Question for the staff:
Who would you consider the Biggest Disappointment on the Celtics roster this season? (Note: if you hate this question, blame me – Jeff Clark – for it. Just trying to stay balanced and look at all perspectives.)
Nate Moskowitz
The disappearance of Xavier Tillman is probably the biggest disappointment this year. Prior to Kornet establishing himself, I thought Tillman had a great chance to fill that role. He showed great flashes last year as a switchable defender, and I assumed that a full off-season with the team would help lessen any concerns about his offensive fit. He’s appeared in just 29 games, and hasn’t seen the floor in weeks at this point. It seems like he’s been dealing with a knee injury, which would explain the lack of playing time. After what he showed last year though, I was hopeful he’d be a nightly rotation piece. It hasn’t worked out, but we’ll always have his big three in Game 3 of the Finals.
Robbie Hodin
Jordan Walsh seems like the obvious answer here. I imagined he would’ve come into this season with some improved offensive juice, but he hasn’t really elevated his game much on that end. If you’re unable to shoot it well or effectively drive a close out and make decisions in the paint, it’s going to be tough to make it in the NBA, especially on the Celtics. I would’ve liked to have seen more improvement there.
Mark Aboyoun
This may be harsh and a bit outside the box but to me it’s JD Davison. Although mainly with the Maine Celtics, I thought this would be the year he finds more minutes in Boston. He’s done amazing in the G League but feel the time might be running out with him in Boston.
Oliver Fox
I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed in any of these guys since I’m no authority on player development, but I held secret hopes that Jordan Walsh could blossom into a defensive-stopper wing with decent size and passable shooting. If he could be 70% of Mattise Thybulle, that would have been just fine. He certainly didn’t get there this year, but he’s still so young — I’m not selling all my stock, just diversifying
Sam LaFrance
It pains me to say it, but I feel Jaylen has been a little disappointing this season. I want to preface this by saying he’s almost certainly been playing hurt for quite some time now. Nonetheless, it seems like this is the first time Brown hasn’t come back from an offseason of training with a new aspect to his game. I do think that the team has challenged him to be more of a playmaker this year, as opposed to a bucket-getter like he was in the postseason , and there have been growing pains with it. In fairness, the expectations for Jaylen might’ve been a little too high after speculation on extra motivation swirled when he was left off of Team USA at the 2024 Olympics. Pairing that with his ECF and Finals MVP awards, it just felt like he was primed to step his game up even more. The best may be yet to be seen. JB could have a great playoff showing, like he did last year, and we could all walk away feeling thrilled. But in the meantime, he’s sadly been inconsistent.
Mike Shearer
It has to be Jaylen Brown. With all the talk of how motivated he was coming into the season, Brown instead has taken a step back. His off-ball defense is downright atrocious (after he improved it hugely last season), and his inability to finish with authority is notable — his share of shots at the rim and dunks are down. It would bring me great comfort if he could remember how to shoot from beyond the arc, too.
Injuries have played a big part in his struggles, and I don’t want to downplay that; but I had huge expectations for Brown coming into this season that have been largely unmet.
Bobby Manning
Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday’s years had a more tangible impact on the team, but Xavier Tillmans undoubtedly fell the furthest from a playoff role to no regular minutes for months now. It’s most shocking because Tillman played well in the preseason and appeared part of the team’s plan to play bigger lineups. Those around him long saw hope for his three-point shot developing, and it took a big step back this year before the knee soreness that’s ailed him throughout his career emerged over the past month. Now, you’re wondering if he’s guaranteed to return for the second season of his two-year contract that looked like a steal at the time.
Nirav Barman
It’s hard for me to say I’m disappointed with any of these guys. Jaylen Brown, Xavier Tillman, and Jrue Holiday have all been playing below their standards, and Kristaps Porzingis had a slow start, with some shaky availability. My disappointment doesn’t lie with them, though – it’s more so with their health. Each of them has had at least one nagging injury throughout the season, and in everyone except for maybe KP’s case, could persist into the playoffs. It’s hard to play banged up, especially at a time when so much more is being asked of you. Health feels like the main thing that can beat this team, so it’s been tough to hear about each ailment.
Mike Dynon
Honestly, I’m not disappointed by anyone or anything associated with these Boston Celtics. Raising Banner 18 earned them abundant good will. The glass is half full. Every individual has contributed in some way on the court, plus they’re all solid teammates and human beings. Despite a lull in December and January and a few more injury concerns than last year, they’re close to reaching 60 wins. Most important is they peaked at the right time. They won 17 of their first 21 games after the All-Star break; rolled to 14-1 in March; and completed a 6-0 road trip because they’re literally one of the best away teams in NBA history. Their single goal has been to be prepared for the postseason. They’ve done that, and if they remain healthy into June, they’re well-positioned to win Banner 19.
Rich Jensen
I’m more disappointed in my eager prediction that the C’s would top last season’s win total than I am with the C’s.
Frankly, I should’ve seen the C’s mid-season slump coming. Three of the C’s starters were participants in the 2024 Olympics and basically had no off-season to speak of, while the rest of the rotation was coming off a championship run that took them into June. I think that finally caught up with everyone in December.
The good news is that the team fought through that fatigue and found their second wind. You could argue that they’re peaking at the right time and once the playoffs come around, they’ll be ready to take on all comers. (edited)
Robby Fletcher
We all felt something when Xavier Tillman hit that corner three in the Finals. It’s just been a real shock to see how far X has fallen in the pecking order of the frontcourt rotation, especially with Porzingis being out for the first 17 games of the season.
I’ve always been a fan of Tillman’s game since his days as a Spartan. He’s a smart, switchable defender that can handle guys in the post, but also hold his own on the perimeter. He was a postseason rotation player in Memphis for a reason, and I think we saw why in his first year in Boston. We just haven’t seen that same quality of defense this time around, which only amplifies his lack of a jumper on the other end. At this point, teams are happily playing off him, which really muddles the offense when he does get opportunities. It’s fair to wonder where Tillman fits into future plans, even with a veteran minimum deal that extends into next season.
Jeff Clark
As several writers pointed out, it is hard to be disappointed with anyone here. However, to me this is a question of expectations. I think I was expecting to see a little more development from Jordan Walsh. I was expecting to see more productivity from Xavier Tillman. Jaylen Brown raised the bar for himself and hasn’t had as efficient of a season as he did a year ago. Injuries, playing time, and in some cases role on the team had a part to play in all of the above. And clearly the positives far outweigh the negatives. Still, if I had to pick one, I’d probably go with Tillman – who I was hoping would be more of a stop-gap while KP missed time during the season. (Now he’ll probably go out and hit another huge 3 pointer in the playoffs just to shut me up.)
