The Boston Celtics were a great regular-season team this year, but they weren't built to go far in the playoffs. They didn't even make it out of the first round, blowing a 3-1 lead to the Philadelphia 76ers and losing in seven games.
Had they advanced, the Celtics likely would have lost to the New York Knicks, who swept the 76ers and are now in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
While Boston's early exit was blamed on its 3-point shooting woes, the Celtics were also doomed by a lack of depth. With their season on the line, they were forced to rely on less talented and relatively inexperienced players like Jordan Walsh, Luka Garza and Hugo Gonzalez, who simply aren't championship-caliber players yet.
Accordingly, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe thinks Boston needs to improve its depth if it wants to compete with elite teams like the Knicks, Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
.@GwashburnGlobe says #Celtics can learn from the Knicks and Spurs' depth:
"You're not gonna be able to get by with Jordan Walsh, Luka Garza... Are you trusting them as one of your rotation guys in a conference finals to get it done? The answer is probably no."
NEW BIG 3 NBA… pic.twitter.com/RuR9H0dSY1
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) June 4, 2026
"You're not gonna be able to get by with Jordan Walsh, Luka Garza... Are you trusting them as one of your rotation guys in a conference finals to get it done? The answer is probably no," Washburn said on Thursday's episode of the Big 3 NBA podcast.
Part of the issue is that the Celtics have so much money tied up in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who account for 70 percent of their cap space. That makes it harder for Boston to put high-quality players around them.
Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama are on team-friendly deals, allowing their teams to build much deeper rosters.
Accordingly, the Celtics may need to consider moving on from Brown or Tatum soon to free up some payroll and put a better supporting cast around one of their superstars, similar to what the Thunder have done with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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