4th: Boston Celtics (↓1)
The reworked Boston Celtics are back. With Kemba Walker at the helm and surrounded by a young cast of talented players, the Celtics once again are primed to cause some waves in the Eastern playoffs.
However, Walker’s health is still up in the air.
“Cardiac Kemba” has been nursing a knee injury throughout the course of the season. After missing clusters of games this year with soreness in his left knee, the NBA hiatus was seemingly a gift to Celtic’s fans in hopes of him rehabbing this injury.
Despite both Walker and head coach Brad Stevens stating that the knee in question is “trending upwards”, the guard is going to need to be near 100 percent going into the restart.
A good sign for Celtic’s fan came from their scrimmage game against the Phoenix Suns in Orlando, which saw Walker take the floor and score six points in the contest. Before the stoppage, Walker was averaging 21.2 points and 4.9 assists per game in the 50 games he played in this season.
Aside from Walker, there are not too many questions about Boston coming into the restart. If fellow star Jayson Tatum can pick up where he left off and continue scoring the ball as dynamically as he was, the Celtics are going to be a problem for defenses – especially if teams are still shaking off the rust. And so far, so good.
There's the Jayson Tatum we remember pic.twitter.com/JTD35o03eV
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) July 26, 2020
Before halting the season, Tatum was averaging 23.6 points while collecting 7.1 rebounds per game and being disruptive on the defensive end.
Grant Williams, first-year Celtics power forward, has been making improvements with his 3-point shooting in practice, impressing coaches. If the young big man can add some consistency to his stroke from deep, Boston will have yet another reliable option around the arc.
Ultimately, I believe the Celtics success does heavily weigh on Kemba Walker’s shoulders. Despite the Celtics 10-4 record without the guard this season, it will be a tall order to win without him in a seven-game playoff series.
Look for Stevens to remain cautious with Walker early on, especially with the postseason creeping up fast.