Rivals Review: Boston Celtics

To get us through the late-Summer doldrums of the NBA, we’re reviewing teams from around the league and how their offseasons went. 

Boston Celtics

Key Additions:

Baylor Scheierman
Ron Harper Jr

Key Losses:

Svi Mykhailiuk

Offseason Review and 2024-25 Season Outlook:

It’s pretty impressive when a team can win the NBA Championship and then keep everyone. Svi Mykhailiuk is the only player of note (and that’s even a stretch to call him that) not returning to the NBA Champion Celtics. Jayson Tatum and Derrick White got huge extensions. Xavier Tillman, Luke Kornet, and Sam Hauser were re-signed. Kings Legend Neemias Queta was re-signed to a multi-year contract. Celtics ownership and management opened the checkbooks to keep their championship team together. Of course, that may be because Celtics ownership is looking to sell the team, so they won’t actually be the ones paying those contracts or dealing with the second-apron ramifications. Long term, the Celtics may have issues with continuing to maintain the status quo. But for now, credit to the Celtics for keeping the band together.

Even with the full crew coming back next season, it won’t be an easy road to a repeat. Kristaps Porzingis will miss the start of the season after undergoing offseason surgery, and given KP’s injury history there’s reason to wonder how quickly he can return to form. The top of the East will also be better this season. Philadelphia has reloaded with Paul George alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. New York added Mikal Bridges to the already potent Villanova Knicks. And let’s not forget the Milwaukee Bucks are still lurking with that Giannis fella. Add in the Cavs, Magic, and Pacers as young teams hoping to prove themselves, and the East likely won’t be as easy as it was last season. Will the Celtics have enough gas in the tank after a shortened offseason made even shorter by Tatum and White’s Olympic participation?

Why We Hate Them:

Their fans. I honestly have no issues with the Celtics roster, players, or management. But my god their fans are simply the worst. Celtics fans won YET ANOTHER championship, and celebrated by spending the entire summer whining. “Oh Jaylen Brown got snubbed from the Olympics! It doesn’t matter than it was for another Celtic. Oh, Tatum isn’t playing enough! Who cares that the team is winning games?” It reached a boiling point before the gold medal game with Bob Cousy, Bill Simmons, and every other Celtics fan who doesn’t know how to enjoy winning, complaining about Tatum not playing enough, calling for Kerr’s head, and hatching conspiracy theories that Kerr was trying to somehow undermine the Celtics. Again, this was done with no consideration of the fact that Derrick White and Jrue Holiday were playing plenty! Luckily Tatum played early in the gold medal game, and was so appallingly bad on the court that it silenced Boston fans and let us all enjoy the gold medal in peace. Tatum finished the Olympics 0-for-16 on jumpers, just as Celtics fans are now 0-for-18 in celebrating titles with class.