The Boston Celtics made the shocking decision to trade Jaylen Brown to the 76ers. Brown was the best player for the team a year ago, with Jayson Tatum missing most of the year. Despite this, they decided to move him to Philly to avoid paying him long-term.
In exchange for Brown, Boston got Paul George and some draft picks. With that being the case, their starting lineup is going to change heading into next year. However, it is unclear exactly how adding George is going to fully change the rotation moving forward.
One writer has a surprising player moving into the starting lineup next year in the absence of Brown.
GettyBoston Celtics forward Hugo Gonzalez holds the ball in a game against the 76ers. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Celtics Projected to Move Bench Player Into the Starting Lineup
Jay King of The Athletic believes that the Celtics would be better off moving Hugo Gonzalez into the starting lineup next season. His reasoning ties back to rebounding and defense.
“González, who nearly doubled Hauser’s offensive rebound rate (6.4 percent to 3.3) last season, would make sure that the Celtics still get some offensive rebounding from their starting wings. Also a more disruptive defender than Hauser, González would make life less comfortable for opposing top options,” King writes.
That would mean moving Payton Pritchard to the bench after he was the starting point guard a year ago. He would put Gonzalez next to Derrick White and have White be the primary point guard for the team. That’s not a role that White has filled often in his career.
Trading Brown in the first place was the team showing a major amount of faith in Gonzalez. As a rookie last year, he played just under 15 minutes per game. King wants him to play around 20 minutes per game, but be one of the starters for the Celtics. Gonzalez would need to have a major improvement in his offensive game to make things worthwhile.
GettyBoston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown dribbles the ball in a game against the 76ers. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Boston Seems to Have Gotten Worse in the Offseason
Trading Brown means they lose their second-best player for an older version of him. George is still a pretty good defender, even if he isn’t at the peak he once was. However, George can no longer drive to the paint and finish in the way he used to, either.
Without Brown, the team will have to hope that Tatum is completely healthy from his Achilles tear. Not only that, but they have to hope that Tatum has one last level to reach. That’s hard to do for a player who suffered one of the worst injuries a basketball player can have.
Boston could make a move at the trade deadline, too. It’s clear they prioritized staying under the second apron long-term by shipping Brown out of town. Yet, that may have cost them their title window with how many other teams in the Eastern Conference improved.
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