Boston Celtics Season Review 2022-23

Record: 51-31                      Conference Standing: 5^th in the East

Every year since the inauguration of the NSL, the Celtics have been building, steadily and gradually improving through drafting and with subtle acquisitions through trade. While they�re still in their adolescent stage, the Celtics roster is as exciting on paper as there is in the league. Instead of entering the upcoming season as a question mark, the Celtics will be rated as one of the best in the league.

Prior to 2022-23, GM Toby was more than happy and willing to lose. A neutral observer might in fact think he actually enjoyed it. The active GM clearly had a blueprint in mind when constructing his roster, regularly seeking out draft picks and moving off of guys who might make their rise too premature. Now, Boston have a roster with 2 genuine young superstars and a number of additional players with tremendous upside.

Last season was the first time we have seen the hand of Boston management forced to compete. The internal growth was so significant there was literally no way to steer the team to a negative record with all the tools at their disposal. And believe me, if there was a way (legally), it would�ve been explored.

With new found purpose, the Celtics climbed the power rankings, establishing themselves as a top tier Eastern Conference contender and one of the 11 teams in the competition to crack the 50-win mark for the season.

Season Highlight/ Season Lowlight: The playoffs

For the first time in Boston Celtics history they would be heading to the playoffs. The duo of Jayson Tatum and Darius Garland was undeniable and good enough to finish out of the play-in race in the 5^th seed. The Eastern Conference was loaded at the top with 4 teams above Boston clearing high-50s in the win column with the Wizards taking the top spot eclipsing 60. Therefore the 5^th seed and below would always be landing a tough first round match up and the Celtics would face the daunting prospect of a series against a full-strength New York Knicks outfit.

The excitement was high from the NSL purists who gave the Celtics a genuine shot at advancing. Many anticipated a long, 5+ game series and some gave Boston the edge to win as their young stars continue to shine through the back end of the season. The Knicks however looked a formidable adversary and with Leonard at full strength, the league would see exactly how good they could be.

Game one set the tone for the series. A high scoring 131-138 result made for quality viewing as Leonard and Tatum went toe-to-toe willing the teams on. Depth proved to be the ultimate challenge as the game went on with the Knicks taking advantage during bench minutes. The Knicks would outwill the young Celts in game one giving the fans a preview as to what might come.

The remainder of the series saw the motif of experienced vs inexperienced continue both on the court and at the controls. Smokey, a seasoned playoffs GM with a contending roster seemed to hold all the cards and answered any adverse moves with poise. His depth, and vetted stars held their nerve in all 4 games, responding to the challenge when pushed. The final 3 games were double digit wins for the Knicks with the young Celtics running out of answers as the series went on.

Among many silver linings for Boston was the performance of their superstar on the big stage. Tatum was the player of the series on the losing team, putting up averages of 35 points, 8 rebounds and nearly 5 assists. He put the league on notice that he could stand up even against the toughest defensive foes.

The lessons were huge for both the playing group and GM about how the standard elevates at the business end of the season. GM Toby no doubt learnt a little about the strategies required in a 7-game series and undoubtedly learnt the value of depth and the need for a variety of role players when you come up against a top end team.

Trading:

GM Toby doesn�t mind a dabble in trade discussions, throwing offers and ideas out on the discord thread that usually leave the recipient violently ill in the stomach. Though their list of official trades wasn�t particularly long in 2022-23, the activity was high. It is important to note that there were a few little add in trades that aided big trades so some of the full deals might be missing a supplementary piece.

Best Trade

Boston Receive: Terry Rozier

Boston Trade: Dorian Finney-Smith

While the deal was not a blockbuster, Boston management cleverly put their cap room to use to acquire a higher rated and more offensive minded gunner in scary Terry. For the minor price of Finney-Smith the return was a useful 6^th man type who can score in bunches and swing the contest in 20 or so minutes off the bench.

 

Other Notable Trades:

Boston Receive: Lonzo Ball (long term injury list), Maxwell Lewis, 2028 1^st round pick (Indiana) and 2025 2^nd round pick (Indiana).

Boston Trade: Terry Rozier

On paper this looks an excellent return for Rozier, however at the time of trading Lonzo ball was and still is sitting on the long-term injury list with another year on the sidelines all but certain. The insurance of a first and second round pick to go with Lewis is a nice addition for the Celtics but the question will be whether it is worth the cost of carrying $20mil in dead money for at least one year. Many Gms don�t understand the importance of every penny on your pay sheet and having $20 million on the sidelines icing up puts your franchise at a significant disadvantage. Perhaps this move is an indication of Boston�s intention to continuing the slow build while his stars mature.

