3 Things to Look Forward to if the Boston Celtics Do Not Trade for Anthony Davis

It’s November, the start of the 2019-2020 NBA regular season is behind us, the Boston Celtics are looking for their 10^thstraight win with a starting lineup of Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, and Al Horford, all is right in the world.

Now that’s the kind of team that might make me forget about the dumpster fire that was the 2018 Boston Celtics.

If Danny Ainge can manage to pull the trigger on an Anthony Davis trade, not only would it mean adding to the misery Lakers fans have endured as of late, but it could also mean the Celtics are the new favorite to win the NBA Championship (depending on how the Warriors’ off-season goes).

Unfortunately, there is a scenario, and frankly a very likely one, that the Celtics do not acquire AD. In this case, what should Celtics fans even look forward to?

Jayson Tatum

Despite still having him on the team post Anthony Davis trade, the Pelicans are going to fight tooth and nail to pry him away from Danny Ainge’s possession. So in the case they succeed in doing so, he made the list.

Jayson is a 21-year-old, who had a hard time adjusting to a culture shock that would have rattled a 10-year vet. By any measure, the year Tatum had was a good one for a normal second year player, but the reason many considered this a down year for him is because of the extraordinary standard he set for himself.

We all need to spend more time appreciating the greatness we know is there instead of focusing on the negatives we should have seen coming. As a third year player without AD and Kyrie Irving, it should be exciting to see him take charge of the offense.

Gordon Hayward

Gordon is another guy who has taken a lot of heat from the Celtics fan base.

Utah is a very small basketball market and therefore many fans did not spend much time watching pre-injury Gordon Hayward, so it’s understandable to think this version of Hayward is close to his finished product.

It’s not.

There were flashes of the outstanding two-way all-star towards the end of the season but Hayward is an underrated defender and decision maker, if the ball spends more time in his hands the offense will thrive. There is a reason the Boston Celtics signed him to a max contract and this should be the year we get to see it.

Grizzlies Pick

The Celtics’ best draft asset came to their possession courtesy of Jeff Green. The pick is top-6 protected next year and unprotected the year after, and given the current trajectory of the Memphis franchise, it’s a good bet it will be in the top five in 2021.

There comes a time when having top draft picks isn’t enough and fans need to see steps toward title contention, but having this many top young players is always a good thing.