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Boston Celtics: The Future Is Still Bright

By Eric Laboissonniere

Apr 28, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens watches against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens watches against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Celtics have been knocked out of the playoffs in the first round the past two years, but the future is still looking bright for the team.

The Boston Celtics were completely outmatched in the 2015 NBA Playoffs when they took on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. They lost that series 4-0 and they were the No. 7 seed. In the 2015-16 season, the Celtics ended up posting a regular season record of 48-34, which clinched them the No. 5 seed in the 2016 NBA Playoffs.

The team kept every player from last year’s playoff roster for the 2015-16 season except for Phil Pressey, Brandon Bass, Gerald Wallace and Lugi Datome. Boston added Amir Johnson and David Lee this offseason, and they drafted Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter, and Jordan Mickey. Boston had a very similar team to the one they had last year, but they managed to add eight more wins to their season total after only going 40-42 in the 2014-15 season.

Some people might be a little disappointed that the Celtics are heading home from the playoffs after the first round because Boston did beat every team in the NBA this season at least once except for the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs (yes, they beat the Golden State Warriors on the road).

Boston was outplayed by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of this year’s NBA playoffs, and the team was without Avery Bradley for five games in this series, who was one of their best scorers (15.2 points per game) and defenders.

Boston wanted to make a deep run in this year’s postseason because the team thought they had the tools to compete with some of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, but they showed they’re not yet ready to take the next step. Next year could be the year when the Celtics make a huge leap because of the 2016 NBA Draft, and the amount of salary cap space that they have.

The Bright Future In Boston

Boston owns eight draft picks in the 2016 NBA Draft, and they have three first round picks, including one high lottery pick. Boston has most of their key players under contract for next season, except for Evan Turner — an unrestricted free agent in the offseason — and Jared Sullinger, who will be a restricted free agent in the offseason.

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The Celtics might re-sign one of those players, but they probably won’t sign both because they should be trying to make moves for a big free agent.

In the past, Boston has not been able to attract the big free agent superstars, but now that the Celtics have made some noise in the regular season for the past two years, and because they’ve shown that they’re only a star or two away from being a real contender, free agents might start looking at Boston.

Isaiah Thomas is an All-Star and had a terrific season, which should help attract free agents in the offseason and the Celtics have plenty of assets for future trades as well.

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Overall

Coach Brad Stevens has done a tremendous job as the head coach of the Boston Celtics, and even though the team has not won a playoff series under Stevens, Boston’s future is still looking very bright.

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