After the NBA draft it is a good time to look back at the Boston Celtics, individually grading each player from last season
Depending on who you ask, the 2019-20 season was either a huge disappointment or a massive success for the Boston Celtics. In a unique season (to say the least), the Boston Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in the last four seasons, where they lost to the eventual Finals runner-up: the Miami Heat.
It was the first season where their young stars from the infamous Brooklyn Nets-Boston Celtics finally emerged as the stars of the time, sparking some optimism. However, with an easier than usual path to the finals, some believe the Celtics missed out on their best opportunity to make the finals.
The team is still young and will definitely have more chances, but will they overcome their flaws and truly compete for a title? A lot of questions remained unanswered; but, before diving into those, let us look at how each player did this season.
The Boston Celtics had an odd mixture of young players, a few veterans, and several others. It is still unclear who will come back and who will leave, but today we can at least look at who did well and who did not reach expectations this season.
The first player, and arguably the face of the franchise, Jayson Tatum, developed on both sides of the ball to become what Celtics fans hoped he would be.
(Note: The grades each player receives will reflect their expectations and impact, so a role player can get an A, even if he did not play much if they exceeded expectations, and a star player can get a low grade if they struggled or underperformed.)
Jayson Tatum’s grade: A+
No matter how many times it is said, it is hard to remember that Jayson Tatum is only 21 years old when you watch him on the court (so take this as the first reminder). Regardless, during the chaotic 2018-19 Boston Celtics season, Tatum, although improved, did not seem to develop as fast as expected. He shot at a much lower efficiency than his rookie season, and parts of his game, like left-handed lay-ups, seemed foreign to him.
Despite the fact, most would agree (injury barring), Tatum would become a great player, but the question was whether he would become an elite one.
After successfully recruiting Kemba Walker (which should count for something), Tatum maintained a similar role to the one he had a season before as the number two option behind the team’s point guard.
Then between late December and early January, as the injury bug started to hit many Celtics players, Tatum emerged into a new player. He was their best scorer, Brad Steven’s most reliable go-to option, one of their best playmakers, and a top defender.
Following a 41 point career-high against the New Orlean Pelicans on January 11th, Tatum became unstoppable. Between the game and March third, Tatum scored 28.8 points per game, with 7.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks, on 50 percent efficiently with a 46 3-point percentage. During that 20 game stretch, the Boston Celtics went 15-5 without a healthy Kemba Walker. If there were still any doubts about Tatum, they withered away. For the rest of the regular season, it was clear who the Celtics top guy was.
As Walker’s knee continued to hinder his ability to lead the Celtics in the playoffs, Tatum stepped up, taking the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals. At 21-years-old, this season, Tatum proved that he is ready to become a superstar (if he is not already). Tatum has given Celtics fans hope that the current core can win an NBA title as long as Tatum is the heart.