Well that’s good news. This team is certainly going to be the favorite in the east given their quality and depth of talent, however there’s no getting around the fact that many of the core players have had their share of recent injury issues. Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving and Daniel Theis all ended last season with injuries. Marcus Smart missed extended time after disagreeing with an inanimate object. Various other players missed time here or there with less significant injuries leading to only three players playing more than 73 games (Aron Baynes, Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum). Heck even their first round draft pick has a complicated injury history that led to him slipping in the draft.
While on paper the Celtics are clearly the best team in the East and in my mind the second best in the NBA, the fact that a number of key players have recently incurred serious injuries is my biggest worry going into the 2018-2019 season. That’s also why this news from Brad Stevens is a relief since I don’t believe it was a given that Hayward, Irving, Theis and even Bob Williams would be full-go for training camp.
Beginning the season at full health is huge and is the first step for the Celtics to reach their full potential. Maintaining that health throughout the season is entirely different challenge and should ultimately determine the ceiling of this group. Only time will tell how that goes and whether this team lives up to the hype.
Check out this NESN article for more of Brad’s thoughts on the team.
Also grab a Kyrie or Hayward jersey before the season starts!
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