Boston Celtics: A true dark horse threat to win the Eastern Conference?

After retooling this summer, the Boston Celtics could emerge as a real threat to win the Eastern Conference

The Boston Celtics could’ve easily packed it in this summer and pivoted back to simply trusting their youth development and playing the long game after it became clear that Kyrie Irving and Al Horford were going to leave in free agency.

Instead, Danny Ainge and the Celtics shifted their focus to retooling their team. They successfully replace Irving with Kemba Walker and Carsen Edwards, and Horford with Enes Kanter and Grant Wiliams.

While neither of their replacements is “better” players on the surface, there’s a chance that the tweaks that the Celtics made to the roster – whether it was their Plan A, B, C or D – could spell for a better overall outlook heading into 2019-20.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

No matter who you ask, the overwhelming opinion is that the Celtics vastly underperformed during the 2018-19 season. Heading into the year with high expectations, the Celtics flamed out in the second round of the playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Coming off a season in which they reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals – without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward – the thought was that they’d be a shoo-in to make the NBA Finals the following season. That, simply put, didn’t happen.

It’s tough to say how the summer would’ve played out had the Celtics made the NBA Finals, but it’s safe to say that bowing out early in the playoffs certainly didn’t help in their hopes of re-signing both Irving and Horford.

Nevertheless, what’s done is done. And, now, with Kemba Walker leading the charge, there’s a new sense of excitement around the Celtics. Question is, how far could that excitement get them?

Looking at the Eastern Conference objectively, there are two elite teams sitting atop at the moment. And even then, you can make a case that both the Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers took a hit this summer – with the Bucks losing Malcolm Brogdon and the Sixers losing Jimmy Butler.

After those two teams, though, the East is wide open. The Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat are in that next tier out East. But if there are two teams that could jump into the top tier when the season starts, it’s the Pacers and Celtics.

Indiana, after adding Brogdon, is one of the most intriguing East teams. But that’s a different article for a different day.

I include the Celtics as the other East team that could potentially make some noise due to the fact that they’re deep and have one of the most underrated guards in the league. Boston is going to enter the season with a huge chip on their shoulder, being counted out by many – both individually and as a team.

Kemba, to a certain extent, was counted out by the Charlotte Hornets – he was reportedly given a lowball offer in free agency per The Athletic (subscription required). Entering his second full season removed for his gruesome injury, many have already discounted Hayward as a plus player. He may have had a rough season, but showed some signs toward the end of the season as he was given more of an opportunity and more usage.

Even Jayson Tatum, the team’s prized young asset, had somewhat of a rough sophomore season trying to fit next to Kyrie. However, the hope is that he could continue to grow at his own pace with a bit of a less ball-dominant point guard next to him in the starting unit.

As a team, coming off such a disappointing season, the Celtics should feel slighted when not many are giving them a legit chance of being a real threat in the Eastern Conference.

If Brad Stevens can push the right buttons and get the most out of this new core and roster, there’s no question that the Celtics have the recipe to give the rest of the East some real headaches. Question is, will it all come together at the right time for the Boston Celtics in 2019-20? If so, there’s no telling what this team’s ceiling can be.