Boston's season turns on whether Jayson Tatum and Paul George can carry the load Tatum used to split with Jaylen Brown, who went to Philadelphia this summer. The supporting cast says yes; the availability column says not yet.
The case for yes starts with the players who stayed.
Boston went 56-26 last season with a 120.0 offensive rating and a 111.7 defensive rating, and Tatum appeared in only 16 games. The regulars carried it: White played 77 games, Pritchard 79, Hauser 78, Queta 76. The five of Pritchard, Hauser, Queta, White and Brown posted +17.9 across 35 games, 200 minutes in all. Four of those five are still here. Brown's spot is the one George has to fill. CelticsBlog's Ryan Paice argued the Hauser-Queta group already makes an early case to start.
George's debut was loud, and it was one game.
George put up 38 in his first game as a Celtic, after averaging 17.3 points in 30.7 minutes last season while shooting 39.2 percent from three. MassLive's Souichi Terada wrote that the performance hints at Boston's ceiling. What the 38 does not prove: Boston still lost 113-121 at Detroit, and CelticsBlog's Nirav Barman pinned that loss on a failure to rebound. George is 36, in his 16th season, and played 37 games last year.
The case for no is availability, and the questions about the man at the top.
Tatum averaged 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists last season, in 16 appearances. Boston.com reported that Vince Carter questioned whether Tatum can deliver as the No. 1 option, and that Bill Simmons called his opener terrible. One power ranking dropped Boston from 4th to 21st in a week, which is a lot of movement for a single game. The margin for patching holes is thin: the payroll is $198.7M against a $200.4M tax line, and Devin Carter, sidelined by illness, is projected back November 8.
The answer is yes, with one condition, and the condition is health.
The structure holds. The core of last season's best lineup returns, and that team ranked second in offense with Tatum missing most of the year. Talent is not the issue; 38 points and a 21.8 average settle that. What matters is whether two players who appeared in 16 and 37 games last season can stay available. If they can, the Detroit loss will read as a rebounding problem, not a verdict. Friday's home opener against a Knicks team that went 53-29 last season is the first chance to find out.
What did the Celtics get for Jaylen Brown?
Boston traded Brown to the 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
Are the Celtics over the luxury tax this season?
No. Boston's payroll is $198.7M, just under the $200.4M luxury tax line, which leaves little room to add salary.
