Boston Celtics: 5 reasons to go all in on Kawhi Leonard
By Bret Stuter
1. Beating Golden State
Ultimately, it all comes down to defeating their opponent and claiming Boston’s 18th NBA championship. By all rational accounts, that translates into defeating the Golden State Warriors for the crown. Like it or not, the Celtics roster, as currently projected, doesn’t get the job done.
While Boston’s hope for improvement lies in the healthy return of Hayward and Irving, the Warriors have signed DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins is a solid scoring center who can shoot 3-pointers as well. His addition give the Warriors an entirely new dimension. Placing Cousins at the perimeter will force teams to defend with a center, giving other Warriors open lanes to drive to the basket.
In the end, this is an indefensible team.
Adding a player like Leonard gives the Celtics plenty of options rotating coverage to intercept fast-moving guards aiming for layups. Meanwhile, Leonard’s ability to keep pace with anyone in the league in the scoring department would make him a huge addition to a Celtics team looking to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.
It comes down to confidence in the front office. Right now, Danny Ainge has made some wise moves by limiting the risks he is willing to assume. But at some point, winning an NBAcChampionship requires that last leap of faith of putting together the strongest roster possible, and then hoping for great team chemistry and an injury free season.
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In any case, the clock is now ticking. It’s up to the Celtics to deal for Leonard before another team does so. A Celtics roster boasting the addition of Leonard is the only team likely to get even odds of defeating the Golden State Warriors juggernaut for the foreseeable future.