Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Celtics were one of the major surprises during the 2014-15 season, and they ended up making the NBA Playoffs despite not being given a chance throughout the majority of the season. Brad Stevens was one of the biggest reasons for their success and proved that he is now among the elite coaches in the NBA. That being said, there are still some holes that the Celtics will need to fill if they want to take the next step.
Perhaps the biggest hole that needs to be fixed is on the offensive end of the court, where the Celtics need another player who can step up and score at a high level.
Wesley Matthews would be the ideal fit for the Celtics, although he isn’t going to come cheap. He has had a very successful tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers, but unfortunately Matthews tore his Achilles last season and missed the playoffs. Boston could immediately plug him into their starting shooting guard role and see an increased offensive output with his all-around scoring ability.
During the 2014-15 season with Portland, Matthews ended up averaging 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He shot 44.8 percent from the floor overall and 38.9 percent from behind the three-point arc. Those numbers are very good for the role that he had and would improve greatly with a larger offensive role in Boston.
At 28 years old, Matthews is still in his prime and is ready to begin the next chapter of his career. He will likely be interested in returning to the Trail Blazers if they offer him a fair contract, but the Celtics can swoop in and try to convince him to join their up-and-coming team. There is no denying the potential that Boston has for the future, and Matthews could immediately come in and be a major part of it.
His ability to stretch the floor and knock down three-point shots at will would be a dangerous weapon to give to Stevens. Boston had quite a few open three-point attempts in their playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers that simply wouldn’t go down, but Matthews would give them the type of shooter to make those big shots. There is no denying his offensive talent, and it would fit the needs that Boston currently has.
Another area of his game that doesn’t receive enough attention is the defensive dominance that he has shown. He is an excellent perimeter defender to say the least, and would be a leader on that end of the court in Boston as well.
Bringing the type of experience that Matthews has to the young Celtics roster would be a big step forward for them as well. They have some veterans on the bench, but there is nothing more important than mixing in savvy veterans with the young core. Matthews would be well worth the money that it would take to sign him this offseason, and he would help the Celtics take the next step towards winning a playoff series.
There are quite a few players that the Celtics could choose to target in free agency, but Matthews is without question one of their best options. He would bring everything that they need and would come at an affordable price. Danny Ainge is a very smart general manager, and he will likely make a call to see whether or not Matthews has mutual interest in becoming a member of the Celtics.
Evan Massey is a featured writer for www.RantSports.com, and contributes across the NFL, MLB, NCAA and NBA portions of the site. Follow him on Twitter at @Massey_Evan and like him on Facebook.
