Doc Rivers believes the lumps the Boston Celtics took last season will strengthen them going forward.
The Los Angeles Clippers head coach addressed the Celtics’ underwhelming 2018-19 campaign Tuesday, telling reporters the disappointing experience should help them grow. The Celtics began last season as the favorite to win the Eastern Conference and reach the NBA Finals, but they sputtered throughout the campaign and finished with a 49-33 record and exited the NBA playoffs in just the second round. Rivers believes Boston’s failure to match expectations represents a powerful lesson.
“I think they learn,” Rivers said in video The Boston Globe’s Nicole Yang shared via Twitter. “Especially the young guys. (Celtics head coach) Brad (Stevens) has a young team. They have the first year when they go to the Eastern Conference finals and the next year, the assumption of winning is a dangerous thing.
“I think young player assume ‘oh we’ll be back next year, the same thing will happen.’ You find out that’s not so. That experience will be invaluable for them. You’ll see (Jayson) Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown and those guys, they’ll be much better because of it.”
The Celtics transformed their roster in the offseason, with Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Terry Rozier, Marcus Morris and others departing, and Kemba Walker, Enes Kanter and a host of rookies arriving as replacements. Furthermore, observations suggest Gordon Hayward might enjoy a bounce-back season, two years removed from his catastrophic leg injury.
Still, most experts predict the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers are overwhelming favorites for Eastern Conference supremacy and say the Celtics should be happy with a third seed in the playoffs. But Rivers views the Celtics among the contenders in the East, per The Athletic’s Jay King.
Rivers’ optimistic outlook probably will endear him further to Celtics fans.
