creator or All-Defensive talent, and this team could definitely be reconstructed to optimize the talents of Tatum and Brown. We should be moving these guys at their maximum value, before all the wells run dry and we're back to square one.

For Celtics:

1.) Status quo
2.) Reinforcements
3.) Total shakeup

Look for out impending article.

— Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) March 10, 2021

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