In all their years in the NBA, the Boston Celtics had only put together six seasons worse than the one they muddled through in 2013-14. The shattered remains of their former glory were cobbled into a team built to lose games and win ping pong balls in a draft allegedly top-heavy with potential franchise players. But 25 wins and the sixth pick later, the Celtics are setting forth on the slow journey upward.
Their coach, Brad Stevens, having suffered through the punishment of winning fewer games in his first NBA season than he did in his last college season, is a year wiser. Their GM, Danny Ainge, having created a roster that is more “assets” than “players,” is a year closer to angling for a frustrated superstar in a trade or with coveted cap space. Their star, Rajon Rondo, having slogged through the rehabilitation of a torn ACL, is less than a year away from potentially leaving the only team he has known.
The Celtics have a lot of questions going into a season that may not be much better than the last. Here are the five most important things to watch for from the Celtics this season.
1. How will Rajon Rondo play, and will he earn a max extension from the Celtics? You want an instantly heated debate amongst Celtics fans? Ask them if Rondo deserves a max extension.
Rondo can be a polarizing figure in Boston. For proof, look no further than the “controversy” that bubbled from the revelation that he had broken his hand when he slipped in the shower. A lot of people don’t believe his story, and instead choose to believe he hurt it doing something that could have voided his contract (despite there being no evidence to refute his story).
The break in his non-shooting hand is a small setback in what is a pivotal season in Rondo’s career. When he returns, he will have to prove to the team – and the league – that he is indeed worthy of a max contract and all the pressures that come with it.
Can he raise the level of everyone’s play?
Can he be a scorer as well as a distributor?
Can he keep his emotions in check and be the team’s leader?
The last question is perhaps the most important for Boston. There is no doubt Rondo is a tremendous player. He has a solid track record of carrying the Celtics in not just playoff games, but through entire series. Whatever he gets offered as a free agent next summer, it’s going to be a lot of money. But if he wants Wyc Grousbeck to continue signing his paychecks, Rondo needs to be the face of the franchise, much like Paul Pierce was.
Rondo’s relationship with the media can be contentious. But the next step in his growth as a player and leader will require him to face the horde night in and night out and deflect negative attention from teammates. That’s part of the territory when you’re the team’s best player, captain, and – potentially – a $20 million a year guy.
Rondo has repeatedly said he wants to stay in Boston. The Celtics have repeatedly said they want to bring him back. We’ll see if they’re true to their words, and if this season does anything to change either of their minds.
2. How does Marcus Smart fit on this team? Life would have been a lot easier for Celtics fans had this section been about Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker. The team would have had its potential future star catching passes from Rondo and slowly coming along behind Jeff Green. Smart, though, was an eyebrow-raising pick that immediately brought the Rondo trade rumors back to the front burner.
In Smart, the Celtics have a guy who can potentially back up both guard positions. He already has shown that he’s an NBA-ready defender, which means he can be paired up with Avery Bradley to form a nightmare for opposing backcourts. He can also sub for Bradley with no significant drop-off in defensive ability.
But if Smart proves that he’s capable of being a 30-minute player, how long does he stay on the bench? With Bradley already receiving a four-year extension this summer, does Smart’s existence on the roster signal the end of Rondo’s time in Boston? Is Smart himself playing simply to increase his own value so he can be the centerpiece of a trade for high-quality veteran? Or is Smart simply going to be part of a three-guard rotation for the duration of his contract and part of what Ainge hopes is a deep, dangerous bench?
Every team can use a tough defender with a cheap contract. If Smart proves he is a capable contributor as a rookie, the Celtics will have some tough decisions to make.
3. Will this be a breakout season for Jared Sullinger? Sullinger spent his sophomore season playing mostly out of position thanks to a major lack of size on the roster. This season isn’t much better, but the Celtics are hoping that Tyler Zeller, Kelly Olynyk and Vitor Faverani can perhaps combine to handle the center spot. That will leave Sullinger to work on being the big-rebounding stretch-four he wants to be.
There was a time this summer that Sullinger was one of the pieces talked about in a trade for Kevin Love. Now he is hoping to become a sort of Love clone. Sullinger prides himself on rebounding, and he is a big fan of shooting the 3-pointer. He’s also shown an ability to back guys down in the post and use his body well to keep from getting shots blocked.
