The Celtics are not going to win the NBA title in 2020. They'll be a 44-47 win team. 6th or 7th seed in the East. I'd love to see them knock off the Nets in the first round.
The guards and the wings will be fine. Walker is a grown-up and a nice fit with Smart.
That said, Ainge and Stevens should be looking at how they use their minutes to develop some of these younger guys. They should try to get Grant Williams lots of quality minutes. He's a true PF who needs to up his game for the NBA. At the 5, Kanter is not the answer and is a knucklehead. He can give you minutes but is not the future. Robert Williams should get an opportunity to prove himself, even if the going is rough early on. Fall is the wild card. If they can develop him physically, he might be a contributor in the Spring of 2020.
I don't know how you can say what this team can be by simply looking at roster in JULY and make a wild prediction and present it as a fait de comple'
I think this team can just as easily be 55 win team and be a top 4 seed in the playoffs.
Of course Stevens will have to do a better job this year at making the TEAM be greater than the sum of their individual parts (a la the Pats). IF he's the coach we all hope he was before this past season's fiasco, then that is a distinct possibility.
Walker is a more than adequate Kyrie replacement. and I expect the wings (Tatum, Hayood and Brown to be greatly improved. Clearly the rebounding will be better with Williams and Kantor, So I think there is enough offense to win a lot of game. But here. is where the success of failure of this team will ride. On defense
As the game moves more and more towards the perimeter. Having good PERIMETER defense will be a big advantage, to any team that possesses one.
I think the C's hav a chance to have a VERY good one. Tatum and Brown have shown they can be excellent outside defenders. Of course Smart is one of the most versatile and effective defenders in the league. And while Langford is "just a rookie", I think he can earn minutes not by scoring, but becoming a dependable perimeter defenders.
If you could clone Kantor's offensive skill with William's defensive instincts and athleticism, you'd have a top 5 Big. So how both players are used situationally will be critical and of great interest during the season.
BTW- the more I see clips of Kantor and how he moves around the basket, the more I think he ISN'T the ploddin unathletic Big is is often depicted as. In my mind he's a good enough athlete to become a capable defender and NOT the liability he seems to be now.
Good defense is always more about "want to" and coaching than simply talent. Again if Steven's is the coach we hope he is, then I believe Kantor's defense will noticeably
improve. IJMHO).
