The Boston Celtics are now considered an elite NBA team, which means one thing… Bandwagon Fans. For all the new Celtics fans I thought it would be important for you all to have an intro to the team that should be all over national headlines until June. So, let me introduce you to the 2018-2019 Boston Celtics, where winning is the only thing that matters.
Danny Ainge, General Manager: There has been no better GM in the NBA than Trader Danny over the past 10 years where he assembled the 2008 championship team and one of the most prolific “Big 3’s”. He then was able to trick the Nets to trade away every asset they had and would have for the next 6 years for a few expiring vets. This lead to us somehow having Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, and many many more great players. He is known for his phone calls and badgering of other GM’s to try to get the best of them, which he has done time after time. At this point he is calling GM’s pretending to be someone else just so they will take his call.
Brad Stevens, Head Coach: It really is hard to point at another coach in the association and say that he is better than Brad Stevens (except for Greg Popovich of course, which is still a close call in my opinion). Brad is known for his calm demeanor throughout the games, having immense respect for his players and staff but, most importantly, his ATO’s (After Time Out plays). He has won several games off of buzzer beaters or huge comebacks from these plays. He is a wizard when it comes to drawing up these plays. He does one thing that most coaches in the NBA do not, that is that he believes that any single player on his roster can hit the game winning shot. This gives him the flexibility to create a play where the ball could go anywhere on the court, which makes it near impossible for the opposing coaches/players to defend. He also used to coach at Butler University for Gordon Hayward.
Gordon Hayward, SF: As the prodigal son of Brad Stevens, from Butler University, he had huge momentum and expectations going into the 2017-2018 season. Unfortunately, Lebron undercut his alley-oop attempt in the first 5 minutes of the season and his foot turned the opposite way causing him to break his ankle. It was disgusting. And yes, I’m blaming Lebron (that is rule #1 of being a Celtics fan). Going into this season, seeing what his teammates accomplished without him, he is going to be a gigantic factor on this team and will try to contribute in any way that is asked of him. It’s the #CelticsWay.
Kyrie Irving, PG: Point God. Kyrie “Little ‘Uncle Drew’ Mountain” Irving is easily one of the best point guards in the league and at least the most entertaining to watch. He snatches ankles faster than a fat kid grabs a Snickers at fat camp. Not only can he dribble, but he is a phenomenal shooter and is starting to learn the ropes on the defensive end in Boston. His defense has been much improved compared to his tenure with the Cavaliers. He is also a successful movie star now sporting a new hair style and attitude. He has been playing with screws in his knee for a couple of years which has made him upset and extremely uncomfortable while playing. He sat out the playoffs for the Celtics last year in order to get those removed. Now, with a clean conscious and clean knee, his old creativity and imagination should terrify defenders.
Jaylen Brown, SG: The Professor is dunking all over everybody when he’s not teaching lectures at Harvard University. Not only does he already have a long list of Poster Dunks over the likes of Porzingis and others, he has also become a very solid 3-point shooter and defender. His greatest weakness recently has been free throw shooting, which he has said this summer shouldn’t be an issue anymore (thank god). Just like anyone else on this team, he does not care who is on the other side of the ball. It doesn’t matter who is knocking on the door, because Jaylen is the one who knocks. He should be very exciting to watch this season as he goes into his 3rd season.
Jayson Tatum, SF/PF: Taco Jay was one of the best rookies in the league last year and took over the majority of the playoffs, which is pretty unheard of for a rookie. Hell, usually elite rookies aren’t even in the playoffs because they are drafted by bad teams, but when you have a GM like Trader Danny anything is possible. He is expected to take a large leap number wise this year as he finally seems to have the confidence of being “The Man” on the team. Working out with players like Kobe Bryant can only help his mentality. Did I mention he posterized Lebron in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Championship? He did.
Al Horford, PF/C: Father Al is easily the father role on this team. Being 32 years old when the mean age on the team is about 24 years old, his role is extremely important. He, like Marcus Smart, is an invaluable player and stats cannot truly show his impact on the court. He does it all, and he does it all well. Playoff Al is definitely a thing, from blocking Embiid over and over again to posting up and throwing the baby hook. Not to mention his sister Anna will come at you on Twitter if you say anything negative about him, it’s all in the family.
Marcus Smart PG/PF (ESPN would say otherwise): Smart is the blood of the team. He comes through when you need him most in all aspects of the game. He will be the first guy to get into the opponent’s face if you get knocked down, the first guy to get a steal or rebound when its needed most, and the first guy to do a heat check from mid court after making one 3 pointer. You couldn’t ask for a better teammate than Marcus in any sport, let’s just calm down on the heat checks.
Terry Rozier, PG: Scary Terry is probably the most woke player on this team besides Kyrie. He is now the face of Puma and doesn’t intend to wear anything but until the day he dies, which will never come because it’s Scary Terry. Last year it was obvious how much he benefited from playing and training with Kyrie for a year. His handles were extraordinary, and his shooting was more consistent. He is someone who doesn’t like to give second chances to anyone.
Guerschon Yabusele, PF: Yaboosele is all about bench swag and chemistry. The Frenchman is none for his big booty and ecstatic fun personality on the team. He could even be considered the glue to this team if you watch the bench enough during games. He is beloved as much as Celtics fans loved the White Mamba back in 2008. Don’t even get me started with his Bow and Arrow Dabs after he hits a 3 from downtown.
Aaron Baynes, C: Baynging Baynes will be having a “Shoey” in June when we take home the O’Brien trophy for sure. The New Zealand product only cares about two things, fundamentals and effort. He definitely learned these when playing behind “Mr. Fundamentals” himself, Tim Duncan. He never cares about getting dunked on, he always just wants to put him and his team in the best position to defend and win. Best part is that he developed a 3-point shot from the corner just in time for playoffs that really helped us space better against the great defenses that we played against. Looking forward to see that stroke improved and even more consistent in this upcoming season.
Semi “Truck” Ojeleye, SF/PF: Semi Truck might not wow you with where he was drafted in last year or with any of his numbers or minutes. He is purely going to be a rotation player for the rest of his career. But he might end up being the best rotation player to ever hit the court for the Celtics. His defense is a premier asset in this league, shutting down players like Giannis or Simmons in the playoffs when needed most. He is built stronger than an Ox, which is what all of the Celtic’s call him behind the curtains. He is an Ox, in every way. In a league where the majority of teams have elite SF’s, it is important to have someone who can shut them down at a drop of a hat. Did I mention that he will hit 50 more 3 pointers than Ben Simmons this year?
Robert Williams III, PF/C: Boo Butt is easily the biggest question mark on this team. As you might have seen from my previous posts he has a lot of issues with showing up on time, catching flights, or figuring out what’s real or fake. He is our second flat Earther on the team, which could be alarming to most. Luckily the basketball court is always flat. I expect him to provide some real impact in his 10+ minute rotations. He isn’t someone who is expected to be draining 3 point shots or even mid range jumpers. But he is someone who will block your shot into another area code. Excited to see what Father Al and Baynging Baynes teaches him over the next season on and off the court.
By Bennett Yetra
1204 Sports 