The Boston Celtics have a conundrum
Last Wednesday night, the Celtics bested the Philadelphia 106-99 at TD Garden. Seemingly enough, all went well. Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon each scored 19 points, Jayson Tatum, despite a season-low scoring total, had a near triple-double, and Blake Griffin hit five three-pointers. Yet, the Celtics have deeper concerns to worry about.
Jaylen Brown exited the game in the second quarter after colliding with Tatum on a rebound attempt. Hours later, news broke that Brown had suffered a facial fracture, which will likely sideline him past the All-Star Game.
Point guard Marcus Smart has continued to nurse a severe ankle sprain for weeks. In addition, Robert Williams and Al Horford are seemingly questionable to play every game, and Danilo Galinari, who has missed the entire season from a torn ACL, has no clear return timetable yet.
The Celtics have no problem with depth. Malcolm Brogdon, White, Grant Williams, and Sam Hauser are all excellent players off the bench who have snuck into the starting lineups for an injury replacement. Then there are Griffin, Payton Pritchard, and Luke Kornet, who often don’t crack the rotation but are solid contributors to winning basketball.
However, if the injury concerns persist, the Celtics might have to look forward past this season.
On Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala’s joint podcast, Pritchard expressed wanting a bigger role. The Celtics faithful have always cheered for Pritchard’s impact, but the team seemingly has no room for him to get consistent minutes down the stretch.
Earlier this season, three-point specialist Williams had his team option for next season declined. While this doesn’t necessarily indicate that the Celtics are ready to move on from Williams, it may be a sign of things to come.
Williams is expected to command $18-20 million per year in the free agency market; there’s no reason to expect the Celtics won’t offer Williams a deal, but the Celtics could pass on him if they feel his salary expectation is too high. The Celtics re-signed 36-year-old Al Horford to an extension, so Williams could see his tenure in Boston end.
Regardless of if Williams and Pritchard depart Boston in the free agency market, the Celtics will likely have the depth to remain a contender atop the East.
