2017–18 Boston Celtics season
| 2017–18 Boston Celtics season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Brad Stevens |
| General manager | Danny Ainge |
| Owners | Boston Basketball Partners |
| Arena | TD Garden |
| Results | |
| Record | 55–27 (.671) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Atlantic) Conference: 2nd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Eastern Conference Finals (lost to Cavaliers 3–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | NBC Sports Boston |
| Radio | WBZ-FM |
The 2017–18 Boston Celtics season was the 72nd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Celtics originally acquired the number one pick of the NBA draft due to a previous trade involving the Brooklyn Nets, only to then trade it to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for two different draft picks. One of the picks would allow Boston to draft forward Jayson Tatum. Later, they acquired Gordon Hayward in free agency on July 7, 2017. They would also acquire 4-time All-Star Kyrie Irving from the Cleveland Cavaliers via trade on August 22, 2017, in exchange for Ante Žižić, Jae Crowder, All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected first-round pick in the 2018 NBA draft, and a 2020 second-round pick, originally from the Miami Heat. The Celtics played the first game of the regular season on October 17, 2017, against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The team retired the number 34 in honor of former small forward Paul Pierce on February 11, 2018, following a game against the Cavaliers.
In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the 7th-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round in seven games, advancing to the semifinals, where they faced the Philadelphia 76ers, winning in five games, advancing to the conference finals, where they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference finals, in which the Cavaliers won 4–3. Despite losing both star acquisitions Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving before the playoffs began to season-ending injuries, the Celtics would make this series more hard-fought this time (each game ending with no larger than a deficit of 8 points), but lost in seven games to the Cavaliers, losing 79–87 at home in Game 7. It marks the first time since the 1987–88 season that the Celtics made two consecutive Conference finals.
Draft picks
[edit]| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Jayson Tatum | SF |  United States
|
Duke |
| 2 | 37 | Semi Ojeleye | PF | United States
|
Southern Methodist |
| 2 | 53 | Kadeem Allen | PG | United States
|
Arizona |
| 2 | 56 | Jabari Bird | SG | United States
|
California |
Despite having the best record in the Eastern Conference the previous season, the Celtics would originally win the number one pick at the end of the year because they activated the right to swap their own first-round draft pick (which was pick number 27) with the Brooklyn Nets, who held the worst record of the entire NBA that same season. (The Nets struggled in part because of a previous, infamous trade with the Celtics, that swapped role players Jason Terry and D.J. White and superstars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for other players and draft picks, including the right to swap first-round picks in the 2017 NBA draft.[1]) However, on June 19, four days before the 2017 NBA draft commenced, the Celtics would trade that coveted pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the third pick of the draft (which was projected to be a small forward in either Josh Jackson or Jayson Tatum by that point) and either the Sacramento Kings or Philadelphia 76ers' 2019 first-round pick, depending on what happens in that year's draft.[2] Other than that, the Celtics also hold three second round draft picks, each of which were acquired by trades, while losing their own second-round pick as an added piece of help for the Nets later on down the line.[3] Their first second-round pick was acquired from the Phoenix Suns back when it was considered a first-round pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Brandan Wright.[4] The next second-round pick was had from the Cleveland Cavaliers alongside their 2016 second-round pick and Keith Bogans in exchange for John Lucas III, Erik Murphy, Dwight Powell, Malcolm Thomas, and the protected rights of the Sacramento Kings' own second-round picks from both 2015 and 2017.[5] Finally, their last second-round pick was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-way trade with the Phoenix Suns, where Boston would acquire Shavlik Randolph again and a trade exception from the Suns, as well as both Chris Douglas-Roberts and a second-round pick from the Clippers.[6]
With their top pick (and the one that Danny Ainge claimed would have taken as the number one pick instead of Markelle Fultz[7]), the Boston Celtics selected a 19-year-old freshman, small forward Jayson Tatum, of Duke University. In his only season at Duke, Jayson averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game in over 29 games there, while also earning All-ACC Freshman Team and All-ACC Third Team honors throughout last season. Tatum would end the season as a near-unanimous NBA All-Rookie First Team member. In terms of their second-round picks, the first one they took would be another small forward, this time being Semi Ojeleye, a transfer junior from Southern Methodist University (previously from Duke University as well). During his only year at Southern Methodist, Ojeleye helped lead the Mustangs to their second ever AAC Tournament victory by recording averages of 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game there. As a result of his efforts, he became the AAC Tournament's MVP that year, as well as be named to the All-AAC First Team, the AAC Player of The Year, and was an honorable mention via the Associated Press for the NCAA All-American Team. For the second of Boston's three second-round picks, at number 53, the Celtics selected senior shooting guard Kadeem Allen from University of Arizona. In his senior year at Arizona, he averaged 9.8 points and 4 rebounds per game, which would be enough for him to be named a member of the Pac-12 Second Team and Pac-12 Defensive Team. Finally, with their last second-round pick at number 56, Boston chose another senior shooting guard, this time being Jabari Bird from the University of California. During his last season at California, Bird averaged 14.3 points and 4.3 rebounds for the Golden Bears, but he suffered a concussion during one of his last games there. Both Kadeem Allen and Jabari Bird would become the team's first-ever players to sign two-way contracts with the team, meaning they get to split their playing time for at least this season between the Celtics and their NBA G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, with Maine holding them for the majority of this season as a result of the two-way contract's stipulations.
