NBA Season Preview 2019-20: The one reason to watch each and every team

Boston Celtics: The two Jays

Kyrie Irving, Master of Discord, is no longer a member of the Boston Celtics. Neither is Al Horford, which is a blow on both ends of the floor. Neither is Marcus Morris, Aron Baynes or Terry Rozier. After being coronated as one of 2019’s NBA title favorites and unraveling into one of its biggest disappointments, the Celtics have returned to territory they’re comfortable with: as underdogs.

Replacing Kyrie with Kemba Walker ensures the drop-off isn’t as steep and that Boston will remain a playoff team. The optimism around Gordon Hayward is high too. However, no one is picking this team to challenge Milwaukee or Philly for Eastern supremacy. Even on a playoff squad, the focus has shifted back to the young cornerstones of the future, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Last season was a disappointment for both. While Tatum improved on his rookie season statistically, he didn’t break out like many were expecting, falling into a Kobe Bryant-induced pattern of poor shot selection without the mid-range efficiency to back it up. Brown, meanwhile, couldn’t even secure a starting job, starting in just 25 of his 74 appearances as he averaged a meager 13.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, his 3-point efficiency dipped by five percentage points to 34.4 percent.

With Kyrie and Horford gone, Kemba will fill the void as Boston’s leading scorer, but the Celtics need their two Jays to bounce back with statement seasons to prove all of Danny Ainge‘s missed opportunities on the trade market won’t completely come haunt them forever. Watching Tatum make the leap and Brown establish himself as one of the league’s more promising two-way wings will definitely make Boston a team to watch, even if they’re not Eastern Conference contenders just yet.