The Boston Celtics are a team that has shown great improvement over the last few years. Coach Brad Stevens was hired in 2013 when the Celtics were terrible. They struggled to make playoffs and exited early in the years that they did make it into the postseason. Coach Stevens changed the entire program with different offensive and defensive schemes. He focused on rebuilding the franchise with younger players that would grow into stars. The rebuilding period has been a success for the Celtics and could lead to a run in the playoffs.
Brad Steven's coaching method
Brad Stevens is a strong advocate of the positionless team that is trending in the NBA. The positionless team is an idea that players are versatile enough to play different positions. Stevens rotates players in different positions instead of specializing players to one position. The purpose is to expand a player's usefulness to a team. Small forwards may need ball control to run the offense or the strength to rebound against centers. Versatile players like this are considered great assets. Being able to fit multiple positions is a skill not many players have. This is why Brad Stevens implements this style of play onto all his players. They must adapt to the play style, or they don't get playing time.
Celtics lineup
The Boston Celtics are a young team. In the offseason, they were able to acquire stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Both players are in their prime. Through drafts, the Celtics chose Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Two very young players who have shown promise and potential to grow. The team is further complete with a bench that has great depth.
Multiple players that can play multiple positions are on the Celtics roster. Also, the average age on the team is 24 years old. This line up is talented and has room to grow. The team showed great potential last year winning the best season record in the eastern conference and reaching the eastern conference finals. The team has only improved since then, and I'm excited to see what they can do.
Celtics facing the competition
The Celtics face a lot of competition before they can reach the NBA finals. Lebron James has dominated the eastern conference over the past decade. Also, the Washington Wizards are a team that shouldn't be overlooked. If the Celtics become eastern conference champions, then they will have to face one of the many dominant western conference teams. My three favorites to win the western conference this year are the OKC Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Golden State Warriors. All three of these teams can beat the Celtics in a seven-game series. However, I believe that the coaching ability of Brad Stevens has been proven to be successful. The Celtics have a great shot at winning the NBA championship if they keep improving as they have been.
