The Celtics were a top 5 offense and a top 5 defense this season.
Do that again next season while improving on late game execution, they can definitely be in the mix to make the Finals and perhaps even win the title.
You can say "Tatum just isn't good enough! He's not LeBron!" all you want. A lot of the time a guy isnt' considered "good enough" to lead a team to a title until he does it.
If you have an elite offense and an elite defense, you're going to be in the mix even if you won't be the "favorite" to win it all.
Sometimes teams may be unquestionably elite in the regular season but fail to carry that over into the playoffs (see: Bucks). However I think we've seen enough from the Celtics under Stevens to recognize that they don't belong in that category. They do have some work to do to become better at executing in crunch time, though.
Tatum will be in his 4th year though, it isn't like he is in prime. At some point, he will probably be good enough to lead a real and legit contender, I just don't think that comes in year 4. I think the 5th year is far more likely. That is when Durant led the Thunder to the Finals, for example (that was the season Jordan first made the ECF before winning in year 7). You just get that extra maturity, extra grind, extra strength, etc. Now I will give you, Lebron did lead the Cavs to the Finals in his 4th year, but the East was super weak that year and Lebron is just a different class of player.
Tatum has to take a major leap to really put Boston in the same sphere as the legit contenders. He could do it, I just don't think it is all that likely, and even if he does, it isn't like Boston won't still have many of the flaws it currently has i.e. a weak bench, a lack of size, and health concerns for several other players.
Tatum has constantly improved every year and has added new things to his arsenal. Have you seen him in this years playoffs? The records he's broken, if you can't see him having that major leap then I don't know what to say to you.
Sure, but it is unrealistic to expect him to play like he did in the Philly series all season long, which is what it would take for this flawed roster to be a realistic contender next year. The team has a lot of holes and Tatum making an even bigger leap than he has in any other off season, isn't going to magically cure them. I love Tatum. He just isn't there yet and won't be next year either. And when your title hopes hinge on Tatum becoming a top 5 player, your title hopes are going to come crashing down around you, when Tatum is in his 4th year and still growing and maturing as a player.
As I've said repeatedly, the thing I'm most disappointed in is Ainge's inability to really pick a direction and truly build around Tatum (or gone the other way and build around Irving). During Tatum's rookie year it should have been apparent he had the potential to be a consistent MVP candidate in his peak. From that point on, Ainge should have been doing everything in his power to set this team up for success when Tatum hits that level and Ainge has failed to do that. Now there are real concerns the team just won't be good enough to really support Tatum when he does hit his prime. I mean what happens if Hayward leaves. What happens when Walker's contract is up. What is the team going to be left. Tatum, Brown, Smart pushing 30, Langford, and the Williams'. That isn't a true contender even if Tatum is a top 5ish player and Brown is a top 10ish player. That team is basically the Sixers the last few seasons.
That is why I wouldn't have signed Kemba. I would have gone hard after someone like Brodgon. I think he would have been a much better long term fit around Tatum. That is why I'd move Hayward for younger better fitting pieces. That is why I'd trade Smart for the 2nd pick if that was truly available. It is about maximizing title odds, and since those hinge almost entirely Tatum, you should be building around him and setting the team up to truly compete when Tatum is ready.
Topic: Writing is on the Wall: Win It All, or Daryl Morey and Gregg Popovich in 2021 (Read 6082 times)