Don’t waste youth with the young.
There’s a natural reaction in the playoffs to shorten your rotation — you want to play your best players the most when it matters most. Mazzulla started trimming his lineups towards the end of the regular season from 10ish to 8ish in anticipation of the postseason.
But not until late into the Celtics’ collapse did the team realize that was a mistake or maybe better put, that wasn’t their identity.
Through eight straight wins to start their back-to-back bid, the Thunder went nearly 10-11 deep in their undefeated
run before the Western Conference Finals. That may partly be because they’re beating the brakes off of the Suns and Lakers, but more likely, it’s because they’ve fostered a Stay Ready mentality from top to bottom.
Out of necessity, Mazzulla employed a similar strategy during the 82-game marathon of a regular season, but at least to start their series against the Sixers, shortened his rotation. However, by Game 7, he was starting the backend of the bench in Game 7 — a move many fans thought he should have made from the beginning.
With the off-season in mind, Stevens should embrace that mindset in building out the roster again. There will be an instinct to turn nickels, dimes, and quarters into dollars. However, if this CBA era has taught us anything, it’s that youth and depth is a premium not just for the regular season, but for the rigors of every 48-minute battle of the NBA Playoffs war. Whether they’re still on their rookie deals or have team options for next season, the Celtics have nine players that could be making under $3 million next season. Some might not return, some might be included in a trade, but Brad needs to beware of an empty cupboard come training camp next September.
But don’t forget the old dogs.
Tobias Harris was on one. The 14-year veteran was Detroit’s second-leading scorer for a Pistons core of 24-year-old Cade Cunningham, 22-year-old Jalen Duren, and 23-year-old Amen Thompson. In Game 1 against the Spurs, Alex Caruso (age 32) scored 31 points and defended Wemby well in stretches. Landry Shamet was a +25 in the Knicks’ 22-point comeback last night.
The 2024 championship season certainly belonged to the Jays and Brown and Tatum are still the foundation of the franchise at age 30 and 28 respectively. However, it was the collective experience of Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis that helped raise Banner 18. You have to think that if one of those guys was still on the team against Philly, Game 7 swings our way.
Despite the early exit, one of the silver linings of the regular season was the breakout years of Luka Garza (28), Baylor Scheierman (26), Ron Harper, Jr. (26), Jordan Walsh (22), and Hugo Gonzalez (20). Mazzulla will need to lean on that young depth again, but entering free agency armed with a hefty TPE and the non-taxpayer MLE, Stevens will have an opportunity to add a player or two this summer and he shouldn’t be concerned leaning on some old dogs. They may not be able to learn new tricks, but if they can consistently add a different element to the young mix, there’s 15-20 minutes a night for a seasoned pro.
We might need a center.
Victor Wembanyama. Isaiah Hartenstein. Chet Holmgren. Karl-Anthony Towns. Jarrett Allen. Evan Mobley. Jalen Duren.
We should expect to meet any and all of those big men in next year’s march through the playoffs. And let’s not forget how Joel Embiid revealed just how much the Celtics lacked a consistent big man against him in their first round elimination.
Both Neemias Queta and Luka Garza were revelations during the regular season and Nikola Vucevic had his ups and downs in his injury-plaqued time in Boston and even he, the steady vet that has averaged 22 and 11 over 12 seasons, couldn’t add consistency to the center position. With how dominant seven-footers have been so far in the postseason, it’s a chilling reminder just how much Boston misses Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet.
The knee jerk reaction has been to ramp up the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade debate and maybe that’s the play. Maybe there’s a trade for a big that doesn’t include Jaylen Brown. What’s certain is that the 5-spot might be Boston’s #1 priority this summer.
