There’s newfound hope in Boston, but just how high can the Celtics climb in the 2019-20 NBA season?
The C’s seemed bound for mediocrity following the exits of Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, but the franchise seemingly salvaged its legitimate postseason aspirations via an active offseason. Boston replaced Irving with another All-Star point guard in Kemba Walker and addressed its frontcourt needs in the form of Enes Kanter, who’s poised to be the best rebounder the Celtics have had in quite some time.
It’s tough to predict where Boston might fall in the East hierarchy, as the conference appears to be fairly wide-open. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst doesn’t believe the Celtics will land one of the top two seeds, but he wouldn’t be surprised if Brad Stevens’ team comes in shortly thereafter.
“This is Kemba in his prime, and I’m expecting him to have another fantastic season. I think he’ll put up great numbers. They have good talent,” Windhorst said Wednesday of “The Jump.” “I think if everything goes their way and they stay healthy and all these 50/50 games they win, I could see them getting the three seed. But I could also see them getting the five seed. When you list the contenders in the East, anybody who overlooks the Pacers is making a mistake and I also don’t think the Raptors are going to disappear.”
It’s tough to argue with Windhorst’s assessment. The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers likely will battle for the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds, which would set up a dog fight in the middle of the pack. Then again, the Celtics were a virtual lock to grab the No. 1 seed heading into last season, and we all know how that played out.
As such, green teamers probably would be best served to head into the new season with tempered expectations. But to be fair, it’s tough not to get excited about this group.
