Boston Celtics: Ranking their projected starting five

The Boston Celtics lineup will look a little different this year after the departure of a key name. However, it’ll still be a strong one.

As the Boston Celtics continue their quest for their 18th title, they’ll be going into the 2020-21 NBA season set up a little differently to how they were last time out. Last season, all-in-all, was a successful one for the Celtics. However, Boston fell at that penultimate hurdle once more, as they lost the Eastern Conference Finals in six games to the surprising Miami Heat. The Celtics were strong last year and will be strong this year. But they’ll go into the season with one key player missing – Gordon Hayward.

Hayward departed to the Charlotte Hornets, which leaves a pretty big void in this Celtics side. They were able to acquire Jeff Teague and Tristan Thompson through free agency, which will help them keep the pace through the loss of Hayward.

It’ll be hard for the Celtics to replicate what Hayward brought to this team as a playmaker, scorer, and all-around glue guy in the lineup. But, there’s no doubt that the starting five will remain amongst the best in the league when we reach the new season.

In reality, the Celtics probably have a few more steps to take to get to the top among the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks, but they’re certainly on the right track. With Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum both set to be in Boston for the long-term, it looks like they’ll have plenty of time to put things right when crunch time comes.

This Boston squad has the potential to be a legitimate contender this year. There’s depth and there’s a mix of talent that will provide them with an opportunity to take the next step down the stretch. Here we’ll look at Boston’s projected starting five and how they rank in terms of ability.