20 Celtics predictions for 2020 & beyond - Kemba vs. Kyrie in playoffs

We took a closer look at many of the questions the Celtics need to answer in 2020. Now, let's try answering some of those decisions with 20 predictions to kick off 2020. 

The Celtics finish with the second seed in the Eastern Conference: The Celtics begin the new year with the second-best point differential in the league and they’ve done that while overcoming all kinds of injuries to their core. While the Eastern Conference race for 2-6 seeds is as packed as ever, there is more talent and chemistry on this Celtics roster than the rest of the pack.

Two Celtics make the All-Star team: Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Kemba Walker will all have strong All-Star cases but only one of Tatum/Brown will get the nod from coaches next month. The return of a healthy Gordon Hayward will help deflate the scoring numbers enough of Brown or Tatum to take away a spot from one of them. Tatum has the inside track for now due to his defense and shot creation ability but another strong month from Brown from an efficiency standpoint could earn him the edge.

Gordon Hayward picks up his player option for $34 million in 2020-21: A host of injuries during this season along with some stellar individual production may tempt the 29-year-old to opt-out. However, Hayward’s desire to win somewhere will limit his options on the open market due to a lack of cap space among contenders. The Celtics won’t make a lucrative enough offer to get him to opt-out and take a long-term deal for a sizable pay cut so Hayward opts in and elects to revisit a more player-friendly free-agent market in the summer of 2021.

Enes Kanter opts out of his $5 million player option and signs elsewhere in summer of 2020: The plan in coming to Boston for the Turkish big man was always to have a strong season to set up another sizable payday. Kanter’s playing time may be limited wisely in Boston but the production he is putting up on the boards along with encouraging on/off splits has him playing the best basketball of his career. Look for him to cash in with a long-term pact somewhere. The Celtics will only be able to offer him mid-level money and I bet they hesitate at making a long-term commitment to him given the other alternatives at the position.

The Memphis pick conveys to the Celtics in 2020: The Grizzlies are playing fun basketball under new head coach Taylor Jenkins and their blue-chip prospects (Jaren Jackson, Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke) all look like keepers. With the incentive to get rid of the pick obligation now before it becomes unprotected in 2021, Memphis fights hard to the finish line and finishes with the 10th worst record in the NBA. With no lottery luck, the Celtics get another late-lottery pick for their stash in 2020.

Boston does not use all three of its first-round picks on draft night: The Celtics could have as many as 13 players under contract for next season heading into this summer and that does not include two-way players like Tacko Fall or Tremont Waters that will be looking for spots on the 15-man roster. Given the team’s focus on contending in the present, bringing in three more rookies just does not make sense for the team’s current trajectory. Whether it’s a consolidation of picks for an elite prospect or trading a current pick for a future one, look for the front office to have another busy draft night of dealing.

Brad Wanamaker re-signs with the Celtics for two years, $5 million in July: The second-year guard has been a reliable security blanket off the bench for Brad Stevens after a year of waiting patiently for his chance. Wanamaker will never amount to more than a bench player in the league at age 30 but he should be a useful third point guard that can be trusted for the coaching staff over the long-term in spots. The Celtics reward him with some security and a small raise for his impressive play this year.

The Celtics pick up Daniel Theis’ $5 million team option in June: The two-year, $10-million contract the German signed last offseason looked like a bit of an overpay at the time that could ultimately become useful as matching salary in a trade. Theis has quickly turned himself into a bargain signing after a big bounce-back year from injuries. His defense in the middle has helped solidify the C’s as a top-5 defensive unit and he’s staying out of the way on offense while opening up opportunities for his teammates. Barring a big trade, he looks like the starting center in Boston for the long-term.

The Celtics guarantee Semi Ojeleye’s $1.75-million contract for the 2020-21 season in June: The third-year forward signed a team-friendly four-year contract after he was taken in 2017. While his opportunities have been limited over that time, he has shown steady improvement as a 3-point shooter this season, knocking down a career-high 37.8 percent from beyond the arc through December 31st. If Ojeleye can maintain some league average 3-point shooting combined with his defensive ability against strong bigs like Giannis Antetokounmpo, it gives him an important role on this roster.

The Celtics make an addition at the trade deadline or on the buyout market but it’s not a big man: The return of Rob Williams in January combined with some strong play by Grant Williams over the next month convinces the front office that they are best off rolling with what they have in the middle. Instead, the C’s end up searching for a stretch shooter or shooting wing to bolster the spacing with the second unit on the trade or buyout market.

