All in all, Boston is coming off one of the more disappointing seasons in recent memory. They were notoriously in cap hell, with a very small window to win a championship. Luckily, they went into last season as the defending champs, which helps cushion the blow of any impending doom.
They lost their best player in a second-round series where they got dominated for the most part, even before the injury. They had to trade away key pieces to their title run due to the tax implications of the second apron.
In terms of a championship window, it is mostly closed with maybe a slight crack because someone forgot to shut it correctly. The outlook of the Celtics is grim, but that does not mean they won’t be competitive.
They still have Derrick White and Jaylen Brown, and their coach is still Joe Mazzulla. Tatum will be back next year, and they have time this season to build up some of their younger pieces. If anything, we are going to find out what kind of organization they have built and how good Mazzulla really is.
Boston Celtics: Over/Under 42.5 (+126/-154)
Last Season: 61-21
Additions: Anfernee Simons
Losses: Jayson Tatum (injury), Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford
Clearly, the book heavily values the losses that the Celtics have suffered to injury and the second apron. However, they won 61 games last year, and going under this line would mean a nearly 20-game drop off. I get it, Tatum is an All-NBA player. Horford and Porzingis complemented their team very well. Holiday was veteran leadership. But this team still has a lot of talent. Simons gives them a boost in scoring with Tatum out. They are very thin at center, but Mazzula is a madman and has not won fewer than 57 games as head coach. 43 wins in a very weak East is child’s play for this team, as different as they may be.