Roster
[edit]| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Standings
[edit]Division
[edit]| Atlantic Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c – Toronto Raptors | 59 | 23 | .720 | – | 34–7 | 25–16 | 12–4 | 82 |
| x – Boston Celtics | 55 | 27 | .671 | 4.0 | 27–14 | 28–13 | 12–4 | 82 |
| x – Philadelphia 76ers | 52 | 30 | .634 | 7.0 | 30–11 | 22–19 | 9–7 | 82 |
| New York Knicks | 29 | 53 | .354 | 30.0 | 19–22 | 10–31 | 6–10 | 82 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 28 | 54 | .341 | 31.0 | 15–26 | 13–28 | 1–15 | 82 |
Conference
[edit]| Eastern Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Toronto Raptors * | 59 | 23 | .720 | – | 82 |
| 2 | x – Boston Celtics | 55 | 27 | .671 | 4.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x – Philadelphia 76ers | 52 | 30 | .634 | 7.0 | 82 |
| 4 | y – Cleveland Cavaliers * | 50 | 32 | .610 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Indiana Pacers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 6 | y – Miami Heat * | 44 | 38 | .537 | 15.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – Milwaukee Bucks | 44 | 38 | .537 | 15.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Washington Wizards | 43 | 39 | .524 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Detroit Pistons | 39 | 43 | .476 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Charlotte Hornets | 36 | 46 | .439 | 23.0 | 82 |
| 11 | New York Knicks | 29 | 53 | .354 | 30.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Brooklyn Nets | 28 | 54 | .341 | 31.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Chicago Bulls | 27 | 55 | .329 | 32.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Orlando Magic | 25 | 57 | .305 | 34.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Atlanta Hawks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35.0 | 82 |
Game log
[edit]Preseason
[edit]| 2017 pre-season game log Total: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pre-season: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
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| 2017–18 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
[edit]| 2017–18 game log Total: 55–27 (home: 27–14; road: 28–13) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 5–2 (home: 2–1; road: 3–1)
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November
: 14–2 (home: 7–1; road: 7–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December
: 11–6 (home: 7–3; road: 4–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January
: 7–5 (home: 3–3; road: 4–2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February
: 7–4 (home: 4–3; road: 3–1)
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March
: 9–4 (home: 2–2; road: 7–2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
April
: 2–4 (home: 2–1; road: 0–3)
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| 2017–18 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
[edit]Player statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
