After a busy offseason, one of the Celtics' greatest strengths this upcoming year will be their depth. However, this same strength forces the Celtics to make some tough decisions before the start of the regular season. The Celtics currently have 18 players fighting for 15 roster spots. Their draft picks and free agency signings should lead to some tight battles for spots on the roster.
When the Celtics lost to the Hawks in the playoffs last year, the team's biggest weakness was exposed: three-point shooting. The search for some consistency from deep will start with the battles on the wing during training camp as RJ Hunter, James Young, and the recently signed Gerald Green compete for minutes and ultimately a spot on the roster. Hunter's spot seems safe as he was the second of the Celtics first round picks in 2015, but for all his shooting ability and potential, Hunter has to show he can play NBA level defense before he becomes a serious threat for minutes. This makes his roster spot less secure than it may seem.
Although he's bounced around the league the last several seasons, Gerald Green has greatly improved as an NBA player since his first stint in Boston back in 2005. He's now a consistent threat from deep (36% from three for his career) and he still has the explosive athleticism to make highlight reel plays on any given night. The concern is that he might take minutes away from younger players like No. 3 overall pick Jaylen Brown and the previously mentioned Hunter. For all his improvement and scoring prowess, a disappointing camp could leave Green on the outside of the Celtics roster bubble looking in.
James Young enters his third NBA season at just 21 years old but this may be his last chance to prove himself on the Celtics. Fans are getting tired of waiting to see some of the potential Young flashed at Kentucky and the Celtics might soon decide that time is up. A rare third year player in the Summer League, Young failed to make much of an impact on the court. This is concerning, given most players with his experience are expected to dominate the summer competition. Without showing marked improvement in camp, the former No. 17 overall pick could soon be looking for a new team.
After signing Al Horford, resigning Tyler Zeller, and retaining Jonas Jerebko and Amir Johnson, the frontcourt represents the biggest logjam on the Celtics roster. They currently have eight big men on their roster and that's not including first round picks Ante Zizic and Guerschon Yabusele who are being stashed overseas. The most interesting of these bigs might be second round pick Abdel Nader. An unknown commodity when drafted, Nader agreed to spend the season with Boston's D-League affiliate, the Red Claws. However, he impressed during summer league and as a result, his agent hasn't completely bought in to the agreement to stash Nader in the D-League. The date to watch for Nader is September 10th, when the Celtics would have to extend a required tender to Nader. Often, teams have agreements that the player won't accept the tender because in cases like this, the Celtics would have to waive Nader if there isn't enough room on the roster.
Training camp should be an exciting time for the Celtics and fans but as the roster takes shape, the Celtics have some tough decisions ahead. The Celtics stand to be one of the deepest teams in the league and ultimately, that should comfort them regardless of which decisions they make.