 

Worst Trade:

There were no notable negative trades in 2022-23.

 

Draft:

Always shining in the summer time like the sun, Gm Toby continued the trend of making the most of the draft. Without breaking the exact moves down, he was active in acquiring picks to move around in the first and second round until settling on a pick in the early 20s and multiple second rounders. A Gm like myself doing a synopsis on the draft really won�t do the Celtics justice as I did not follow it in the slightest, but here goes.

Pick 22: Cam Whitmore � This was arguably the pick of the draft and Whitmore looks as though he will be a steal in both the NBA and the NSL. The 6�7 wing has potential at both ends of the floor and his ability to do it all made him the 2023 Summer League MVP. He averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals as he shone in Vegas.

Second Round:

Pick 37: Trayce Jackson-Davis
Pick 59: Terquavion Smith

Once again, the Celts mirrored the NBA Warriors in their recruitment indicating the value he sees in their basketball program. In the past the Celtics have drafted Kuminga, Wiseman and Moody, making Jackson-Davis the 4^th Warrior they have drafted in the previous 3 years.

Fellow Gms saw the Celtics� draft as one of the best in the league, grading them an �A� or above in post draft write ups. Looks like this one might�ve been another home run for Boston.

 

Star: Jayson Tatum

Regular Season Averages: 27 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Post Season Averages: 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.

There is no mistaking that Boston is Tatum�s team. He was their shining light in the playoffs and was one of the few players to show he belonged on the court when the lights shine the brightest. The 25-year-old is a one of a kind player in 2k land and should be the focal point of everything Boston do going forward. Gm Toby appears very aware of this and has assembled a wonderful support cast on the same timeline that should ensure the franchise is at the peak of its powers with Tatum for many years to come.

The franchise is going to be fun to follow in the upcoming season as Garland continues to get his due recognition as one of the best playmakers in the game and his ratings follow suit. Sengun seems the perfect big to form a future big 3 and will enter the upcoming season as a major breakout candidate.

 

Flop: Alperen Sengun

Regular Season Averages: 5 points and 11 rebounds

As touched on, Sengun is a genuine bright spark and potentially the next star big man in the league. His post game is elite and he showed some Jokic flashes throughout last season. Much like the reining MVP early in his career, 2k hasn�t been kind to Sengun. His athleticism ratings perhaps cost him a little against the vetted opponents and he hasn�t quite received the �2k love� required to be a star in the NSL.

Last season Sengun was a bench level big man. His size meant his rebounding numbers were good, however most starting big men recorded hefty rebounding numbers across the league. His scoring numbers were likely related to his tendencies and while he shot above 50%, he simply didn�t shoot enough to get near double digits on a per game basis.

His numbers through the preseason indicate he should be in line for an NSL breakout. In 26 minutes, he averaged 9 points and 8 rebounds on nearly 60% shooting which is a far better output in approximately 5 minutes less. If he is a starter with 30 minutes a game, you would expect to see double-double averages which is more in line with his real-life ability.

 

The Future:

The future looks incredibly bright in Boston. They�re loaded with young stars, picks and prospects who could absolutely boom in the coming season. A player we haven�t mentioned yet who will almost certainly breakout in the NBA is Jonathon Kuminga who has looked sharp in the NBA preseason.

The outlook of a Tatum-Garland led squad with an average age of somewhere between 21 and 23 years old is as promising as there is in the league. Jeremy Sochan is going to be better and likely really useful, Kuminga and Moody will have bigger roles, Deni Avdija just extended and will be a key player in Washington and Whitmore could be really special. The sky really is the limit for Boston.

There�s no way this team isn�t a top 6 side in the East this coming season if it enters as is with no growth. I�m anticipating significant internal growth and for the Celtics to finally become a team to fear in 2023-24.

 

Projected Line Up for 2023-24

C:  Alperen Sengun
PF: Jeremy Sochan
SF: Jayson Tatum
SG: Lu Dort
PG: Darius Garland
Bench: Kuminga, Wiseman, Deni, Moody, Whitmore

Good luck to Gm Toby and his squad for the upcoming season. The Celtics will be a fun follow in the upcoming season as they continue the slow climb to the pinnacle. Will they reach the summit?