Celtics Fall In ESPN’s NBA Future Power Rankings Entering 2019-20 Season

The Boston Celtics’ future appears less rosy than it did not too long ago.

That’s what ESPN insiders Kevin Pelton and Bobby Marks concluded Thursday when they pegged the Celtics at No. 8 in their latest NBA Future Power Rankings.

Boston ranks six places lower than it did in Pelton’s and Marks’ previous reckoning, which they delivered in March before the team’s disappointing exit from the NBA playoffs and subsequent hectic offseason, during which much of the Celtics’ roster turned over.

Here’s Marks’ reasoning for the Celtics’ eighth-place ranking:

Despite not ranking in the top two for the first time since September 2015, Boston is well positioned for the future. While the team fell in every category except for market, the Celtics are still in the top 10 when it comes to their roster, draft assets and management.

Compared to a year ago, the Celtics replaced the uncertain future of Kyrie Irving with a four-year commitment from All-Star Kemba Walker, and they still have a young core of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum along with veterans Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart and now Enes Kanter.

The Celtics’ treasure chest of draft assets also remains full. While they no longer have the coveted Sacramento Kings first-round pick, they still possess all their own firsts, along with a top-seven protected first from Memphis and top-eight protected first from Milwaukee in 2020. The first from Memphis could be the best asset any team in the league has because it becomes unprotected in 2021 if not conveyed.

Boston fell in the money category because of how the future shapes up — Brown is scheduled to be a restricted free agent in 2020 and Tatum the following year.

ESPN’s NBA Future Power Rankings represent experts’ predictions for success in the 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. They account for five categories — players, management, money, market and the draft — and assign a score relative to the rest of the NBA.

Here’s how the Celtics fared in each category and their overall rating:

Players: T-ninth (72.5)
Management: T-12th (70)
Money: T-27th (72.5)
Market: T-eighth (62.5)
Draft: T-sixth (75)
Overall Future Power Rating: 67.3 (down from 73.5 in March)

These teams finished ahead of the Celtics in ESPN’s Future Power Rankings:

7. Philadelphia 76ers (67.5 overall future power rating).
6. Los Angeles Lakers (67.7)
5. Denver Nuggets (69.4)
4. Houston Rockets (70.2)
3. Golden State Warriors (70.8)
2. Brooklyn Nets (72.5)
1. Los Angeles Clippers (77.7)