Boston Celtics: 5 reasons to be excited for 2019-20 NBA season

The rookies

The Boston Celtics caused a shock on draft night by opting to use four of their draft picks, selecting the following players;

• Romeo Langford (14th overall)
• Grant Williams (22nd overall)
• Carsen Edwards (33rd overall)
• Tremont Waters (51st overall)

The team used their other picks to makes roster moves on draft night, such as the trade sending Aron Baynes to Phoenix.

During Summer League the fans got to see three of those four picks in action and none of them failed to impress.

Grant Williams showed the IQ that caught Boston’s eye during the scouting process while showing his willingness to fit the system by increasing his 3-point attempts by almost three attempts per game.

Carsen Edwards was the player who surprised the most though, showcasing playmaking abilities and an ability to drive the lane at will. It was also pleasing to see his confidence shooting from range, hitting 46.7 percent of his attempts, per RealGM.

He will need to cut down on the turnovers which plagued his college career, being around NBA-level talent should help to ease his transition here though.

Should he continue his college shooting form, where he was in the 80th percentile when pulling up from either side, then he will be a solid rotation piece throughout the season.

Tremont Waters is the new “little guy” in Boston,  following in the recent footsteps of both Phil Pressey and Isaiah Thomas.

Waters has already displayed maturity and understanding which earned him a two-way deal with the Celtics, allowing him to spend up to 45 days with the Celtics and the rest with their G-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.

Langford, however, was unable to suit up during the summer, he had surgery on his injured thumb. Having played with the injury during the college season, Langford went on record stating he didn’t want to let his teammates down by being unavailable.

Finishing the season with 16.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on 44.8 percent shooting from the field and a paltry 27.2 percent from 3.

If that is what he can do with an injured thumb and broken mechanics, then this season could be a very interesting one for Langford.

Then there is the big man Tacko Fall, undrafted and dividing opinion. He quickly became a fan favorite during the summer league games, endearing himself to the Celtics fans almost instantly with his size and calm demeanor.

At 7’6″ and weighing 310 pounds, Tacko is a natural shot changer in the paint – an instant block and pass interception threat.

Questions remain about his fragile-looking frame and where he fits in an NBA world that has embraced small-ball, but he did enough to earn himself a closer look gaining an Exhibit 10 contact.

They are embracing the Celtics and the city of Boston giving new reasons for excitement and optimism looking ahead.