Do the Celtics Need a 3rd Star? – The Boston Celtics are somewhat entering a new era. Danny Ainge is no longer with the organization. Brad Stevens has stepped into Ainge’s role, while Ime Udoka has taken over the head coaching duties.
The roster has made some changes. Kemba Walker is gone, but Al Horford is back. Enes Kanter is also back in Boston. Dennis Schroder is also with the team at a bargain price.
However, the Celtics are not looked at as favorites this season. In fact, the Celtics are at +2100 to win the Eastern Conference. Those odds are the fifth best in the conference.
Their over/under on wins are sitting at 45.5. The Celtics have the talent, but are they missing one more big piece?
They Have 2 Stars Already
The one thing the Celtics have that not a lot of teams have themselves is two young stars. Jaylen Brown had a career year this past season. He had a career high in points per game at 24.7. Brown made it to his first All-Star as well.
The potential was always there for Brown. We were waiting for him to reach it. This past season is where he reached. There might be another level for him to get to still.
Then there is the main face of the Celtics organization, Jayson Tatum. The Celtics took Tatum with the third overall pick a few years back and he has not disappointed. Tatum has been growing as a star player at such a young age.
In his four year career, Tatum has made it to two All-Star games and one All-NBA team. He boosted his averages in several categories, including points, assists, and rebounds. Tatum averaged 26.4 points per game, which was ninth in the league.
The Celtics have a great, young duo. Most teams would love to have that foundation. A third star might not be needed, but the NBA of today is a lot different.
They Need a Third Star, but for Different Reasons
The Celtics have a good roster around their two stars. Brown and Tatum are both young and already All-Stars. However, today’s NBA is different from any other era.
The Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers have super teams this season. The Golden State Warriors had a dynasty not that long ago. This Celtics organization has done a great job finding two players in the draft to build around.
The only problem is that the NBA doesn’t work that way anymore. Not a lot of NBA star players would choose to go to Boston; regardless of the talent on the team. There are more factors that are in play for players outside of a potential winning roster.
Stars go wherever they want and the rest follows. The Nets were a scrappy underdog until Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving came along. Now, other players want to follow suit.
The Lakers were a laughing stock until LeBron James came and brought Anthony Davis. They just signed, what felt like, every free agent possible.
The Celtics do not have that luxury. They need a third star in order to compete. However, the ways by getting one are a lot harder for them.
In most cases, they are positioned just right. Due to how the NBA’s landscape and how superteams are so easily formed, the Celtics would need a third star to simply have a chance.
