10. Kemba Walker and Jayson Taytum
The Boston Celtics essentially replaced Kyrie Irving with Kemba Walker this summer who actually projects to be a much better fit with this team anyway.
I’m definitely not the only one to say this but I expect Brad Stevens to use Kemba in a very similar way to how he used Isaiah Thomas a few seasons ago (remember when Thomas averaged nearly 30 points per game and was an MVP candidate? Man, things change fast!). He won’t be as ball-dominant as Irving was and while that will likely benefit all of the major pieces on this Celtics team, the one who will look to benefit the most from this change will be Jayson Taytum.
Despite averaging over 16 points and six boards last year, Taytum’s second season was considered a disappointment by many. That wasn’t to say he was bad last season, just that he was so damn good in his rookie campaign (especially in the playoffs). In year two, he settled for way too many long 2-point jump shots and was nowhere near as efficient as we expected.
However, that should all change this year…
With less off-court drama, expanded opportunities, another year of experience and a more cohesive team, Taytum should be able to remind us all just how good he is and get right back on the track to superstardom.