The Boston Celtics probably won’t lack depth this season.
Marcus Smart, Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown appear on a ranked list of the NBA’s “best players” for 2019-20, from Nos. 100-51 that ESPN published Tuesday. It’s worth noting each of the Celtics trio’s ranking is worse than last year’s, perhaps reflecting the extent to which the team failed to meet its lofty expectations in 2018-19.
Nevertheless, ESPN still considers Smart, Hayward and Brown among the NBA’s leading lights, so let’s see where they stand and the reasoning behind their respective places on the list.
MARCUS SMART (No. 87, down from No. 54 in 2018)
“No regular starter expends more energy on defense than Smart, who seems to will himself into position to thwart opponents’ plays,” Kevin Pelton wrote. “In addition to effort, that also requires strong pattern recognition from Smart, who excels at gambling defensively when the odds are in his favor.”
GORDON HAYWARD (No. 65, down from No. 40 in 2018)
“Hayward arrived in Boston as a top-30 player,” Tim McMahon writes. “It’s probably a stretch to expect him to get back to that level with the Celtics, who have too many mouths to feed to build an entire offense around him like the Jazz did. But Hayward should benefit from a better atmosphere in Boston and a full year of chipping away at rust and doubt and merit All-Star consideration in the Eastern Conference.”
JAYLEN BROWN (No. 51, down from No. 37 in 2018)
“Brown was one of the few Celtics who wasn’t afraid to push back against Kyrie Irving last season when the former Boston point guard took some shots at the younger players on the roster,” Brian Windhorst writes. “Brown is sometimes quiet, but he isn’t meek. That attitude has been positive this summer.”
Smart, Hayward and Brown are expected to feature prominently in the Celtics’ effort to bounce back from their disappointing 2018-19 campaign. Other teammates (Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum) will join them in the redemption attempt, and chances are a few of them will appear on the second half of ESPN’s “best players” list.
