The Eastern Conference Finals are technically not over yet, but it sure seems like the offseason is going to be here in a matter of days. So let’s start talking about it.
On one hand I feel like this collection of talent is one of the best in the league so some version of running it back and giving it another chance has some logic to it. On the other hand, if feels like the current construct of this team has run its course and changes (potentially big changes) could be on the way.
I’m generally one to give the coach a lot of the benefit of the doubt because people tend to exaggerate their flaws and overestimate their actual impact on the game. But I’m not sure how you bring Joe Mazzulla back after this. Even before the playoffs it was evident that the Celtics at least needed to bring in a seasoned bench coach to give him support next year. It isn’t a shock that Coach Spo won the coaching battle in this series, but there’s just something not clicking and a good portion of that falls to the coach.
I think you have to take a long hard look at the roster as well. I have been on team “keep the Jays together” all along. But at this point you kinda have to keep everything on the table. Jayson Tatum absolutely deserves his share of the blame for being so streaky and inconsistent, but I still think it would be foolish to give up on him. So it comes down to Jaylen Brown’s future. It will be interesting to see how that plays out, both from the team side and from Jaylen’s camp.
Further down the roster, Brad Stevens might have to think about moving one of the guards (and I’m not just talking about Payton Pritchard). Marcus Smart, Derrick White, and Malcolm Brogdon have value but perhaps there’s a little too much overlap there.
We’ll have to figure out what to do with Grant Williams as well. Should the team consider moving Rob Williams? I don’t think he’s going anywhere, but you have to wonder how many good years Al Horford has left.
It is going to be an interesting offseason for sure. This is a terrible time to make sweeping knee-jerk changes, but I know you folks are going to want to talk about this, so here’s a jumping off point to discuss.
