After the Boston Celtics started last season 25-25, they became the most popular team in the NBA during the second half of the schedule, and much of America began to fall head over heels for them.
The love party only got louder in the playoffs when they defeated the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and overcame the Miami Heat to reach the NBA Finals.
Boston lost the world championship in six games to the Golden State Warriors, and it became clear that they needed more offensive firepower, a better bench, and a real point guard and field general.
On Friday, the Celtics took care of perhaps all of those flaws with a couple of clever moves.
They signed free-agent forward Danilo Gallinari, then traded for Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon without giving much.
REPORT: Danilo Gallinari intends to sign with the Boston Celtics, via ESPN. pic.twitter.com/lJXtgDt8Qt
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 1, 2022
The Celtics wanted to get a real playmaking point guard and now they’re acquiring Malcolm Brogdon without costing them a center player. The Pacers get another first-round pick in the deal.
– Adrián Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
Boston now has a team that looks like a true championship contender and has no real weaknesses.
The Celtics are STACKED:
malcolm brogdon
Marcus understands
jaylen brown
jayson tatum
roberto williamsWork table:
Al-Horford
white derrick
grant williams
danilo gallinari pic.twitter.com/ghVOm5NgRU— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 1, 2022
Even if the Milwaukee Bucks remain the favorites to leave the Eastern Conference next season, the Celtics should be considered up there with them.
Gallinari will give Boston some pop off the bench
During the NBA Finals, the Celtics got very little production off their bench and it was a factor in their loss.
His series-highest scoring backup, Derrick White, averaged 9.8 points in 26.5 minutes per game, but shot a measly 32.7 percent from the field.
Although Boston’s starting lineup shot well from 3-point range against the Warriors, their bench, outside of White, gave them virtually nothing in that department.
Gallinari can solve both problems.
He has a career average of 15.6 points in 29.9 minutes per game, as well as a 38.2 percent rushing accuracy from the 3-point line.
He can come off the bench and light it up regularly from the outside while making defenses pay for rushing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Gallinari’s shooting can also open things up for Tatum and Brown to attack the rim more often.
Last season, Boston had to deal with Grant Williams playing off the bench at 4, but he’s just 6-foot-6, and while he’s an accurate outside shooter, he’s not a real type of offensive threat.
Gallinari can help make sure the Celtics don’t lose the lead when Tatum is resting on the bench.
Brogdon is a great acquisition
Throughout their late-season run, it became increasingly clear that the Celtics lacked a true top-level point guard who could not only be a floor general, but also be a legitimate scoring threat.
Brogdon seems to be the answer, even if it’s imperfect.
He has averaged 15.5 points in 30.2 minutes per game over his six-year career, including 19.1 points per game this season, and is also averaging a career 4.8 assists per game.
Brogdon’s 3-point shooting has fluctuated from year to year, but he has made at least 38.5 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc in four of his six seasons.
The concern with him is his durability: He has appeared in at least 70 games in a season just once, and played in a career-low 36 games in 2022.
But if he’s healthy, he could put the Celtics over the top.
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