What to watch in the new season 3: Can the Celtics be in the top six before Tatum returns?

Shams reported today that Jayson Tatum, who suffered a serious Achilles tendon rupture in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, has informed the Celtics that he hopes to return later this season. Later, the US media posted a video of him taking off and dunking on the spot during training.

When I saw this news, my first reaction was: Isn’t this crazy?

Although Tutu underwent surgery in New York immediately after his injury, and although the surgeon was the same one who operated on KD back then, he was timely and reliable. However, this is a serious Achilles tendon injury after all. After all, Durant also suggested that Tutu accept the fact that he will be absent for a year and not try to challenge it; and the injury time was already in the Eastern Conference semifinals in May, so is this okay? It turns out that the legendary killing king has not fallen, it is just returned to the factory and upgraded.

The second reaction is: When Tutu returns, where will the Green Army's record be? Is it possible that it will be a state of "it is possible to come back but it is no longer necessary"?

Stevens once again performed god-level operations in the offseason:

1. Traded Holiday from the Trail Blazers for Simmons + 2 second rounds;

2. Used platinum to acquire Niang from the Hawks, and then sent Niang away;

3. Let go of Horford and Kornet, whose contracts have expired;

4. Sign Garza and Minot from Boucher from the Raptors and Timberwolves;

Therefore, before Tutu returns, the Green Army will become Jaylen Brown's team for the first time.

As the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals, the MVP of the Finals, and the blindfolded dunker, Brown is considered by many to be a stronger presence than Tutu. However, Tutu's exaggerated attendance in the past has long limited the space for Niu to display.

One of the few opportunities, such as G7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, Tutu sprained his foot 26 seconds into the game and urgently needed Brown to carry the banner. As a result, Brown made 8 of 23 shots, 1 of 9 three-pointers, 5 assists and 8 turnovers. He watched the Heat beat the Celtics at home by 19 points and advance to the finals;

Another example is last season's Eastern Conference semifinals. Faced with a critical situation of falling behind 1-3, G5 Brown showed great strength at home, scoring 26 points, 8 rebounds, 12 assists, and only 2 turnovers, leading the team to a victory over the Knicks; however, G6 only made 8 of 20 away from home, scoring only 20 points, 6 assists, and 7 turnovers, and once again watched his opponent advance.

Of course, you can say that the above are just sporadic cases. Now, the real opportunity has come. With Tutu absent for at least half of the season, Brown can finally prove whether he is the more eye-catching one among the two top picks.

In the past, in the Green Army's Tiangang Beidou five-outside system, Brown was mainly responsible for taking advantage of mismatches and transitioning between offense and defense. However, the ball-handling development and movement control organization have always lacked enthusiasm. If you are not careful, it is easy to get into the crowd and stagger around. It lacks the patience, calmness and rich changes of Booker, Paul, and Harden who are not ball-handlers and can observe while moving.

Next season, the Green Army's inside line will change from Platinum and Hufu to the likes of Keta and Garza, and their spatial attributes will be far inferior to before; without Tutu, Brown will surely become the number one defensive focus of each team. Can he?

If you think at best, you may follow the example of Durant after Westbrook was injured in the 13-14 season, or Westbrook after Durant left in 16-17. Even if you don't win the MVP, it will be a year of explosive data; think at the worst, if you accidentally try out Brown and find that he is embarrassed by the big task, and consider the super big contract with 4 years left, it is not completely impossible to be traded?

Brown became the number one, and Bai Di became the second in command.

Bai Di during the Spurs era was a qualified Jigsaw player who defended well and played smart but was not good at three-pointers. When he came to the Celtics, he won two finals and one championship in four years. Not only did his three-pointers improve rapidly - he made a total of 265 three-pointers last season, a single-season record in the history of the Green Army (no surprise), but he also gradually proved that he can switch between the team's No. 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 at will, depending on the needs of the team.

So, next season, the team needs White to serve as the second-in-command. Even on certain nights when Brown encounters strict defense or struggles, he needs to play the real role. Can Baidi do it?

By the way, considering White's snake oil attributes and extremely cost-effective contract, he may currently be the player with the highest trade value in the Green Army.

Simmons Jr. and Pritchard are somewhat wealthy.

They are similar in age and have similar playing styles. They are both good at shooting and have defensive disadvantages (Pritchard may have stronger mental attributes and a more correct attitude in this regard, but he is also shorter). There are two differences. The first is that Simmons Jr. has produced higher production in a weak team, while Pritchard has become an efficient and best sixth man in the defending championship; the second is that Simmons Jr.'s contract is due to be renewed, and Pritchard just signed a four-year, 30 million value-for-money contract last summer.

So, in the Green Army next season, the two are likely to directly compete for the role of false starter and true super six. Can Simmons wait for the opportunity for Tatum to return to the same team?

At this point, let’s take a look at the Green Army’s lineup for next season (before Tutu’s comeback).

Starting: Brown + White + Simmons Jr./Pritchard + Boucher + Keta

Substitutes: Hauser + Tillman + Garza + Minot

Cavaliers, Knicks, Bucks, Pistons, Magic and Hawks. These were the top eight in the Eastern Conference last season after excluding the Celtics and Pacers. Who can be squeezed out? Or do you want to compete with the Bulls, Heat, Raptors and fellow sufferers the Pacers for the top ten? What if, and I mean what if, Philadelphia comes to the rescue?

So, the Green Army really needs to observe carefully next season:

observe Brown's upper limit;

observe the value of Simmons;

observe the progress of Tutu's recovery;

observe the changes in the league structure;

it is not a bad idea to work hard and take a solid rest for a year.