NBA Playoff Obituary: What happened to the Boston Celtics?

Now that season has come to an end for the Boston Celtics, it is time to write the obituary for the 2020-2021 squad. This will also allow us to look ahead to what’s to come during the offseason to come.

The Boston Celtics have been to the Eastern Conference Finals in three of the last four seasons. What went wrong this year?

It was easy to say that the Celtics were one of the most disappointing teams in the league overall but that is putting things too simply. None of the teams that left the bubble after the Conference Finals entered the season unscathed and the Celtics join their Eastern Conference foe, the Miami Heat, among the first teams dismissed from the postseason this season. Beyond the negativity, there was some good for Boston this year.

What Happened

Starting with the positives, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each took major steps this season. Tatum made his second All-Star appearance and was a walking bucket whenever he was in the lineup. He evolved as a scorer, with four games over 40 points in the regular season and two more in the playoffs. Despite his well-documented struggles with COVID-19, Tatum proved to be the star Boston fans have alleged him to be.

Brown made his first All-Star appearance and posted a line of 24.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He transformed into a legitimate second option on offense and looks to be the type of player that could take over a game on any night that Tatum does not have it going.

Unfortunately, not much else went right for the Celtics. Kemba Walker has been a shell of himself since coming to Boston and the injuries continue to pile up. Walker missed 29 games in the regular season. Marcus Smart, the heart and soul of the team, missed 24. The depth of the team has been depleted by years of high-profile players leaving for nothing and mostly failed draft picks. Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard, last year’s first-round draftees, showed flashes of potential but not enough to get them over the hump.

What Comes Next

Any previews for what the Celtics were going to do have to be completely thrown out of the window given the news this morning that Danny Ainge has stepped down and Brad Stevens has been promoted to president of basketball operations. This is a different Boston Celtics organization than it was 24 hours ago and for the first time since 2003, Ainge will not be involved in the shaping of the roster.

Who becomes the next head coach will inform plenty of the decision-making about shaping the roster around Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. There are reports that Lloyd Pierce and Jason Kidd will be lead contenders for the position. Mike D’Antoni is always lurking as a potential hire. Those are three vastly different coaching philosophies.

There is little room to tinker on the edges so Stevens will have to get creative. Evan Fournier, Luke Kornet, Semi Ojeleye, Tacko Fall and Tremont Waters are slated to be free agents and the Celtics will still be well over the salary cap. Kemba Walker appears to be as untradable as anyone can be in this league. Stevens is inheriting a tough situation to right, but at least he has the benefit of two All-Stars under the age of 25.