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The 2020-21 NBA season is a few weeks away and training camp is underway and the Boston Celtics have retooled for another deep playoff run. While Gordon Hayward has left to join the Charlotte Hornets, Boston has an impressive core group that consists of Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart. We’ll have to see whether Boston’s new role players will be enough to get them to the NBA Finals. Here we’re going to take a look at the Celtics’ offseason, plus look ahead to the 2020-21 season.
2020 offseason
Key additions
Jeff Teague, PG (free agency)
Aaron Nesmith, SF (draft)
Payton Pritchard, PG (draft)
Tristan Thompson, C (free agency)
Key losses
Gordon Hayward, SF (sign-and-trade)
Brad Wanamaker, PG (free agency)
Enes Kanter, C (free agency)
2020-21 odds
Title odds: +1300
Win percentage: O/U 63.5
Jayson Tatum MVP odds: +2000
Marcus Smart DPOTY odds: +3000
2020-21 roster
Depth Chart
PG: Kemba Walker, Jeff Teague, Payton Pritchard
SG: Marcus Smart, Aaron Nesmith, Jeff Teague
SF: Jaylen Brown, Aaron Nesmith, Grant Williams
PF: Jayson Tatum, Grant Williams, Semi Ojeleye
C: Daniel Theis, Tristan Thompson, Robert Williams III
Roster battles
Backup PF: Grant Williams vs. Semi Ojeleye
6th man: Jeff Teague vs. Tristan Thompson
Fantasy basketball
Best Sleeper
Aaron Nesmith — The departure of Gordon Hayward has opened up a world of possibilities for Nesmith. He’s arguably the best pure shooter in this year’s crop of rookies and is positioned to be the top backup option at shooting guard and small forward. The Celtics like to surround Kemba Walker with length, so I could see the 6’6” Vanderbilt product becoming a rotation player and getting open shots because of the attention Walker and Jayson Tatum attract. If Nesmith is as lethal as he was in college from deep in the NBA, he could have some monster games.
Likely Bust
Daniel Theis — Tristan Thompson’s news deal is bigger than Theis’s, so there’s a chance the former Cleveland Cavalier could bulldoze the incumbent from the starting center spot. Thompson can’t quite stretch the floor like Theis but is a much better rebounder and enforcer in the painted area. The arrival of Thompson and the emergence of Robert Williams III could cut into Theis’s minutes.