Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason

1. Bringing back heart and soul members was critical

After the Celtics bowed out of the 2018 NBA Playoffs, key rotation members Aron Baynes and Marcus Smart strongly expressed their desire to come back to Boston this season. With both players hitting free agency, that decision may have come to be out of the Celtics’ hands, pending outside offers.

Fortunately for Brad Stevens, he will retain two core players that played major roles for his No. 1-ranked defensive squad in 2017-18. Baynes signed a two-year, $11 million deal to remain in green, while Smart recently inked a four-year, $52 million deal.

Retaining Baynes allows Boston to continue to play Al Horford at the 4 for signifiant stretches, while the big Aussie uses his trademark physicality in the paint to haul in rebounds and body up opposing centers. Baynes (97.0), ranked first in defensive rating for Boston, consistently putting his body on the line for the team.

Baynes’ value can’t be measured by just on-court statistics however — via The Pick and Roll, Stevens was asked about his mentality in the Celtics locker room:

"“He’s truly a guy that does not care, he just wants to win,” Stevens said, “That’s one of the things that I’ve always appreciated about him and we’ve got a locker room full of those guys, and I think his leadership is a big reason why.”"

Similarly, Smart has become a true heart-and-soul member of the modern-day Celtics. Wonky shooting aside, he is able to affect games in a multitude of unrecordable ways. While the contract is certainly a tier up from what this year’s market would suggest reasonable, the Celtics decided to invest in Smart either way.

Retaining Smart in particular was significant in more ways than first meet the eye, as Boston will now breach the luxury tax threshold for the first time since 2012-13. Though one can’t help but wonder what any superstar addition would have added to Boston, it’s quite possible that losing either of these two glue-guys would have had an equally detrimental effect.

The Boston Celtics have played a steady hand this summer, and it may well pay dividends in a suddenly wide open Eastern Conference.