Henry St. Pierre
Connector Staff

Brad Stevens’ first year as the Celtics’ head coach went as essentially everybody had expected out of a rookie coach. The Celtics finished with an abysmal 25-57 record last year, a season when nobody expected them to contend anyway. The record landed Boston one high draft pick, something the Green aren’t especially used to in recent years.

With the two total picks in the draft, the Celtics plucked highly-praised point guard Marcus Smart from Oklahoma State University, and one-and-done shooting guard/forward James Young from Kentucky. Stevens should be more comfortable this season, and his advanced coaching style should be more comfortable and it should pay better dividends than another 25-57 record.

To further dive into what fans can expect from this season, there are three main storylines to follow.

1) A team full of youth.

There are a few veterans on the Celtics roster, mainly Gerald Wallace and the All-Star,

polarizing point guard Rajon Rondo, but other than that, Boston is a team with its eyes set on the future. This is why the C’s scooped up Smart, and also selected Young from an always-talented Kentucky system.

They already have Jared Sullinger, a rebound-machine that can also score if he needs to, as evidenced by a 31-point game he had this past season. Kelly Olynyk is another power forward/center, but many think he can’t be a starter at either position because of his lack of true physicality and incapable defense. He should still be effective when he comes off the bench.

It is fair to assume Rondo could be moved this season because of Smart. If Rondo isn’t ready for the season opener, and Smart steps in and shines, it is more of a reason to trade him. The Celtics set their eyes on the future when they dismantled the Big Three, and they got their first-round picks, and we’ll get to see the youth this season.

2. Offensive and rebounding inefficiency

The Celtics don’t have a number one scorer anymore. It used to be Paul Pierce, back when he would average 20 points a game. They thought they had another scorer come to town when they traded (and then signed) Jeff Green, but his performance thus far in Boston has been underwhelming. That’s why the Celtics went for scorers this offseason. They signed Evan Turner, who has shown he can be a scorer and playmaker with an ability to play three positions (both guards and small forward.) Marcus Thornton is a veteran shooting guard who can come in in place of Avery Bradley off the bench and score in bunches. Young is  definitely going to be a points-machine, but he is still young and his talent is too raw to be able to expect a significant impact on the team this season.

Another issue with the Celtics is their lack of rebounders, with the exception of Sullinger. The only other players on the roster who can rebound decently and get a hand on the boards are Tyler Zeller and Brandon Bass. Other than that, the Celtics are a small team.

3. Possible playoff team

The Eastern Conference is child’s play in comparison to the Western Conference. It’s very possible to get into the playoffs in the East with a sub-.500 record, which is why the Celtics could realistically sneak in as a lower seed. The combination of electric young talent with poised veterans could mean more wins than people imagine for this team.

The top of the East is most likely going to be Cleveland, Chicago, Washington, Miami, Charlotte, Toronto, but after that, the list gets hazy. There’s no reason why the Celtics can’t sneak in if the players can thrive under Stevens, who should be much more confident having his rookie campaign under his belt.