The Boston Celtics Futures Odds (BetDSI Sportsbook)
Boston Celtics to win the Atlantic Division: -500
Boston Celtics to win the Eastern Conference: +250
Boston Celtics to win the NBA Championship: +800
Boston Celtics Total Win Prediction: Total 55.5 (Over +100, Under -130)
The Boston Celtics experienced an excellent season last year as they finished in the first place in the East and reached the conference finals without problems. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers stopped them with a 4-1 win, and the Celtics missed out on a big final against the Golden State Warriors. Still, their impressive performances showed everybody that Cleveland’s domination in the East could come to an end in the coming years, and in 2017/18, the Celtics will have another chance to steal the conference title from LeBron James and co.
Boston made some big changes to their roster by trading the best player Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving, while they added Gordon Hayward, but lost Jae Crowder who was a part of Irving’s deal. The Celtics added a bunch of young players as a clear intent of looking to the future, but they are arguably weaker than in 2016/17. Still, they are the second favorites to win the Eastern Conference and the biggest one to win the Atlantic Division.
Read on to find out more about the Boston Celtics offseason moves and the 2017/2018 futures and props brought to you by BetDSI Sportsbook. Also, don’t forget to visit our Get More Sports website for more NBA teams season previews.
The 2017/2018 Boston Celtics Roster
Arrivals: Aron Baynes, Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving, Shane Larkin, Marcus Morris, Abdel Nader, Jayson Tatum, Semi Ojeleye, Kadeem Allen, Jabari Bird.
Departures: Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Demetrius Jackson, Jonas Jerebko, Amir Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, Isaiah Thomas, Ante Zizic, Gerald Green, James Young.
The Boston Celtics selected Jayson Tatum with the 3rd pick overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, and the small forward impressed in the NBA Summer League, averaging 18.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 2.3 spg, and 2.0 apg. He spent the previous season with the Duke Blue Devils and averaged 16.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.3 spg, and 1.1 bpg in 33.3 mpg, earning the ACC All-Freshman team and Third-team All-ACC honors. Tatum will serve as Gordon Hayward’s backup at the SF position but will be ahead of Abdel Nader in the pecking order. Semi Ojeleye came to Boston after they selected him with the 37th pick overall and the power forward had a great 2016/17 season with the SMU Mustangs, earning such awards as the AAC Tournament MVP, First-team All-AAC, AAC Player of the Year, and AP Honorable Mention All-American. Ojeleye is listed as the No. 2 option at the PF position behind Marcus Morris, but ahead of Guerschon Yabusele on the depth chart.
Kadeem Allen was selected with the 53rd pick overall from the Arizona University and Jabari Bird with the 56th pick overall from California, but neither of them will play a significant part in 2017/18 and will likely spend time in the G-League. Guerschon Yabusele was the 16th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and after spending the previous season with the Chinese side Shanghai Sharks, he joined the Celtics and will be the No.3 option at the PF position, behind Morris and Ojeleye. Daniel Theis joined from the German team Brose Baskets, and the German international won the domestic titles in last three years and became one of the best players in the country. The 25-year-old center will be the third option at the position, behind Al Horford and Aron Baynes. Abdel Nader spent the last season with the Maine Red Claws and impressed, which helped him to earn the NBA D-League Rookie of the Year, All-NBA D-League Second Team, NBA D-League All-Rookie Team, and NBA D-League All-Star honors. Nader signed a four-year deal with the Celtics, worth of $6 million.
Aron Baynes came to Boston as a free agent and will provide competition to Daniel Theis for the No. 2 center behind the starter Horford. The Australian spent the last two years with the Detroit Pistons but failed to make an impact, so he got the chance for a fresh start with the Celtics. Shane Larkin returned to the NBA after spending 2016/17 with the Baskonia in Spain. Larkin played for the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Brooklyn Nets so far in his NBA career, while last year in EuroLeague, he averaged 14.5 ppg, 5.7 apg, 2.7 rpg, and 1.3 spg in 28.9 mpg for Baskonia. Although he is listed behind Terry Rozier, I believe that Larkin will get more playing time at the point guard, when Irving is resting, of course.
