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Celtics' biggest roster concern deep into 2023 NBA free agency – ClutchPoints
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Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the Boston Celtics entered the 2022-23 NBA season with one ultimate goal in mind — to win the 18th championship in the history of the franchise. The Celtics felt like they had unfinished business to take care of in the postseason after they fell to Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in six games in the NBA Finals the year prior.
But fast forward to the current day, and it's evident the Boston Celtics fell painfully short of their goal of a championship. Though Boston did put together a comeback for the history books in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals and rallied all of the way back from a 3-0 deficit to force a Game 7 on its own home court, the team collectively laid an egg in Game 7.
So, the Celtics' front office decided to shake up their roster and make a major trade. Back in June, the Boston Celtics completed a blockbuster three-team trade with the Washington Wizards and the Memphis Grizzlies. The Celtics received star seven-foot big man Kristaps Porzingis, the 25th pick in the 2023 draft, and a 2024 protected first-round pick. The Wizards received the 35th pick in the 2023 draft, Tyus Jones, Danilo Gallinari, and Mike Muscala, and the Grizzlies received defensive ace and longtime Celtic Marcus Smart.
Porzingis is certainly the Celtics' biggest offseason acquisition, but he isn't their only offseason acquisition thus far. They also acquired Indiana Pacers forward Oshae Brissett and Toronto Raptors point guard Dalano Banton via free agency.
Even after all of Boston's acquisitions so far this summer, though, the Celtics are still short on players with one very important skill. With all of that said, let's look at the Boston Celtics' biggest roster concern deep into 2023 NBA free agency:
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The Celtics trading Smart and other assets for Kristaps Porzingis was the right move from a basketball perspective. After all, the Celtics received the best player in the trade, and they were also the only team to net a first-round pick in the three-team deal. But just because the Celtics won the trade doesn't mean it wasn't without downsides — namely, the Celtics had to trade away the best playmaker on their roster in Smart, and now the team is really lacking elite playmakers.
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Smart functioned as a borderline elite playmaker with the Celtics during the 2022-23 regular season. He dished out 6.3 dimes per game, a career-high and the highest on the roster by a wide margin, as Jayson Tatum finished second with 4.6 assists per contest.
Smart's playmaking wasn't just great compared to his teammates, though, as when compared to the rest of the NBA, his assists average becomes even more impressive. Smart's 6.3 assists per game average was the 24th-highest in the NBA among all qualified players, and he finished ahead of distinguished playmakers such as New York Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson and Oklahoma City point guard Josh Giddey.
At this juncture, only time will tell if the Boston Celtics will stand pat with their current roster or decide to add more players to the team via trade or free agency. But what's already abundantly clear is that the Celtics should try to add a great playmaker to their roster before the beginning of the 2023-24 NBA regular season.
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