Boston Celtics: 2018-19 NBA season preview

Storyline 3: How will Brad Stevens manage his stars?

Stevens has been universally showered with praise throughout his stint with the Boston Celtics and it’s not hard to see why. On top of results like last year’s, he has clearly fostered a team-first environment that every player has wholeheartedly bought into.

From role players like Baynes and Smart to the All-Star talent, everyone appears to be on the same page, working toward the goal of an NBA championship. However, this season will present new challenges, as Stevens works around the task of keeping everyone happy with potentially limited opportunities.

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Last season, Boston averaged 85.1 field goal attempts per contest in the regular season. This consisted of just 21.9 between Brown and Tatum. That number jumped to 28.5 per game during the playoffs when the two young studs well and truly proved their ability to carry an NBA offense.

Now, they will need to add Irving’s 18.1 attempts from last season and Hayward’s 15.8 from his last full season in Utah.

Will Brown and Tatum be okay with their shot attempts reverting back to those regular season numbers? Will Hayward or Irving be ok with dropping their usual touches?

It’s certainly an embarrassment of riches in Boston, but one that will need to be managed throughout.