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SI released its top-100 NBA rankings, featuring Marcus Smart, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker. We debated the criteria, before a forthcoming interview with Coach Nick to assess the four players who represented Boston with Team USA, coming up later this week on Havlicek.
The Celtics Blog Podcast — Havlicek Stole the Pod — is back featuring myself, Alex Kungu and occasional roundtable appearances by the CelticsBlog staff. I heard your suggestions, and while Kemba Walker may not be hopping on the mic in short order, improvements are on the way. Subscription links across every platform are here.
Is Smart an able offensive player? Has Caris LeVert or Jaylen Brown progressed more to this point? Did Tatum advance in China? Is Kemba on the verge of breaking into the elite of the NBA? And why in the world is Zach LaVine so low?
Speaking of Team USA, remember how odd that roster-selection process was? Mason Plumlee made the team, while Bam Adebayo got cut. Derrick White stuck, leaving Trae Young out, and De’Aaron Fox dropped out.
Now, Jerry Colangelo called out the defectors (Devin Booker? Bradley Beal? Anthony Davis?), saying he will not forget who dropped out. Is the USA bound to repeat mistakes for 2020, and what’s that mean for the Celtics’ involvement in Tokyo next summer?
Join the debate below.