NBA Power Rankings Preseason Edition: Lakers moves lead the way
Boston Celtics. 13. team. 18. . .
Last Season: 36-36, 7th in Eastern Conference
The Boston Celtics went through some organizational upheaval this offseason, with former head coach Brad Stevens replacing Danny Ainge as President of Basketball Operations, and former San Antonio Spurs coach Ime Udoku replaced Stevens as head coach.
The roster saw turnovers as well, with Kemba Walker being traded for Al Horford, for the return of Enes Kanter, for Juancho Hernangomez and Josh Richardson and Dennis Schroder. The Celtics have kept their powder reasonably dry and hope that the bold changes they made are enough to pry them out of last season’s malaise.
Key Offseason Move: Trading for Al Horford. The Celtics managed to kill two birds with one stone, getting off of the salary for Kemba Walker while bringing back an old friend at center. If Walker regains his form completely that could look like a bad deal, but the Celtics needed a different look and couldn’t keep counting on an injured Walker to carry them through.
Horford will space the court on offense and seek to eliminate offenses on the other end. He’s not as mobile as he used to be but he’s still very effective on switches. The Celtics also hope he can teach some tricks of the trade to Robert Williams to groom him to be the full-time starter once Horford is done.