Boston Celtics: 5 obstacles to contending in 2017-18
By Evan Massey
What five obstacles are the Boston Celtics facing to contending in the 2017-18 NBA season?
The Boston Celtics went into the offseason looking to bring in new talent around franchise star Isaiah Thomas, with Gordon Hayward being their main free agency target. Danny Ainge was able to sign Hayward, but there was a bigger surprise on the way in Boston.
Later on in the offseason, Boston acquired star point guard Kyrie Irving from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Thomas. It was a blockbuster, to say the least, and has made the Celtics a completely new-look team.
Acquiring Irving was obviously a positive for the Celtics. He has franchise player potential and is one of the most lethal scorers in the NBA. Losing Thomas’ leadership and the fan power that he brought to the stadium, however, will be tough to swallow.
Looking ahead at the upcoming season, there are quite a few who believe Boston will compete with the Cavaliers to win the East. It’s hard to argue with that statement, but there are some things that the Celtics will have to figure out in order to compete for an NBA Finals appearance.
With all of that being said, what five obstacles must the Celtics overcome in order to contend in the 2017-18 season?