2014-15 Review

The Boston Celtics surprised a good many folks last season with their playoff appearance as the seventh seed nonetheless. Granted this is of course the Eastern Conference and teams like the Celtics do have a fighting chance of making the playoffs; however, last season's success was really ahead of schedule in the developmental plan for the franchise. The Celtics did still finish two games under .500 so one must temper any real enthusiasm as they prepare for this season that lies ahead. 

New Additions

Amir Johnson

Johnson came over from Toronto where he was a regular starter for the Raptors during his tenure. He now joins a fairly crowded front court for the Celtics and he will be fighting for minutes amongst the youthful players that the Celtics have drafted recently. This was a bit of an off signing as Johnson doesn't really seem like a great fit for the organization given their re-build mode, yet nonetheless Johnson was acquired to bring toughness, depth and experience to this Celtics squad. 

David Lee

Lee was acquired from Golden State in a basic salary dump move that saw the Celtics ship out the seldom used Gerald Wallace. This is by no means a major acquisition for the green and white as Lee is years off from his best and at age 32 is more prone to injury that anything else. There is no chance of Lee contributing with stats reminiscent of his 18-plus ppg and 11-plus rpg days; however, if he can garner enough minutes to be a 10 ppg and 6.5 rpg then he will be good enough to justify the one year salary commitment. 

Key Losses
Brandon Bass

The loss of Bass is certainly not a major one as the Celtics remain very deep in the front court. Bass did leave Boston for the Los Angeles Lakers who will certainly want to use his height and experience to do battle with some of the beasts that call the West home. Bass played four season in Boston and he was a regular starter for the Celtics. He was able to average double-digit points per game in each of his last two seasons; however, he isn't irreplaceable by any stretch and the Celtics won't be any worse off without him. 

Biggest Strength

Front court
The Celtics have a bounty of tall and athletic players in their roster. They currently boast of Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, David Lee, Jonas Jerebko, Amir Johnson and Tyler Zeller. Granted all this height can't play at the same time; however, it does represent solid depth up the middle and having the luxury of rotating bug bodies in and out of the lineup is a big benefit for any team. 

Biggest Weakness

Inexperience

The Celtics lack that veteran presence that can really stabilize a locker room and instil calmness in the floor. Amir Johnson was brought in to address this issue to some regard; however, the drop off from there is fairly significant. This roster has been built through the draft over the last few years and when a team commits to doing this, the results are often fun to watch yet misguided at times. 

Bottom Line

Despite a second-place finish in the Atlantic a Division last year, the Celtics will have a hard time duplicating those results again this season. They are a bubble playoff team at best given that both Miami and Indiana figure to be in the postseason mix this season and if that holds true then the Celtics and Brooklyn Nets could find themselves on the outside looking in. The Celtics will have to play very well just to match their record from last season as their division foes in New York figure to be much better this season as well. It is entirely conceivable that the only playoff team from the Atlantic a Division will be the division winner and that certainly won't be Boston. 

Fantasy Slant

Most Overrated

Marcus Smart

One hesitates to call a second-year player as being overrated in terms of fantasy production; however, one must consider that despite his inexperience, Smart is a starting point guard in this league who plays significant minutes without producing equivalent numbers to his counterparts. Smart has solid potential but at this point in his career he is still developing and finding his way in the Association. In terms of starting point guards and fantasy options as a PG2; fantasy owners can do a lot better than settling for a player like Marcus Smart. 

Most Underrated

Isaiah Thomas

Thomas came to Boston or the last quarter of the season and he fit in nicely for the C's as that sixth man. He provided excellent offensive numbers in his limited time as he put up averages of 19 ppg, 5.4 apg and 2.1 rpg in 26 minutes of action a night. Thomas is a solid PG2 option as his pricing point put him squarely in the middle of the pack, yet he produces numbers like a starter for a fraction of the price. Thomas lacks that explosive potential a she isn't going to get many opportunities to go off for huge scoring night, but he will contribute across the board and consistency goes a long way to winning a fantasy league. 

Biggest Surprise

Jae Crowder

Targeting one player to have himself a breakout campaign for the Celtics this season the most likely is Crowder. Crowder is entering his fifth season and he will be wanting to build upon his success from last season. If Crowder can show off his improvements on his shooting proficiency then he will force teams to respect that part of his game. Once that consistent outside touch comes the rest of Crowder's game will follow. He is a very athletic player who works hard for what he gets nightly. He doesn't post huge numbers yet but that potential to be a solid 15 ppg player is there it just needs to be developed.