[edit]| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aron Baynes | 81 | 67 | 18.3 | .471 | .143 | .756 | 5.4 | 1.1 | .3 | .6 | 6.0 |
| Jayson Tatum | 80 | 80 | 30.5 | .475 | .434 | .826 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 1.0 | .7 | 13.9 |
| Terry Rozier | 80 | 16 | 25.9 | .395 | .381 | .772 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 1.0 | .2 | 11.3 |
| Semi Ojeleye | 73 | 0 | 15.8 | .346 | .320 | .610 | 2.2 | .3 | .3 | .1 | 2.7 |
| Al Horford | 72 | 72 | 31.6 | .489 | .429 | .783 | 7.4 | 4.7 | .6 | 1.1 | 12.9 |
| Jaylen Brown | 70 | 70 | 30.7 | .465 | .395 | .644 | 4.9 | 1.6 | 1.0 | .4 | 14.5 |
| Daniel Theis | 63 | 3 | 14.9 | .541 | .310 | .753 | 4.3 | .9 | .5 | .8 | 5.3 |
| Kyrie Irving | 60 | 60 | 32.2 | .491 | .408 | .889 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 1.1 | .3 | 24.4 |
| Marcus Morris Sr. | 54 | 21 | 26.7 | .429 | .368 | .805 | 5.4 | 1.3 | .6 | .2 | 13.6 |
| Marcus Smart | 54 | 11 | 29.9 | .367 | .301 | .729 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 1.3 | .4 | 10.2 |
| Shane Larkin | 54 | 2 | 14.4 | .384 | .360 | .865 | 1.7 | 1.8 | .5 | .0 | 4.3 |
| Abdel Nader | 48 | 1 | 10.9 | .336 | .354 | .590 | 1.5 | .5 | .3 | .2 | 3.0 |
| Guerschon Yabusele | 33 | 4 | 7.1 | .426 | .324 | .682 | 1.6 | .5 | .1 | .2 | 2.4 |
| Greg Monroe† | 26 | 0 | 19.1 | .530 | .797 | 6.3 | 2.3 | 1.1 | .7 | 10.2 | |
| Kadeem Allen | 18 | 1 | 5.9 | .273 | .000 | .778 | .6 | .7 | .2 | .1 | 1.1 |
| Jabari Bird | 13 | 1 | 8.8 | .577 | .429 | .462 | 1.5 | .6 | .2 | .1 | 3.0 |
| Jonathan Gibson | 4 | 0 | 10.0 | .609 | .500 | .8 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 8.5 | |
| Xavier Silas | 2 | 0 | 3.5 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | .0 | .5 | .0 | .0 | |
| Jarell Eddie† | 2 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .5 | .0 | .5 | .0 | .0 | |
| Gordon Hayward | 1 | 1 | 5.0 | .500 | .000 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 |
Playoffs
[edit]| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Rozier | 19 | 19 | 36.6 | .406 | .347 | .821 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 1.3 | .3 | 16.5 |
| Jayson Tatum | 19 | 19 | 35.9 | .471 | .324 | .845 | 4.4 | 2.7 | 1.2 | .5 | 18.5 |
| Al Horford | 19 | 19 | 35.7 | .544 | .349 | .827 | 8.3 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 15.7 |
| Aron Baynes | 19 | 12 | 20.5 | .506 | .478 | .722 | 6.2 | 1.0 | .2 | .6 | 6.0 |
| Marcus Morris Sr. | 19 | 4 | 29.6 | .368 | .417 | .712 | 5.4 | 1.1 | .4 | .3 | 12.4 |
| Jaylen Brown | 18 | 15 | 32.4 | .466 | .393 | .640 | 4.8 | 1.4 | .8 | .6 | 18.0 |
| Semi Ojeleye | 17 | 3 | 13.5 | .303 | .273 | .857 | 1.6 | .1 | .2 | .0 | 1.9 |
| Marcus Smart | 15 | 4 | 29.9 | .336 | .221 | .735 | 3.7 | 5.3 | 1.7 | .7 | 9.8 |
| Guerschon Yabusele | 12 | 0 | 4.0 | .111 | .000 | .400 | .9 | .3 | .2 | .0 | .3 |
| Shane Larkin | 11 | 0 | 14.0 | .457 | .308 | 1.000 | 1.0 | 1.8 | .5 | .0 | 3.7 |
| Greg Monroe | 11 | 0 | 9.5 | .500 | .682 | 3.2 | .5 | .2 | .2 | 4.8 | |
| Abdel Nader | 11 | 0 | 3.0 | .333 | .000 | .500 | .3 | .3 | .1 | .1 | 1.1 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Celtics only.
