Here’s Where Reggie Miller Ranks Celtics In Eastern Conference This Year

If nothing else, the Boston Celtics are an intriguing team to keep an eye on heading into the 2019-20 season.

Obviously, things will look a bit different when the Green take the court for their season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. For one, Al Horford will be wearing blue and white. Kyrie Irving also is famously gone along with Aron Baynes and Marcus Morris. There are legitimate questions surrounding Boston’s young roster and it’s not unreasonable to predict that the C’s may have trouble hanging with the top of the Eastern Conference.

But what does TNT analyst Reggie Miller think?

Miller told The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn that he’s intrigued to see how far Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s impact can go early in the year and he is curious to see how Gordon Hayward performs another year removed from injury.

“How quickly can Jaylen and Tatum (make an impact)? It was a disappointing season last year, let’s be frank, especially coming off what they did the previous year and the injury to Hayward,” Miller said. “Can these guys rebound? Obviously losing Kyrie but getting Kemba — I think Kemba is going to be fantastic in their system in that building, wearing that green jersey is going to be great for Kemba.

“I love Kanter, I’ve always loved Kanter. What he does offensively can help them, but he’s got to play a little bit of defense, I know that’s not in his DNA, to help them out. But you got Robert Williams possibly as that defensive player off the bench. To me, Brown, Tatum, Marcus Smart, I projected them as the No. 3, possibly 4 team in the Eastern Conference. I have Milwaukee as No. 1, having the best record in the East, and then Philly and Boston, Indiana and Miami. It depends on what those young players can do. Can Hayward return to form?”

It seems the consensus is that the Celtics sit below the 76ers and Bucks to open the campaign, but we’ll find out for real quite soon.

The Celtics open their season Wednesday.