1 advantage the Toronto Raptors have over Knicks, Celtics, 76ers
By Mike Luciano
Celtics: Developing young players
The Celtics may have built a win-now roster around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but years of Danny Ainge stockpiling have left Boston with tons of former first-round picks dotting their bench. Outside of Robert Williams, very few of them are becoming the players the Celtics hoped they would evolve into.
Grant Williams has been solid, but not a game-changer. Payton Pritchard has taken a major step backward with the arrival of Dennis Schroder. Romeo Langford is still averaging just 5.0 points per game in his third season. Aaron Nesmith can barely get on the floor in his second season.
The Toronto Raptors are getting more contributions from young players.
Not only has Scottie Barnes emerged as a ROY favorite and a legit offensive weapon, but he’s had a ton of success against Ime Udoka and Boston. Barnes has scored 20 or more points six times, and three of them have come against the Celtics. Dalano Banton might not be setting the world on fire, but he’s become an established role player as a rookie.
Even Trent Jr. has become a near-elite shooter at age 22.
Boston will win games on the strength of the Brown-Tatum duo alone. However, if role players continue to disappoint, Toronto could be able to slide ahead of them and continue a disappointing slide down the standings in Brad Stevens’ first season as an executive.