Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Boston Celtics
Last year, Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were not enough to get the Celtics to the NBA Finals. This year, with the top teams in the East getting better, these three guys will once again come up short of making it to the NBA Finals if they do not have more talent around them.
Adding Tristan Thompson and Jeff Teague does not make this Celtics team a true championship contender, which is why they need to trade for a guy like Julius Randle. Not only can he be their fourth best scoring option, but he is a better offensive player than Marcus Smart and brings more to the table than just scoring.
Currently, Julius Randle leads the Knicks in scoring, assists, rebounds and is third on the team in three-point shooting. He does all of this while playing in the frontcourt for the Knicks, which is why he could be one of the most valuable additions around the league near the NBA trade deadline.
The Celtics currently rank 16th in the league in scoring and 10th in the league in three-point shooting percentage, but are barely inside the Top-15 in rebounding. Not to mention, they are near the bottom of the league in assists per game.
The success of this team revolves around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown being able to carry them on the offensive end of the court, which is why this team has not made the NBA Finals since 2010. They simply do not share the ball enough or “spread the wealth,” which is why they need a guy like Julius Randle.
Acquiring the young forward gives the Celtics a lot of options to play around with rotation wise, but it also makes them a much better transition team. Given Randle’s ability to run the court with or without the ball in his hands and his above-average abilities to run the court as a big man, Boston could be a dangerous team pushing the ball in transition.
Julius Randle has proven himself to be a reliable and high-level frontcourt option with the Knicks and with the Celtics, with two superstars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown calling the shots, he could thrive. In New York, Randle is having to do it all, but in Boston, he could take a step back and really open up his game more.
