A lot has changed for the Boston Celtics in the last two months.
Jayson Tatum’s status for next season is very much up in the air after suffering a torn achilles in the playoffs, the team failed to repeat as champions and exited in the second-round of the postseason, and Boston has traded away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.
Additionally, the team is not in pursuit of bringing back Al Horford, and Luke Kornet signed with the San Antonio Spurs, leaving the current Celtics a shell of their former selves.
Many analysts and pundits have put in their two cents on the Celtics’ offseason up to this point, with The Athletic’s John Hollinger being one of their biggest critics, naming Boston as one of the ‘losers’ of free agency.
“We knew the Celtics would be taking a step back this year, but yikes,” Hollinger wrote. “Jrue Holiday, Porziņģis and Luke Kornet are gone, Al Horford seems like he might be next, and the Celtics still are looking at deals to trim salary further.”
Hollinger added that next year is essentially wide open for the Celtics in a year without their best player, and that the team could continue to re-tool the roster until his return.
“Everything is on the table in a “gap” year while Jayson Tatum rehabs a torn Achilles. Newcomers Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang shouldn’t get too comfortable, and what would it take for you to drive off the lot with a lightly used Baylor Scheierman?,” he said.