Vincent Poirier will not be on the Celtics at the end of 2020: The French rookie is under contract through the end of 2021 but he becomes a victim of the numbers game at some point in 2020. With so much promising young talent under contract and a crowded depth chart at the center spot, Poirier will need to show he can be productive enough on the floor to stick around. It’s hard envisioning him getting that chance in Boston on a contending squad so the guess here is that he will be traded at some point to open up a roster spot for a more pressing need.

Carsen Edwards spends the majority of the rest of 2019-20 season with the Maine Red Claws: The front office was very high on the rookie out of summer league, giving him one of the biggest deals in NBA history for a second-round pick. After throwing him to the wolves in the first two months of the regular season, the results have not been promising, particularly from an offensive standpoint. Instead of letting him get buried at the end of the bench, he spends the rest of his season honing his game with big minutes in Maine to rebuild his confidence level and while being put in a better position to contribute for 2020-21.

Tacko Fall signs another two-way deal with the Celtics for 2020-21: The Celtics like the progress the 7-foot-6 center makes with the Red Claws but don’t have the roster spot to offer him a permanent spot with the big club next summer. While Fall gets training camp invites to sign with other squads, he elects to continue with the C’s in hopes of gaining more comfort with their system with the goal of making the roster in 2021.

Jayson Tatum signs a five-year max extension in July: With his first All-Star appearance under his belt, the Celtics roll out a very lucrative extension offer for the 21-year-old this summer. Tatum joins Ben Simmons and Jamal Murray as recent players to sign a five-year max extension.

Kemba Walker outplays Kyrie Irving in a first-round playoff series: If the Celtics take care of business and lock down the No. 2 spot, they look to be on a collision course with the Nets who are currently 2.5 games ahead of the Magic for the No. 7 seed. The injury status of Kyrie Irving remains murky for the present but the odds are he will be healthy enough to be back for this matchup barring some sort of surgery on his shoulder. Walker will be able to take his game to a new level with a superb supporting cast and send Irving and the Nets packing in what would be must-see TV for the NBA’s first round.

Javonte Green loses out on a roster spot to a rookie next season: The Celtics have the bouncy 15th man signed under contract through next season but that salary is unguaranteed. Green has been a breath of fresh air on and off the floor for this team but his limited outside shooting along with the emergence of Romeo Langford costs him a spot on the wing. He should get another chance in the NBA with another team or may head back overseas for bigger money.

Tremont Waters earns a roster spot for the 2020-21 season: The Celtics were ecstatic about landing Waters in the second round last June and having a year to groom him under the guidance of a savvy coach in Darren Erman up in Maine. With Waters putting up impressive numbers up north, the Celtics will need to offer him a roster spot with the big club to keep him around next year and fend off opportunities with other clubs. Waters will continue spending time on assignment with Maine in 2020-21 but he will also serve as a change-of-pace guard at the end of the C’s bench.

Grant Williams turns into a 34 percent 3-point shooter next season: The early results from the perimeter have been ugly for the No. 20 overall pick but Williams has been respectable from 3-point range (5-of-16) after breaking the ice from his 0-of-25 slump to begin the year. His consistency will be an issue for the remainder of this campaign but an offseason of hard work combined with more experience will turn Williams into an acceptable stretch big for this team next year, a huge asset for this team going forward given his low price tag and high defensive IQ.

The Celtics’ TV ratings will be up substantially on NBC Sports Boston compared to last season: The good vibes and success of this team combined with the hoopla surrounding Tacko Fall should turn fan interest in the region way up on this group. With the Pats’ postseason run potentially coming to an end before the Super Bowl for the first time in four years, more of the region will turn their attention to the C’s (and B’s) earlier than usual.

Brad Stevens finishes in the top-3 in Coach of the Year voting: After the worst coaching job of his Celtics career in 2018-19, Stevens has bounced back tremendously in 2019-20, maximizing his new personnel while also developing youth on the path to an impressive record. After the Celtics finish with the third-best record in the NBA, Stevens’ name gets rightfully placed in the mix for the Coach of the Year conversation by helping turn Boston back into a contender ahead of schedule.

The Celtics make the NBA Finals in one of the next two seasons: Injuries will be the caveat to this prediction as always but the Celtics have the trade ammo to put themselves in position to get out of the East during one of the next two seasons. It remains to be seen when Danny Ainge will cash in on his draft picks/young talent but the core pieces on this team along with Stevens’ coaching is putting this franchise in a great spot to make a deep run whenever the necessary reinforcements arrive.