The Boston Celtics won their 18th NBA championship just two months ago, and the challenge for them now is to repeat their triumph as world champions and possibly start a mini dynasty.
Some believe they are fully capable of doing so given their young star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but others cite their weak bench and the advancing age of starting point guard Jrue Holiday and backup center Al Horford as reasons why the team won’t win it all again.
The Celtics added another young player to the team on Wednesday, agreeing to a one-year contract with Lonnie Walker IV, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
Free agent G Lonnie Walker IV has agreed to a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics, his agent George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group told ESPN. Walker IV averaged 9.7 points in 58 games for Brooklyn last season and shot 38% on three-pointers. pic.twitter.com/uAvrtsIQkD
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 29, 2024
Walker is a player who can come off the bench and give Boston a much-needed boost, as he is a proven scorer and 3-point shooter.
Last season, he averaged 9.7 points in 17.4 minutes per game while shooting 38.4 percent from 3-point range as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, and for his six-year career, he has averaged 9.8 points in 20.3 minutes per game.
The Celtics haven’t really had a player who can come off the bench and create offense on their own, especially off the dribble, but now, Walker will give them an option.
Their bench was actually one of the worst in the entire NBA — last season, they ranked just 26th in bench points per game, and with center Kristaps Porzingis set to miss the first several weeks of the 2024-25 campaign, they will certainly need help from their reserves.
The Eastern Conference is gearing up to beat the Celtics, especially the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, and so they will have to up their game to lift the 19th championship banner.
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