New Rooks, New Stars, New Celtics
We’re starting up the blog again! The Stretch Four is back! To begin, we decided to talk about the team we thought had the most intriguing offseason: The Boston Celtics. Also, we’re debuting our weekly thought paragraphs, Josh’s Jabs and Chat’s Corner. Enjoy!
Key Guys
Kyrie Irving — It’s his first year in Boston. He had a great three-year run with Lebron & Co. but he decided it’s his time to shine. Elite scorer and finisher but has been uninterested defensively.
Gordon Hayward — Played under Head Coach Brad Stevens at Butler. Smooth scorer & underrated defender. Should fit seamlessly in Boston.
Al Horford — One of the best passing bigs in the league. Smart player that just plays the game well. Not a good rebounder at all though, which is one of Boston’s main weaknesses.
Jaylen Brown — Boston’s prime breakout candidate. Super athletic and a really good defender already. Shooting is still a question mark. Still young, turns 21 October 24th.
Jayson Tatum — The rook. Ainge said he’d take him #1. In the Melo mold, can score from all over the floor. Very iso-oriented at Duke, will see how that translates. Coach Stevens said he’s good defensively.
Josh’s Jab
When I initially heard about the Kyrie Irving trade, I was surprised. My hot take was that the Celtics lost the trade. Isaiah Thomas was better than Kyrie last year and it seemed to me that the Celtics got worse. And they lost a key cog in Jae Crowder. But as I simmered over it, I realized the upside. Kyrie is only 25 and still has room to grow. He hasn’t hit his prime yet. Isaiah’s injury was a lot worse than previously thought. Flipping him for a younger, bigger, and healthier player made sense. Jae Crowder isn’t as big of loss as previously thought as well. Gordon Hayward, a better player, is stepping up into his place and they also have young wings in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. He was expendable. In a vacuum, trading the Nets pick doesn’t seem that bad. You use those picks to get stars. But the fact that Celtics GM, Danny Ainge, wouldn’t dangle that pick for guys like Jimmy Butler or Paul George makes me wonder. They both are better than Kyrie currently. But, hey, Kyrie is Ainge’s guy and he must believe he can make him a better player. Kyrie’s an amazing offensive player. He is a wizard with the ball in his hands and his finishes at the rim are unbelievable. However, a lot of the time Kyrie is just in “get buckets” mode. It has value of course, but can he lead a team being the isolanist star he is? In the 635 minutes that Kyrie was on the court last year without Lebron, he was a -120. Not good at all. The ball sticks with him offensively which hurts but the main problem is his defense. He has the size to at least be decent and not a negative on the defensive end but his lack of effort kills him. He gets stuck on on-ball screens and off-ball screens. His main focus is on the offensive end. I personally feel like the situation that Kyrie was put in with Lebron was the best for his skills. But, he wanted to be out of Lebron’s shadow and I respect that.
Chat’s Corner
For all intents and purposes, I am now a bonafide Boston Celtics fan (Until we start talking about the Cavs… then I’m a Cavs fan). They’re probably the team I am most excited about coming into the season. The Kyrie addition. The Hayward addition. Drafting my darkhorse pick for rookie of the year, Jayson Tatum. If all of these new pieces can come together like I believe they can, this Boston team MIGHT actually take the Cavs to six games in the playoffs. And even if they can’t get by LeBron and the Cavs before Bron Bron retires, one of the things I really love about the Celtics is that they have a really bright future. They’re new addition in Irving is definitely the team’s best player and is only 25. He has years of good basketball left in him so long as he remains healthy. Then you have the true youngins when you factor in Jayson Tatum and second year man Jaylen Brown. Then they have promising first round draft picks, even with trading the Nets’ pick away to Cleveland. They have the Lakers’ 2018 first round pick, the Clippers’ 2019 first round pick and the Grizzlies first round pick from 2019 through 2021. It’s safe to say the team definitely has a bright future.
5 Interesting Questions
- Best player on the Celtics?
Josh’s Take: Chatman is going to disagree with this on me but I feel like you could make a case for Gordon Hayward. Kyrie Irving is the better scorer but the gap between Hayward and Irving on defense is far greater than the gap between them on offense. Hayward is an underrated defender that can hold his own against the best in the league. Kyrie could possibly be a good defender but you wouldn’t know because he doesn’t try. Hayward (47/40/84) shot almost the same percentages as Irving (47/40/90). Hayward’s true shooting percentage was actually better (59.5% to 58%). However, I do believe that for the Celtics to reach the heights they want to, Kyrie has to be the clear best player and improve on the defensive end. Also, I know that Chatman is going to say I’m stupid or something so I just want to make the point that when Kyrie didn’t have Lebron on the court with him the Cavs were trash. Carry on though.
