Jayson Tatum has continued to grow into an MVP-like candidate for the Boston Celtics this NBA season, but Boston continues to have struggles on the court. Other All-Star Jaylen Brown has only played in about half of the Celtics’ games this season due to injuries, but this team still seems to have a major depth problem.
Last season, Boston’s bench was one of the worst in the league, ranking 28th in the league in scoring, and so far this year, they are not much better.
Dennis Schroder, Josh Richardson and Enes Kanter were all big additions for this team in the offseason, but the Celtics are only averaging 26.6 bench points per game this year, which is the second-worst mark in the league.
This is definitely a big concern for the Celtics right now, even if they are one of the better defensive teams in the league. The NBA is dominated by high-level offensive players right now and while the Celtics do have two of said players in Tatum and Brown, the overall depth of this team is a major talking point moving forward.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Shooters For Celtics To Target Before NBA Trade Deadline
When everyone is healthy, which has been rare this season, the Celtics’ starting lineup usually consists of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Robert Williams, all of which combine to average about 79.8 points per game.
This equates to almost 75% of Boston’s total scoring per game and “on the bench,” Dennis Schroder and Josh Richardson have combined for about 24.7% of the team’s total scoring on the season.
Finding ways to get more from the rest of their team is going to be essential for the Boston Celtics this season, especially if they are to make a deep playoff run like they are hoping for. Right now, the only way this seems plausible is if the Celtics make a big move at the trade deadline, something Brad Stevens and this front-office may not be shy about.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Shooters For Celtics To Target Before NBA Trade Deadline
Stevens made some statement moves in the offseason, moving both Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker, which is why he could once again look to make another big move for this roster.
Do the Celtics have the ability to make some big trades ahead of this season’s trade deadline? Let’s take a look at three players Boston could target, as proposed by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, and evaluate whether or not the Celtics should “pass or pursue” said trade targets.