Transactions
[edit]Trades
[edit]| June 19, 2017[9] | To Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum (Pick 3) 2019 Sacramento #1 protected/Philadelphia 76ers first-round pick (Converted from 2018 protected L.A. Lakers first-round pick since it was not conveyed) |
To Philadelphia 76ers Markelle Fultz (Pick 1) |
| July 7, 2017[10] | To Boston Celtics Marcus Morris |
To Detroit Pistons Avery Bradley 2019 second-round pick |
| August 22, 2017[11] | To Boston Celtics Kyrie Irving |
To Cleveland Cavaliers Isaiah Thomas Jae Crowder Ante Žižić 2018 first-round pick (from Brooklyn) 2020 second-round pick (from Miami) |
Free agency
[edit]Additions
[edit]| Player | Signed | Former Team |
|---|---|---|
| Gordon Hayward[12] | 4-year contract worth $128 million | Utah Jazz |
| Abdel Nader[13] | 4-year contract worth $6 million | Maine Red Claws |
| Aron Baynes[14] | 1-year contract worth $4.3 million | Detroit Pistons |
| Daniel Theis[15] | 2-year contract worth $2.2 million |  Brose Bamberg
|
| Guerschon Yabusele[16] | 2-year contract worth $4.9 million | Maine Red Claws |
| Shane Larkin[17] | 1-year contract worth $1.5 million |  Saski Baskonia
|
| Jarell Eddie[18] | 10-day contract worth $86,119 | Windy City Bulls |
| Greg Monroe[19] | 1-year contract worth $5.0 million | Phoenix Suns |
Subtractions
[edit]| Player | Reason | New Team |
|---|---|---|
| Tyler Zeller | Waived | Brooklyn Nets |
| Kelly Olynyk[20] | 4-year contract worth $50 million | Miami Heat |
| Amir Johnson[21] | 1-year contract worth $11 million | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Jordan Mickey | Waived | Miami Heat |
| Demetrius Jackson[13] | Waived | Houston Rockets |
| Jonas Jerebko[22] | 2-year contract worth $8.2 million | Utah Jazz |
| James Young | Waived | Wisconsin Herd |
| Gerald Green[23] | 1-year contract worth $1.3 million | Houston Rockets |
| Jarell Eddie | 10-day contract expired | Windy City Bulls |
Awards
[edit]| Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Stevens | Eastern Conference Coach of the Month (October/November) | December 2, 2017 | [24] |
| Jayson Tatum | Eastern Conference Rookies of the Mont (December) | January 4, 2018 | [25] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Celtics Complete Trade With Brooklyn Nets". NBA.com. July 12, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Manning, Bobby (June 19, 2017). "NBA Draft: Celtics officially trade number-one pick to 76ers". Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Income, Net (May 16, 2017). "Nets Draft Picture: Brooklyn has picks, just not a lot of them". SBNation. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Aldridge, David (January 9, 2015). "Suns bolster frontline with acquisition of Wright". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on July 2, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
- ^ Adams, Nick (September 25, 2014). "Cavs Complete Trade with Boston". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Fong, Marcus (January 15, 2015). "LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS ACQUIRE AUSTIN RIVERS IN THREE-TEAM TRADE". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Maloney, Jack (June 23, 2017). "Celtics GM Danny Ainge on Jayson Tatum: 'We would have picked him with first pick'". cbssports.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "Return to the Mecca". NBA.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ Reynolds, Tim (June 19, 2017). "Boston Celtics trade No. 1 overall draft pick to Philadelphia 76ers". NBA.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "Boston Celtics Acquire Marcus Morris". NBA.com/celtics. July 7, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "Celtics Acquire Four-Time All-Star Kyrie Irving". NBA.com/celtics. August 22, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "Boston Celtics Sign Gordon Hayward". NBA.com/celtics. July 14, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ a b George, Kyle (July 15, 2017). "Boston Celtics Sign Abdel Nader". NBA.com/celtics. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "Boston Celtics Sign Aron Baynes". NBA.com/celtics. July 19, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ George, Kyle (July 20, 2017). "Boston Celtics Sign Daniel Theis". NBA.com/celtics. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ George, Kyle (July 20, 2017). "Boston Celtics Sign Guerschon Yabusele". NBA.com/celtics. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ George, Kyle (July 31, 2017). "Boston Celtics Sign Shane Larkin". NBA.com/celtics. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ D'Amico, Marc (January 20, 2018). "Celtics Sign Jarell Eddie to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com/celtics. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Snow, Taylor (February 8, 2018). "Celtics Sign Veteran Big Man Greg Monroe". NBA.com/celtics. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "Heat Signs Kelly Olynyk". nba.com/heat. July 7, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "Philadelphia Sixers sign veterans JJ Redick, Amir Johnson". nba.com/sixers. July 8, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "Jazz Sign Forward Jonas Jerebko". nba.com/jazz. July 17, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Joshi, Hiren (December 28, 2017). "Rockets sign free agent Gerald Green". nba.com/rockets. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Snow, Taylor (December 1, 2017). "Brad Stevens Named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for Oct./Nov". NBA.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Snow, Taylor (January 4, 2018). "Tatum Named Rookie of the Month for December". NBA.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.