The Boston Celtics managed to make the NBA Finals during the 2021-22 season, though they ultimately lost to the Golden State Warriors. Their inexperience showed on the highest stage, and they had nobody on the roster that has won a championship in the past.
There is no doubt that the Boston Celtics will be among the contenders once again next season. They could potentially get to the Finals once again based on the talent currently on their roster.
Marcus Smart Thinks Celtics Depth Was A Problem Last Season
This summer, we saw the Indiana Pacers trade Malcolm Brogdon to the Boston Celtics. There were times when the team clearly needed some production from the bench both during the regular season and the playoffs. Brogdon should address that issue, as he is expected to play the sixth man role for the team.
Marcus Smart has recently admitted that the team’s lack of depth was “one of the big things that hurt us”. The Boston Celtics notably played a tight rotation to turn things around after a poor start to the regular season, which is why their core may have been exhausted by the time they were in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Jared Weiss of The Athletic relayed the news.
Ime Udoka had to shore up his rotation to get the Celtics’ season back on track, but the consequences eventually revealed themselves and it was apparent coming into free agency that the impressive core at the top of the depth chart needed more help.
“I think depth was one of the big things that hurt us,” Smart said. “You had me, Jayson (Tatum), Jaylen (Brown) and our starters playing, clawing (up the standings) and we did it to ourselves.”
That’s been the common refrain from his teammates as they’ve looked back at what went wrong at the very end.
The Boston Celtics have all the talent needed to win a championship on their roster right now. They are a top-tier defensive team that also has some elite offensive players, and hopefully, they are able to deliver next season. The Boston Celtics will become the winningest franchise of all time with 18 championships if they end up winning next year.
Though there will be other good teams in the Eastern Conference, such as the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets, the Boston Celtics definitely have a good chance of getting back to the Finals. Marcus Smart’s defense and leadership will be key to that happening, and we’ll see if they are able to avenge their defeat in the 2022 Finals in the future.