Sullinger has spent the preseason making a lot of threes. If he can carry that touch into the season and improve on his 27 percent shooting from deep last season, then he will become an important weapon. At his best, Sullinger can be the guy who grabs defensive rebounds, starts fast breaks, then becomes a deep threat as the trailer. He is also an intelligent player who passes very well, and nothing opens up passing lanes quite like being a threat from deep.
A Jared Sullinger who shoots in the low-to-mid 3 percent range from deep will be very welcome. The bottom line, though, is Sullinger simply can’t spend his career shooting in the 20s from long range. He either has to break out as a shooter or make adjustments to his game.
4. What will the new guys bring to the table? The Celtics’ collection of assets this season include Tyler Zeller, Marcus Thornton and Evan Turner .
Zeller is going to get a chance to earn the starting center position, or at least big minutes. The Celtics need size, and he has it. His preseason has been less than stellar – to put it kindly – but he will still get plenty of opportunities, simply because the Celtics don’t have many options. A competent Zeller will really help, especially because it will give the Celtics more options in using Kelly Olynyk.
Thornton, who came over in the same three-team trade as Zeller (a deal that helped facilitate Cleveland’s pursuit of LeBron James and Kevin Love, by the way), has been given the green light to fire at will. And he never has had to be told that twice. He put up 51 shots through his first four preseason games (hitting 22) while playing just over 20 minutes a game. The Celtics have trouble scoring as it is, so having Thornton come in and potentially put up points in a hurry would be a nice weapon to have off the bench.
And then there’s Turner, who is looking to resurrect his career in Boston. Eager to put the past behind him, Turner says Stevens and Rondo have both helped him feel at ease with his role … whatever that ends up being. Turner has been used a lot of different ways this preseason, even playing some point guard for the Rondo-less Celtics. If Turner can play with a clear mind and learn to simply worry about the current play, then the Celtics could have another bench scorer who can help set up his teammates. However, if Turner tries to do too much, he will just end up hurting himself and the team and risks becoming another journeyman ‘tweener whose talent is more tantalizing than tangible.
RELATED: Celtics salaries and analysis
5. How will Brad Stevens progress as coach? Stevens is an impressive guy whose success shouldn’t surprise anyone. He is hyper-focused on the game’s finer details, believing if you can get those right, the rest of the puzzle will snap into place.
It’s hard, though, to focus on the details when you don’t know what they will be. Stevens spent last season learning along with the rest of his young players, and now he’s putting those lessons to use. He already has adjusted his preseason regimen and is looking ahead to next preseason to continuously fine-tune the preparation for an 82-game campaign.
Beyond that, Stevens relates well to his players and seems to reach them when he speaks to them. His rapport with the similarly obsessive Rondo seems solid. He’s already connected with Turner, showing him how “hitting singles” can make him more productive than trying to constantly make the big play. And there isn’t a player who has had anything negative to say about Stevens so far in his brief tenure as coach.
But this is a new season, and some guys are facing new challenges. Rondo and Jeff Green both are playing for contracts, which could change their approaches to games. The backcourt is also very crowded with Rondo, Bradley, Smart, Thornton, Turner and Phil Pressey all competing for minutes. Someone who thinks he deserves time is not going to get the minutes he wants. And what happens if Sullinger can’t hit the threes he loves to take? Will Stevens intervene and tell him he’s done with the long-range bombing?
Those are just some of the new challenges Stevens will face. If he lets any of these situations become distractions, the Celtics could take a step back rather than move forward.
The Celtics can be better than the 25-win team of a season ago if a few things go right. If everything goes right like it did for Phoenix most of last season, the Celtics could be a tough 35-win team that catches people by surprise and makes them pay for taking a night off against them. A 10-win improvement over last season would be impressive for Stevens and his boys. Chances are they will be closer to 30 wins, but a motivated Rondo, plus some guys with the incentive to raise their games and a coach with the ability to connect with his team could push the Celtics past most predictions.
CAN THE CELTICS GET TO 30 WINS? SEE WHAT SHERIDAN SAYS
READ EVERY TEAM’S SEASON PREVIEW WITH OUR INDEX
John Karalis is the co-founder of RedsArmy.com. He is also a frequent contributor to many other NBA outlets and radio broadcasts. You can follow him on Twitter @RedsArmy_John