With Game 3 Looming, Is Boston Headed For a New Era?

When the final buzzer sounded Tuesday night, the Boston Celtics put their heads down and walked off the Barclays Center court. Making the moment worse, Jayson Tatum was not with the team as he was in the back being treated for an eye injury he sustained after being poked in the eye by Kevin Durant. His running mate Jaylen Brown was also not present as he was recovering from his recent wrist surgery. With these two not present and the Boston Celtics showing no signs of life against the Nets, it is time for fans to start asking the hard questions. Here are the three most important things the Boston Celtics need to figure out if nothing changes.

Can Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Stay Together?

Boston Celtics fans don’t have to think back very far to see Danny Ainge asking this same question. This past trade deadline, Brown’s name was floated in many trade scenarios as the Celtics continued to underperform. These ranged from trading him to Atlanta for Trae Young to trading him to Washington for Bradley Beal. When deadline day came, Ainge decided only traded away one starter, and that was starting center Daniel Thies. Jaylen and Jayson were both kept around for one final run before the summer where an early exit would leave Celtics fans clamoring for a change.

In the past few weeks, this plan has been all but derailed. Jaylon Brown had his wrist surgery and hasn’t been seen since as he has been recovering. In Game 2, Tatum got poked in the eye, and Celtics broadcaster Mike Gorman has said he doesn’t expect to see him for the rest of the series. This leaves Ainge no time to see his superstars together on the biggest stage with the team he assembled around him. He could get rid of one but would that make the fanbase happy? Tatum and Brown were both supposed to have long careers in Boston, and hopefully, these recent developments don’t derail that. If they do, Boston Celtics fans could have to watch one of their homegrown superstars thrive somewhere else just like Red Sox fans currently have to do with Mookie Betts.

Does Evan Fournier Have A Future In Boston?

When Gordon Hayward left Boston last summer he opened up a $28.5 million dollar trade exception. This was the largest ever created in NBA history and left Boston Celtics fans dream of a superstar. Instead, Ainge went out and plucked Fournier from the Magic in exchange for two second-round picks. Since coming to Boston, Fournier has yet to look like the player that averaged 19.7 PPG with the Magic. He has battled COVID-19 and felt the symptoms for most of the regular season. While his game improved in the last ten Celtics games, he has widely been viewed as a disappointment by Boston media.

After this season Fournier is an unrestricted free agent. It should be obvious that the Boston Celtics want him back to try to integrate him into the team over a full season. Because of his battle with COVID-19, he never developed the chemistry with the team’s other stars that were needed for them to be successful. This makes it an interesting decision that Fournier has to make this summer. He could take a one-year prove-it deal and run it back with the same team or look for more money elsewhere. If he decides to leave, Celtics fans could start to call for Ainge to be fired as he would have wasted one of the greatest opportunities in NBA history.

Who Will Open Up The Season On The Sidelines?

It is safe to say that in the NBA when a team underperforms it falls on the head coach. When this happens, it can go one of two ways. The Hawks fired Lloyd Pierce and immediately turned their season around, turning them into a playoff team. The Timberwolves fired Ryan Saunders and still toiled near the bottom of the NBA standings. For the Celtics to fire Brad Stevens it would be a huge risk on owner Wyc Grousbeck’s part. Brad has stayed loyal to the Celtics through many rumors of him returning to college, mainly at Indiana. He has proven that he wants to grow with this team and get them to the elusive NBA finals. He has come so close in three of the last four years, fizzling out in the Eastern Conference Finals. Firing him now could seem to the fans like a step in the wrong direction.

The other thing to consider when talking about replacing Brad is are there any viable options to replace him? None of the Celtic’s current assistant coaches seem ready to take the reins at this time. Juwan Howard could be an interesting name but he has no ties to Boston. He also has a good thing going up at Michigan, his Alma Mater. Charles Lee is a rising star but would he provide an immediate upgrade over Brad Stevens? The answer to these questions all seems like no’s, making it seem like Brad isn’t going anywhere. If that is the case, next year will easily be the biggest of his coaching career.

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