The Boston Celtics will begin the new NBA season slightly worse off than they ended the last one.
That's what ESPN believes.
The Boston Celtics landed at No. 8 on ESPN's power rankings Monday, as they ramp up training camp ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season. ESPN's Tim Bontemps reckons Gordon Hayward's departure and Kemba Walker's injury will weaken the Celtics, at least until some of their bench players prove themselves capable of impacting games consistently.
"Losing Gordon Hayward was a blow for Boston, as he was arguably its best playmaker and provided plenty of versatility on the wing," Bontemps wrote. "His departure, combined with Kemba Walker's lingering knee issues, will put lots of pressure on Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart to take steps forward in their development. Meanwhile, Tristan Thompson should serve as a nice partner at center next to Daniel Theis and will prevent big men from abusing Boston inside. The Celtics will need some of their many other young players (Grant Williams, Robert Williams III, Romeo Langford, Carsen Edwards, Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard) to step up and give them minutes, too."
ESPN ranked Boston No. 7 at the conclusion of the 2020 NBA Finals. However, the Hayward and Walker developments, combined with a series of Miami Heat transactions propelled previously ninth-ranked Miami over Boston in ESPN's latest pecking order.
The Celtics will tip off their hectic schedule Dec. 23 against the second-ranked Milwaukee Bucks. It won't be long before ESPN reassess the NBA landscape again, and the Celtics might have a better ranking next time.
Then again, they might not.
