Although the Celtics didn’t make a huge splash in free agency, the roster has changed a bit from 2020 after some minor moves. We are resetting the depth chart, having already taken a look at the point guard position. Now, it’s time to examine their best group of shooting guards.
Depth Chart:
- Marcus Smart
- Josh Richardson
- Romeo Langford
The Celtics are a little thin when it comes to true shooting guards, but they’ll fill those gaps with either a double-point guard set or playing big and putting a small forward at the two. With that said, the position is not only thin on numbers, but also talent.
Everyone already knows what you’re getting out of Marcus Smart. He’s a top-tier defender that can guard one through four, and easily should win the effort award each season if they gave one out. Where Smart lacks is offensively. He’s improved slightly with his scoring, but his shot selection remains horrid. He slows down the offense and takes bad shots at crucial times.
Still, Smart is easily the best shooting guard on this team and a bona fide starter. What Celtics fans should hope for this season is more distributing and better decision-making.
Josh Richardson is a poor man’s version of Smart. He is a decent defender and can score, but isn’t the greatest three-point shooter. The problem for Richardson is his inability to rebound for his size. He’s not the biggest, but at 6-foot-5 and averaging over 30 minutes per game last season, you would hope he could grab more than 3.3 rebounds on average.
Romeo Langford is who he is. What you’ve seen from him for the past two seasons is what you’ll get from him next year, too. He has a lot to improve on if he is going to make it into the rotation. Don’t expect to see much of him in 2021.
Shooting guard is the Celtics’ weakest position. They really only have one solid SG, and then some meh backups. Just like the point guards, they are a gritty group that will annoy people on defense and show some effort. Boston will play Jaylen Brown at the two at times, which will help the position immensely. But don’t wait on the shooting guards to carry this team.
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