The 2015-2016 Boston Celtics will hope to continue the momentum they had late last season, which helped fuel their unexpected playoff run while having the fourth youngest team in the league.
Head Coach Brad Stevens will be entering his third season at the helm. Stevens has already garnered high praise from renowned coaches around the league, which includes five-time NBA Champion Gregg Poppovich. Simply put, Stevens is playing chess while others are playing checkers.
Stevens will look for continued growth from point guard Marcus Smart and center Kelly Olynyk. Smart will hope to be the floor general the Celtics envisioned he could be when selecting him with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
The Celtics drafted Terry Rozier with their first of three picks in this year’s draft. Rozier, similar to Smart, has a reputation of being a tenacious defender with a will to win that is second to none. The team also drafted sharpshooter RJ Hunter out of Georgia State and Jordan Mickey of Louisiana State University. Mickey joined the legendary Shaquille O’Neal as being the only LSU player to block 100 or more shots in two or more seasons.
The Celtics have also added some veteran presence to this young and developing team. The team signed forward Amir Johnson, a former member of the Toronto Raptors. Johnson is an athletic wingman that is sure to provide fans with highlight reel plays above the rim and serve as a consistent player on both ends of the floor.
Boston also acquired David Lee in a trade with the Golden State Warriors for Gerald Wallace. Lee is coming off a championship season with the Warriors. He is a former all-star and will look to solidify Boston’s frontcourt as well as serve as a reliable scoring option. Lee also has versatility being able to guard multiple positions while on the floor.
Power forward Jared Sullinger will look to rebound from an injury-plagued season. Celtics fans have gotten a glimpse of the sky-high potential that Sullinger possesses on the basketball court. Hopefully, he can put it all together this year and help the Celtics make another run into playing basketball deep into the summer.
