Looking back is helpful to a point. Then you have to use that information to inform the future. So I asked the following question of the staff:
Aside from the obvious (Tatum health, Championship) what would
you like to see happen over the course of the next calendar year?
Ian Inangelo
I would really like to see the continued development of Hugo Gonzalez. I think he has a chance to be a star and could be an Avery Bradley/Marcus Smart type of player for Boston. I would like to see what he does with a bigger consistent role alongside Brown and Tatum. He could very much be a starte for the Celtics maybe even by next season.
Mark Aboyoun
I want to see how Jordan Walsh continues to develop. He found a role as a lockdown defender, but is that all he is, or can he be a consistent two-way player? He’s shown he can guard nearly any position on the floor, which is valuable. Now the focus is on how his offensive game develops over the next year.
Robbie Hodin
I want nothing more than to see Anfernee Simons traded. He doesn’t fit in with the identity of the current team, he’s a ridiculously selfish offensive player who has no clue what a good shot is, and he gets attacked mercilessly on defense. I would like to see Baylor take his minutes, and I’d also be curious what we would receive in a trade for him.
Mike Dynon
Who would you say averages more fourth-quarter points, Derrick White or Jalen Brunson? How about White or Anthony Edwards? Doncic? LeBron? Harden? KAT? Durant? According to NBA.com stats as of December 30, the answer, every time, is DWhite (tied for 21st in the league at 6.1 points per Q4).
Joe Mazzulla would correctly tell us no one cares about individual recognition compared to team goals. White probably doesn’t care either. Nevertheless, it peeves me that White is repeatedly overlooked for his contributions. He was famously snubbed from ESPN’s top 100 list a couple of years back. Many critics doubted his selection by Team USA to replace the injured Kawhi Leonard at the 2024 Olympics. He was not voted onto the All-Defense team last season. And this week, despite currently averaging career highs in points and blocks, he did not rank among the top 20 Eastern players in round one of fan All-Star voting. (Worse, several who did make the list are from teams with losing records.)
Celtics fans who watch White every game understand how clutch and valuable he is. While Banner 19 is always the only objective, it would also be very satisfying to see White get his just due on the league level.
Jeff Clark
I can’t wait to see what Brad Strevens does next. This team is a Jayson Tatum away from being a very serious contender. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him this season, but I also don’t want to put an artificial limit on this team either. So either at the trade deadline or in the upcoming offseason I want Brad to do Brad things.
Nobody saw the Derrick White trade coming. Nobody saw the Celtics taking on Porzingis. It seems like there are more surprise moves that can happen and I don’t have the mental capacity to predict who they will be. If I’m wishing upon a star, I’d like the Derrick White version of a big man. I don’t know if that specific kind of unicorn exists, but you never know.
So what are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below. Happy New Year!
