Let’s wrap up these questions and answers shall we?
Katahdin
1. Who are possible buyout candidates that fit the Celtics team?
2. Grade the chances of each of the Celtics draft and stash players and two way contracts of receiving a guaranteed nba contract at some point.
3. Can the Celtics win a playoff series and have a lower 3 point shooting percentage than their opponents?
4. Which eastern conference team presents the biggest challenge in the playoffs to the Celtics?
5. Odds Jaylen Brown makes an all nba team this year?
Questions grade: A+ (see below)
1. I’ll be fully open and honest. I don’t know. I haven’t put a lot of thought into who could be a buyout option but I can guarantee you that will be the topic of at least one article on this site in the not too distant future. One cop-out I’ll use is that buyout guys are typically the flotsam thrown into trades and it is really hard to predict those. But extra credit for stumping the blogger.
2. Again, I’m not scouting the guys overseas so any intel I have would be relying on someone else’s assessment. Might I suggest this scouting report from back in March.
3. A great question. I would like to think so. The Celtics have certainly leaned into the offensive identity and they seem pretty susceptible to losses when they are having a bad shooting night. On the other hand, we’ve seen the lock down on defense at times and in a playoff situation with all hands on deck, I still think they can bring that defensive fastball from last year.
4. You mean other than the Magic? The correct answer here has to be the Bucks, especially when they get fully (or mostly) healthy. But I’ll say that the Cavs are becoming a real threat this year. They are one decent wing away from being a very scary postseason opponent and I could very much see them making a move at the deadline for just that reason. Sure the Celtics would have the advantage on the wing no matter who they picked up, but the Cavs have great guards and bigs that could give Boston fits.
5. Pretty high. At this point I’d be a bit shocked if Brown didn’t make one of the All NBA teams. Sure, there’s a lot of great talent putting up jaw dropping numbers this year. But Brown is right in that mix at the top of the league and doing it for the team with the best record. I think he gets it.
Great questions!
George_L
Are Derrick White’s block numbers inflated by the frequency he gets beat off the dribble in the half court and the resulting need for recovery block attempts? Or am I the only one who thinks he gives up a lot of layups?
Question grade: A
Good question, maybe that’s a film study topic for one of the writers on the blog. I do think in general teams target him as the “weakest link” on the court just because he’s not as tall or strong as our other defenders. But at least he’s trying, while other guards would just get beat and watch the center pick up a foul or get caught out of position while their man gets a lob.
mayhem24
In the playoffs what would be your closing lineup? Everybody is so enamored with the starting lineup, but I’m more concerned with who closes. With all the talent on this team trying to find 5 guys to close a game seems impossible, so many options.
Question grade: B (took off points for the “doesn’t matter who starts” cliche – which I’m totally guilty of using too)
Starters: Tatum, Brown, Smart, Horford, Rob
Finishers: Tatum, Brown, Smart, Horford, and whoever has the best matchup between Grant, White, and Brogdon. Perhaps that’s a cop out, so if pressed I’d probably go with Brogdon.
RedSoxPhil
What do you think our playoff rotation will look like and who will start IF everyone is healthy AND we make no trades/buyouts.
I think the double big Smart/Brown/Tatum/Horford/Williams lineup will be our starting 5, but then how deep do we go after that in a playoff game? Brogdon, White, G.Williams……deeper than those 8? Hauser, Pritch, Kornet, Griffin getting any minutes?
Question Grade: B (solid but not overly original)
Fully healthy, the rotation probably doesn’t get beyond 8. Tatum, Brown, Smart, Horford, Rob, Brogdon, White, and Grant. That’s all you need and I would want my best guys deciding the games for us.
Obviously injuries would dictate who would need to step up. As would specific matchups. However, if all else is equal and you wanted to add a guy to give the team a spark, I’d consider throwing Pritchard out there. He’s shown that he’s not shy in big moments, he provides immediate energy, and of course he’s a deep threat.
goaway123
Any chance Min turns into a seller? Would love to see SlowMo and/or Naz Ried on this team with Prichard as the centerpiece.
Question grade: B- (I get it, but I don’t see it)
I find it very unlikely that the Wolves would pull the plug just months after going all-in on that Gobert trade. I could see them moving Russell in kind of a sideways shuffle the deck type trade. But obviously that wouldn’t have anything to do with the Celtics.
ezwind
If Jaylen Brown makes one of the three All-NBA teams he’ll be eligible for a designated veteran’s max extension. 1) Will he make one of those teams? (I think he will); 2) If he does, will the Celtics offer him the max extension and, if so, is there any likely reason why he wouldn’t accept it?
Question grade: A- (this will be a frequent topic in the offseason and clearly the current year performance will have a big influence on this)
As the rules are now, I believe he’d be eligible for the Super Max, which is just way more than anyone else could offer. So I’m pretty sure that he’d accept it gleefully. And yeah, I do think the Celtics would be happy to offer it to him as well. It is a lot of money and takes up a lot of the cap and would clearly cost the team a lot in luxury taxes down the line. But he’s the kind of guy you do all that for.
One storyline to keep an eye on is how much they change the rules in the next CBA, which could be agreed upon as early as next month. Will they loosen the rules allowing current teams to offer higher raises before a player hits free agency? Will the super-max rules be changed? How will they change the luxury tax penalties? All interesting topics related directly to Jaylen’s situation.
ezwind
Is there any reasonable likelihood that Kabengele, Davison, or any of our G League players will see any meaningful minutes this season with the C’s? Which of them have the best chance of developing into legitimate NBA players and making our regular roster going forward? Some here are of the opinion that Samanic is a G League wonder whose skills don’t translate to the NBA. Agree or disagree?
Question grade: B+ (better questions for training camp and summer league but I like the energy)
All those guys are getting good reps in Maine, so I’m happy to see them continue to marinate there. If we have any of them playing “meaningful” minutes, something has gone very wrong. With that said, sometimes you just need guys at the end of the bench waiving towels and ready to step in during blowouts.
Long term, I tend to think Kab could develop into a 3rd big for someone. Davison might have more upside, but he’ll need to find a go to shot. I’ll plead ignorance on Samanic. I wish I had time to study him but I don’t.
Wrap up: Overall I loved the questions. Yes, maybe I was an easy grader, but on the other hand, I think having the grades encouraged you guys to bring thoughtful questions. So win-win. I do apologize that I didn’t have answers to all the questions, but I’m not one to pretend I know more than I do. Besides, that’s the beauty of having a blog of amazing writers and smart basketball minds. They can shine when I’m not able.
Thanks again everyone. This was fun!