Chat’s Take: Anybody who says anyone other than Kyrie Irving is off the milds and Henn dawg. You can talk defense to me all day, but at the end of the day it’s about getting that ball in the hoop, and who does it better on the Celtics than Kyrie Irving. He’s coming off of a good season where he averaged his most points per game for his career at 25 a game. He also shot 40% from behind the arc and dished out six assists per game. All this while being the second-hand man to the greatest player on Earth, LeBron James. Now Irving is taking everything he picked up from the King and his time in Cleveland and will now be the go-to guy on a team with a better supporting cast than he had when he started his career LeBron-less. With that being the case, I fully expect Irving to take his game to even higher heights this season. But for those of you that do want to talk defense, I do believe Kyrie will make that jump this year to being a capable, average defender. One criticism that I’ve heard from more than just Josh is that Kyrie just looks like he’s not even trying defensively. But here’s why: the man was unhappy. As more talks with Kyrie get out, we get the feeling that he really dreaded his situation in Cleveland. But apparently he’s loving Boston far more. Just think about it like this: When you keep your girl happy, she’s more willing to do those things that maybe she wouldn’t with the guy who wasn’t making her happy.
2. Who makes a bigger impact? Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown?
Josh’s Take: Have to go with Jaylen Brown here, right? Tatum’s a rookie and he’s going to struggle a bit. Brown’s playoff tested and is primed for a jump. Brown’s got the athletic profile and is a really good defender already. I’m skeptical of his game though. In college, he bullied through a lot of people and that just isn’t going to work in the NBA. On the bright side, he shot 43.1% on corner 3’s last year. His jumper is getting right and he’s a workhorse. Just because of continuity in the system and the extra year, I’d give the edge to Brown.
Chat’s Take: I have to go with Jayson on this one. I loved him before the draft. Loved when the Celtics picked him up with the third pick. And fell in love more after the performance he had in summer league where he averaged a shade under 19 points. If Tatum’s shooting can translate to the NBA, and keep improving over time, he’ll become a relentless scorer in the league. And with his shooting/scoring capabilities, I believe he’ll prove more valuable than Jaylen Brown. Jaylen’s a phenomenal athlete, good on the defensive end, and has a high ceiling. But as you might’ve been able tell, I value offense far above defense. For this reason, I go with Jayson Tatum, who I don’t think will be a scrub on defense at all. Tatum has the athleticism and the work ethic to be a real presence on both ends of the court. However, I do think that these two will create a dynamic “Double Jay” duo that will be EXCITING to watch.
3. Are they legitimate contenders to the Cavs?
Josh’s Take: No. They still don’t have a Lebron James. They really don’t even have top 15 player in the league if we’re being totally honest. Kyrie’s got the potential but he’s not there yet. If he makes a jump this year, they can contend but even then, I still don’t think so. Lebron will reign in the East until he retires.
Chat’s Take: No, but at the same time yes. As long as LeBron is in the East, you’ll always want to believe it’s a done deal that he’ll make it out and to the finals. My basketball mind is telling me that there are no Eastern teams that can compete with the playoff Cavs. But my basketball heart is telling me there’s a certain flare with this Boston team. I get the sense that Boston, after getting crushed in the playoffs last year, really have it out for Cleveland this year. Added to that, Irving’s extra motive towards the Cavs and this ensuing “beef” with Bron. And then Gordon Hayward back with Brad Stevens is bound to spark his play. I’m excited for what they have going on and am expecting big things.
4. How do you feel about Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, and other holdovers?
Josh’s Take: Danny Ainge loves Rozier. He won’t give him up for anything. He improved last year and got more than double the minutes he got in his rookie year. Don’t love him though. Still can’t really shoot even though he has improved. He’s also stuck behind Kyrie and Marcus Smart in the rotation. Loved what Smart did over the summer. He slimmed down some which I think he needed. He looked more poised in preseason. I think the guy can play. Smart-Irving lineups intrigue me. He’s the Celtics best defensive player and is continuing to improve on offense. He’s a key piece and I think he makes a mini-jump this year.
Chat’s Take: I share Josh’s sentiments on Smart and Rozier, so I won’t talk about them. But allow me to introduce another player: Al Horford. At 31 years old, Horford’s game is starting that decline. We already saw some of that last year. Horford had his worst rebounding season last year, grabbing just under seven rebounds a game. Rebounding is one of the areas that the Celtics struggled in. So if he can’t help them in an area they struggle in like he once would’ve been able to, why keep him? Well glad you asked. One thing that hasn’t slipped yet is his passing. Horford is one of the best passing bigs in the league, which is evident from his five assists per game last year. I’m glad the C’s kept him because one thing that doesn’t fade is basketball IQ. Horford’s IQ is still alive and well and allows him to keep the offense flowing smoothly with his passing. They should keep him for a lil while longer, but then look to get something for him before his age makes him a cold commodity.
5. Bold prediction?
Josh’s Take: Marcus Smart supplants Jaylen Brown as starter. I just like how Smart matches up with 2’s. He’s also their best overall defender and they need him on the floor. I think he’ll shoot better than Brown from 3.
Chat’s Take: Jayson Tatum for “true” Rookie of the Year. I say true because Ben Simmons is returning as a rookie after missing the whole season last year. But as far as first year rookies, I like Tatum. I’m not as high as everyone else is on Lonzo Ball. I think he’ll be a good player but not phenomenal and people will see that as the season pans out (Or I’ll be proven wrong). At the end of the season I think its going to come down to Markelle Fultz and Jayson Tatum. My money’s on Tatum cause of team success and the impact he’ll have on that.
