Knicks’ division rival continues to lose edge after latest report
A year ago, the New York Knicks weren’t in a very favorable position while the Celtics had clawed themselves to the NBA Finals behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Boston was one game away from making it back to the Finals for a second straight year, but the Celtics collapsed after winning three straight games to tie the series at 3-3.
Before the start of the 2022-23 season, Ime Udoka was suspended for the entirety of the season for “multiple violations of team policies.” Joe Mazzulla stepped in as the interim head coach and was named head coach at the start of All-Star break when the Celtics sat in first place in the East with a 42-17 record. Boston finished the regular season in the No. 2 spot behind Milwaukee with a 57-25 record.
The Celtics advanced past the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs and then eliminated Joel Embiid and the Sixers in the semifinals. Boston’s luck ran out in the ECF against Jimmy Butler and Miami. In Game 7, Brown led the Celtics with only 19 points and he shot 8-of-23 from the field while Tatum had 14 on 5-of-13 shooting. Miami shot 50% from three (14-of-28) while Boston shot only 21.4% (9-of-42).
Brown is eligible to sign a five-year supermax with the Celtics over the summer, but given how he played against the Heat, the odds of that happening have taken a dip. The idea of a trade happening this summer isn’t as far-fetched as it once was. That isn’t the only dilemma that Boston is faced with.
According to Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn (subscription required), Celtics assistant coaches Ben Sullivan, Aaron Miles, and Mike Moser are expected to go to Houston to join Udoka’s staff. Udoka was named the Rockets’ head coach on Apr. 25.
Knicks’ rival expected to lose three top assistant coaches to Rockets
In March, the Celtics lost assistant coach Damon Stoudamire, who was named head coach of the Georgia Tech men’s basketball team. Then there was Will Hardy, another assistant coach who was named head coach of the Jazz last offseason. All in all, the Celtics are expected to lose five assistant coaches in a year.
Moving forward, Boston is a far different team than it was in 2021-22. Tatum isn’t going to go anywhere, but Brown could either this summer in a trade or next summer in free agency. Even after his shaky playoff performance, several teams would jump at the opportunity to add the 26-year-old to their roster.
The offseason is always a time for uncertainty, but that’s especially true for the Celtics. The dominoes continue to fall. Will Jaylen Brown be next?