Marcus Morris left the Detroit Pistons in a trade that saw Avery Bradley going the other way, and one of the Morris twins will immediately take the starting PF role in Boston. Marcus played for Detroit in last two seasons, and in 2016/17, he averaged 14.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, and 2.0 apg in 32.5 mpg and is ahead of the rookies Ojeleye and Yabusele in the pecking order. Gordon Hayward decided to quit the Utah Jazz and declined to sign a contract extension in order to materialize his move to the Celtics and try to battle for the NBA title, which is not very realistic with the Jazz. One of the best small forwards in the league made it to the All-Star team in 2016/17 and averaged 21.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, and 1.0 spg in 34.5 mpg. He will be a great reinforcement for the Celtics and perhaps the missing piece of the puzzle in their pursuit of the NBA title.
However, the biggest move of the year is without a doubt a deal between Cleveland and Boston, in which Kyrie Irving moved to Massachusetts, while Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder went to Ohio. The four-time All-Star point guard won the title in 2015/16, and last year, he averaged 25.2 ppg (career high), 5.8 apg, 3.2 rpg, and 1.2 spg in 35.1 mpg. Although he’s a point guard, Irving acts more like a shooting guard, and he has the ability to win the game single-handedly, but the fans doubt that he is an upgrade on Isaiah Thomas, who had an outstanding last season. Still, Irving is one of the best PG’s in the country, and I am sure he will be a huge hit in Boston.
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| Kyrie Irving | Jaylen Brown | Gordon Hayward | Marcus Morris | Al Horford |
| Terry Rozier | Marcus Smart | Jayson Tatum | Semi Ojeleye | Aron Baynes |
| Shane Larkin | Abdel Nader | Guerschon Yabusele | Daniel Theis | |
Demetrius Jackson, Ante Zizic, and James Young didn’t play a significant role in Boston, and they left the team to become free agents. Gerald Green became an unrestricted free agent after a rather unsuccessful second stint with the Celtics, while Jonas Jerebko moved to the Utah Jazz, where he should receive more playing time than in Boston.
Kelly Olynyk signed a contract with the Miami Heat after four years with the Celtics. In 2016/17, Olynyk averaged 9.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 2.0 apg in 20.5 mpg. While he was a pretty decent player and contributor in Boston, Olynyk should get a bigger role in Miami and this season could be a big breakthrough for the Canadian. Another big guy who left the Celtics is Amir Johnson and joined the Philadelphia 76ers following his two-year stint in Boston. The 31-year-old wasn’t a big factor in the offense, but his defensive contribution and presence in the team were quite important. A similar thing could be said for Jae Crowder, who was a part of Irving’s trade and will continue his career in Cleveland. Crowder is a far better in the offense than Johnson, but his defense will surely be missed. In 2016/17, Jae averaged 13.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg (career high), 2.2 apg (career high), and 1.0 spg in 32.4 mpg, but the fans can relax as the Celtics brought Hayward as a direct replacement.
The player who is not replaced yet is Avery Bradley who moved to Detroit in Marcus Morris deal, and the Celtics failed to find the right man to wear his shoes. Bradley had the best season of his career in 2016/17, averaging a career high in points (16.3), rebounds (6.1), and assists (2.2) in 33.4 mpg. Finally, Isaiah Thomas switched Boston for Cleveland in a blockbuster trade with the Cavs, following his fantastic 2016/17 campaign, in which he averaged 28.9 ppg (career high), 5.9 apg, and 2.7 rpg in 33.8 mpg. Irving is a good replacement for him, and the Celtics should not be concerned with Thomas’ departure.
The Bottom Line and Total Win Prediction
Although the Celtics have a quite talented starting lineup with Thomas, Brown, Hayward, Morris, and Horford, their second unit seems a bit thin, and that could be the main factor in their hunt for the NBA championship. There are a lot of rookies and young players on the roster, and I am not convinced they will play a significant role in their first season, so I believe the Celtics cannot reach the NBA Finals this time around either. The bookies believe they will surpass the number of last season wins, though, and the BetDSI Sportsbook set the number of seasons wins at 55.5, but I am not sure they will record more than 52 or 53, so I suggest you go with under on this one.
Season total wins: 55.5 Under (-130)
