Despite losing in the 2022 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics enter the new season with renewed optimism and a new roster. With that comes expectations, primarily due to the city they play in and what has transpired over the offseason.
Recently, the franchise said goodbye to Hall of Famer and icon Bill Russell, whose #6 will live on forever in Boston and the NBA, given how the number was retired leaguewide. Furthermore, the Celtics enter this season with a leader’s legacy in their hearts.
If Mr. Russell were around today, he would want nothing more than to see his team raise the trophy and pass the Lakers for the most titles by an NBA franchise with 18. They came close last year, only for Golden State to swipe the trophy at TD Garden in six games.
As such, Boston looked to improve their roster in the offseason. For many, it involves a significant trade or signing of a big-time player to swing the pendulum of power in their favor, and the Celtics didn’t exactly do that. They revamped the team but did so quietly instead of using conventional wisdom and making headlines.
The Boston Celtics revamped their roster without gutting their nucleus, hoping to make another championship run.
However, while most of the bench players from last year’s Boston Celtics roster are gone, the core nucleus of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown remains intact. There will be plenty of new faces for the team, but several notables will still be around. Last year’s team was talented but didn’t have enough firepower to close the deal in the NBA Finals.
As such, moves had to be made, and that required moving on from many who suited up for the team last season. Thankfully, at least for Boston, they didn’t lose Tatum or Brown in a Kevin Durant kind of deal, as that would have been very risky and could have jeopardized the team down the line.
Now that we have the background, let’s take a look at what the Celtics did this offseason that allowed them to still be in the race for a championship. First up, the smaller decisions that allow them to still have a good level of depth that didn’t necessarily require breaking the bank.