Rajon Rondo is back, but with looming trade rumors, can he keep the Celtics afloat?
There was a time not too long ago that Rajon Rondo was discussed in league circles as being the best point guard in the NBA. As a “fourth wheel” alongside future Hall of Fame players Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce, he quickly established himself as possibly the best player on the team. After the Big 3 left (Allen in 2012; Garnett & Pierce in 2013), it was evident that this was Rondo’s team first and foremost. Injuries have derailed his last two seasons in Beantown, but he appears to finally be healthy again and ready to go. The question now becomes: is this Rondo’s team now or is he on the way out?
Rumors still are swirling (though not as heavily) that Rondo will be traded, and it’s not as far-fetched as one might believe. Boston drafted embattled Marcus Smart out of Oklahoma State, an NBA-ready point guard who could be the future of the franchise. Many believed this to be the first step out the door for Rondo, but he’s still around. After a failed attempt to land Kevin Love this offseason, the Celtics may have even more of a reason to trade Rondo. However, for now, he’ll stay put until they can find the right trade at the right price (which could be pretty steep for the other team if Danny Ainge gets his way).
Speaking of Smart, the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft had a very good start to his tenure in Boston this preseason. He managed to average a respectable 8.4 points, 4.6 assists and an impressive 2.4 steals per game. Rondo is known for his defense just as much as his assists, and it appears that Smart could fill in nicely from a defensive standpoint while still being able to consistently distribute the ball. Considering the fact that the Celtics don’t currently have a bevy of offensive firepower, Smart could end up improving his assist numbers quite a bit through the years.
Smart wasn’t the only first-round talent drafted by the Celtics this year. James Young out of Kentucky was selected 17th overall by Boston, but he is now hedged firmly behind incumbent Avery Bradley and newcomer Marcus Thornton. Young is a good scorer who can shoot the 3 at a decent rate as well. Thornton was acquired in a three-team trade from the Nets and will provide extremely valuable scoring off the bench for a group that finished 26th in the league in scoring last year. Both players will be key pieces off the bench at different points this year.
During the offseason, the Celtics made moves that brought in Tyler Zeller, as well as Evan Turner as backups. While Zeller may not have played a large role in Cleveland’s offense, he was a clear double-double candidate each night when starting for the injured Anderson Varejao. Now, he’ll be given the opportunity to back up Kelly Olynyk and potentially challenge him for the starting spot if Olynyk starts to slip. Evan Turner is coming off of a failed tenure in Indiana, where he simply didn’t fit as well in their rotation as he did as a starter for the 76ers. Now is the time for Turner to start over and try to maintain a larger role in the rotation this year. If Turner plays anywhere close to how he did in Philadelphia, then he can make a fantastic backup for Jeff Green.
Brad Stevens has a tall order ahead of him, but the Celtics will look to either make a dent in the weak Eastern Conference or challenge for a chance to pick first in next year’s draft. If the Celtics do end up trading Rondo, which will look even more likely every game they lose, then they’ll likely be headed for a very high draft pick. Regardless, they have talent on their roster, but it may not be enough to escape the cellar of the Eastern Conference.
Prediction
The Celtics simply do not have enough pieces in place for a playoff run. Sure, there’s talent abound, and they don’t exactly play in the Southwestern Division, but they would be hard-pressed to challenge the teams on the bubble like the Hawks, Pistons and Knicks. If they can manage to play together as a team and improve their defense (which they should by all accounts), then they’ve got a realistic shot at contending for the 10th spot in the East.
The problem with the Celtics doing well is that they’ve got all of these future draft picks whose spots will depend on where Boston finishes. It would benefit them greatly to lose a lot this year, because their draft picks would then become even more valuable, leaving the table open to endless possibilities next summer with a great free agent class and potentially a great draft class as well. I’m not suggesting that the Celtics tank, but it’s not going to do them a bit of good if they finish with a draft pick around 9 or 10 when they could have a top-3 pick. Expect the Celtics to be just about as bad as they were last year, but probably with about five to seven more wins this time around.
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