KEYS TO THE SEASON
With the Celtics tipping off tonight, here are five keys to their season:
A-VERY BIG YEAR
We’ve been big on Avery Bradley since his rookie year, and while he’s established himself as a premier NBA defender, the thinking here is that this is the season he takes his offense to a better and more consistent level. His injury-induced absence in the playoffs showed just how important he is to the attack, and he’s been playing with even more of an edge on that end of the floor this year.
THE HORFORD FACTOR
Getting Al Horford improves the Celtics at that position, whether he’s playing a more traditional center or stepping outside as more of a 4 to let Amir Johnson work the inside. The thing to look for here is how much he changes the floor and how well the rest of the Celts take advantage of it.
MARK THIS DATE: FEB. 23
Ah, the annual in-season trade deadline. There was some uncertainty with this date because it is supposed to fall on the 17th Thursday of the season, but that would be Feb. 16 and before All-Star Weekend. Clubs decided they didn’t want to deal with the prospect of trading All-Stars on the eve of the occasion and thus taking away focus from their spectacle. So now the deadline is back to the traditional Thursday after, and one should expect the Celtics to be very active — at least with talk. Their player and draft pick assets will again make them popular, but as we learned last year, that doesn’t mean anything will get done. The fact that the Celts are willing to discuss major deals still makes this a time to watch closely.
BENCH SCORING
We’re on the record with the belief that Terry Rozier should have played more last year, and now that won’t be an issue. But the Pine People have to be more than Rozier scoring and others struggling for good looks. Marcus Smart has yet to translate his improved shot mechanics into an improved percentage, and it’ll be interesting to see if Gerald Green can be the spark Brad Stevens hopes. The C’s really need Kelly Olynyk to get healthy and be the assertive shooter he was before his shoulder injury last February.
JAYLEN BROWN’S DEVELOPMENT
The big concern with rookies is that they get overwhelmed at times, but while the No. 3 overall pick has gotten lost a few times on defense in the preseason, he appears capable of handling himself well. And with his approach to work, we fully expect him to show demonstrable growth month by month.