The Celtics Season Just Started And It Already Has My Brain In A Complete Pretzel

Layne Murdoch Jr.. Getty Images.

I can't lie, it's only been 4 games and this team has my brain completely twisted into a pretzel. I think heading into the year we knew it would be a bit weird, but now that we're here, it's even weirder than I anticipated. How exactly do you balance not being upset about an 0-3 start because you know what that could mean for your future, but also not upset that the Celtics finally won a game? In theory, you should be on one side or the other right?

That's where the weirdness comes in. We live in a world where either outcome is actually OK, especially when the wins come the way we saw last night.

I know that sounds a bit contradictory and rather insane, but allow me to explain. 

While obtaining as high a pick as possible (Brad Stevens has never had one higher than #28) is important, whether that leads to picking a player or flipping the pick for a more established star, there is also another important goal for this season, which is to find out which of the young unproven guys may be hits. If you can find cheap NBA talent for the next iteration of the roster, that's massive. Beyond massive, I would say. 

So if we have a situation where the Celts win a game in large part because one of the unproven young guys has a monster night and shows legit signs of being a real piece moving forward, how am I supposed to get mad at that? How is that supposed to upset me, if that's exactly what this team needs?

You have to remember, this isn't your traditional "tank". This is not like the Nets or Sixers who were losing on purpose in order to get a high pick. The Celts are playing to win. They're just severely flawed in very important areas that ultimately impact winning and losing, but this is not your normal tank. Is it wrong to call it an ethical tank? As you can see, not being in this position for the last 10 years has me a bit fucked up. 

This is why entering the year, while it sounded like coping and a major cop out, as a fan, when you looked at the Celts' season, there really wasn't a bad outcome. If they are winning, chances are that meant one or a few of the young unproven guys turned out to be hits, which is a very big deal. If they end up losing all the time, well that helps you once you get to the summer in terms of the tools Brad Stevens will have at his disposal to build out the roster. It sounds fucked, but the whole year really is a win/win no matter how it shakes out.

I suppose the "worst" option would be winning games while seeing no signs from the young players and just riding the backs of the championship core. I could see someone thinking that would be the worst case scenario, because we already know those guys are winners. They're champions. If this team is going to secure wins and potentially hurt their pick, then that needs to be replaced by a young player turning out to be a real piece. 

That's why I had no real problem with the 0-3 start other than your usual level of annoyance watching this team play like assholes. It's also why I had no problem with the Celts finally winning a game last night, because it was heavily impacted by the play of the young prospects who we need to pan out. 

A perfect example of this, was the performance of Josh Minott. Making his first career NBA and first career Celtics start, he provided the exact type of performance I'm talking about

Does that shit say +42?!?!?!?!?!?

Josh Minott is 22 years old (turns 23 in November). This is his current contract situation

See why this has the potential to be a pretty big deal? 

Watching Minott play last night, you could see some real flashes of things that will translate for when this team gets back to contention. The energy, the length, the defense, the ability to finish in transition, hell, the guy even made a corner 3PM which is going to be HUGE for his development if he can live around 35%.

For a team that is still searching for its identity and what combo of lineups work, I think we can all agree that we definitely need to see more minutes/lineups of Minott at the 4. He played a major role in helping out your rebounding issues, he was super active on the offensive glass, and sometimes you can just see it when a guy is on the floor. He's not a finished product by any means, but that's not what this is about. This is about finding pieces that you can grow and develop throughout the season so they are ready for 2026-27, and between what we've already seen between Hugo Gonzalez and Josh Minott, does it not feel like those are two pieces worth developing? 

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As far as I'm concerned, this is the most important storyline of the entire Celtics season. I could go as far as to say their ability to win another NBA title sort of depends on how this shakes out. We all know the roster is expensive. We all want to keep the core around Tatum together. Well how do you do that?

You surround them with good, cheap, young talent. 

That can come via the draft, or it can also come via the unproven guys on your roster who you took a chance on over the summer. 

It's also possible to live in a world where you get that young player development AND still end up with a good pick, which is what I would consider the best case scenario. 

So when you add it all up, that's why I say this team already has my brain in a pretzel just 4 games in, because we've now seen both sides of the coin. And as weird as it may feel/sound, I'm actually in favor of both?