Where do they go from here?
It has been ten days since the New York Knicks defeated the defending champion Celtics in six games. The series featured highs and lows for both teams, with the lows mainly felt by Celtics fans. Their superstar forward, Jayson Tatum, dealt with a serious lower leg injury: a ruptured achilles. Soon after the series ended, reports came out that Tatum’s running mate, star Jaylen Brown, had a torn meniscus.
In the blink of an eye, a team that looked like it would be contending this year and years to come may be on the verge of a breakup. That just leaves one question: where do the Celtics go from here? It is a question I will attempt to answer.
Mazzulla
Injuries did derail the Celtics' title hopes, but that was not the only problem. The Celtics run an offense led by Head Coach Joe Mazzulla. Mazzulla Ball features one thing: the three-pointer. The main philosophy: shoot them until you make ‘em, or until we lose.
In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semis, the Celtics shot 60 three-pointers. They only made 15 of them. In Game 2, they went 10 of 40, missing nearly 20 threes in the 4th quarter. What is even more absurd is that the Celtics had a 20-point lead in both of these games, either going into halftime or going into the 4th quarter, but due to poor shooting, they choked their lead away.
Mazzulla’s three-point reliant offense was exposed, and this is not the first time.
Mazzulla’s mentality as a coach is one that I admire, but his offensive philosophy is flawed. Mazzulla either needs to tweak his offensive outlook, or the Celtics need to move on from him.
Jrue, Porziņģis, White, and Al
Father time. You can’t outrun it.
34, 29, 30, 38. These are the ages of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis, Derrick White, and Al Horford. Prime ages for these players if both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had not gotten hurt. However, with injuries, the future is clouded. Jayson Tatum's timeline for return is unknown. Speculation is 9 months, but it could be more. Jrue Holiday and Al Horford’s age was clear in the Celtics' recent series vs the Knicks. Holiday at 34 and Horford 38 means that there is not much time left for them that is productive and impactful. Horford should likely be out the door soon, as his production has dipped mightily. Holiday will likely follow, as the Celtics should trade him with no clear timetable for Jayson Tatum.
As for Derrick White and Kristaps Porziņģis, the future for them is also a bit blurry. Derrick White is thirty years old. He is an incredible three-point shooter and defensive player, but not much else after that. Porziņģis is great when he is healthy, but he is rarely ever. Ideally, the Celtics should keep White because of how talented he is. Porziņģis, on the other hand, should be thrown in a trade with Jrue Holiday for younger talent. If Porziņģis wasn’t always hurt, I’d say keep him, however, that is not the case.
Jayson and Jaylen
We finally reach the dynamic duo, Tatum and Brown. They were placed together when Tatum was drafted in 2017, and despite the many doubters, they were able to win a championship in 2024. Despite the injuries, despite the clouded timetable for return, do not break them up.
Tatum may or may not be the same player coming back from injury; only time will tell. However, the chance that he does come back just as good as before the injury is high, and it would be foolish to get rid of his running mate with whom he plays so well with.
Brown’s injury, while serious, is not as bad as Tatum’s. Brown may not even need surgery. Keep the duo that brought you so much success. It is the only decision.
Closing
It would be unfortunate for the Celtics to have to break up Jrue Holiday, Horford, and Porziņģis, but a lot of good could come from it. Acquire younger, key role players, and the Celtics will be back in title contention once again.
