Boston Celtics will overtake the Bucks and run the East in 2020-21
By Todd Dudas
The Boston Celtics are set up to overtake the Milwaukee Bucks and run the Eastern Conference during the 2020-21 NBA season.
This 2019-20 NBA season has been like an emotional rollercoaster ride. Quite frankly, most of us fans are still hoping it isn’t over just yet. Nevertheless, there’s a real chance that it is. If so, it’s never too early to look forward to what might come next. As in the 2020-21 NBA season.
For a team like the Boston Celtics, looking ahead comes with much optimism. And the way the team is structured, the Celtics are set up to overtake the Milwaukee Bucks and run the Eastern Conference next season.
It’s been a while since the Celtics have had this much talent. In fact, you have to probably go back almost a decade when Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen were each in their mid-to-late primes.
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During the 2019-20 season, the Celtics didn’t necessarily overwhelm their opponents but quite often flashed the potential that they currently have on its roster. Led by two veteran stars in Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward, the Celtics appear to be in good hands heading into next season with their young dynamic duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who continue to improve with every passing day and game they get under their belt, sprinkled in with glue-guys Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis.
Not to mention that the Celtics also have three first-round picks in the 2020 NBA Draft and a myriad of other potential assets that they could use to acquire another superstar. Even without adding any outside additions, this Celtics roster could organically develop into the best team in the East in a matter of one year.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are barely scratching the surface on the players they can be at their ceilings and are already averaging 24 and 20 points per game, respectively, on above 45 percent shooting from the field. During the month of Feburary, Tatum was averaging 31 points and eight rebounds on 49 percent shooting from the field and 48 percent shooting from 3-point range. Superstar numbers.
What makes the Celtics even more dangerous is the fact that this is a team that is almost better on the defensive side of the floor. In his last five seasons with the Celtics, Brad Stevens’ clubs have had a top 10 defense every year with the exception of one season. In 2019-20, they were on pace to finish with a top 5 defense.
Heading into the NBA’s hiatus, the Celtics had distanced themselves as the third-best team in the conference, all while battling injuries off-and-on throughout the season.
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Assuming that Tatum and Brown continue to develop, there’s a good chance that the Boston Celtics will enter next season as the favorites to emerge from the Eastern Conference.