Toronto Raptors: Eastern Conference playoff predicitons

4. Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are a good team in a very good division, that’s their problem. Their summer was just as hectic as most teams. The Kyrie Irving saga finally came to an end and the Celtics did well to replace him with Kemba Walker, though he is a noticeable downgrade from his predecessor.

Not only did the Celtics lose Irving, but they also lost their defensive anchor, Al Horford, who left in free agency to join the Philadelphia 76ers. His replacement? Enes Kanter. Offensively, it’s okay -not ideal – but okay. Kanter is a better rebounder and finisher around the rim, but Horford is the better player.

On defense is where you really start to notice the difference between the two. Horford is an elite defensive big, while Kanter has proven to be a turnstile at times. The only saving grace for the Celtics in that department is if Horford noticeably regresses this season. In truth, the weakest area of the Celtics game is their big rotations.

Other than that, Jayson Tatum will come back with a great year, and Gordon Hayward will be a lot better than last year. Expect some sort of impact from the Celtics’ crop of rookies too. There’s an optimal reason to believe in Brad Stevens and the Celtics but without a true star, they’ll struggle to get past the likes of Milwaukee and Philadelphia.