If Lopez and Johnson remain relatively healthy, (say 70 games played or so), they are an OK team, certainly better than 1-9 (that is on pace for 8 wins). I think the odds are against Lopez in particular playing 70 games but who knows.
I think we all as Celtics fans need to be careful with our expectations. The tone of the discussion seems to be we could get a top 3 pick and we are setting ourselves up to be disappointed if it turns out to be say the 10th pick. A pick in the range of 10 is still really good value for the trade we made. Anything better is just gravy and biscuits.
I think the that we were expecting them to be bad, but not this bad right out of the gate.
It's like a dream slowly shifting to reality at 10 games at a time.
They go 1-7.
Lopez foot flares up.
They keep pumping minutes through Johnson and Lopez.
They let Jarrett Jack take more shots than Thadeus Young.
It's a really promising reality for us. You're completely right that we can't get too excited but I think it's not being overly optimistic to say that most Celtics fans see us as having a cracking shot at a top 5 pick, and thus perhaps something even better.
As Willyd24 says in the post above this reply- there are some great players available all through to at least #6, and right now the Nets are looking like a bottom 5 team, one injury away from being a surefire bottom 3 team.
I think expectations currently:
2016 NBA draft slots
1) Philly
2)Brooklyn
3)LA
4) Pelicans off to a bad start but they've been decmiated by injuries and should get at least 5-8 more wins that any of those other three teams.
Even the Blazers and Nuggets- who looked like threats to any potential top 3 picks we may get, are much better than expected and like New Orleans, Denver is getting back some good players from injury soon.
The Nets peak to me, is somewhere between 22-25 wins- and that's if Lopez stays healthy and they have the hot shooting night every now and then like vs Houston and GSW.