The Boston Celtics have tried multiple times over the last handful of years to upgrade their point guard position and came up short. But as we saw last season, Boston always had a point guard in Marcus Smart.

Is Smart running point sustainable for the Celtics?

Boston’s point guard position is controlled by Smart with Derrick White behind him and Payton Pritchard as the third option. However, oftentimes Smart and White are on the floor together, leaving Pritchard as the main facilitator for the bench.

At times, Smart proved he can be the main point guard for this team. His 5.9 assists per game was a team-high, however the entire position just seems incomplete. Second on the team in assists was Tatum with 4.4.

The traditional point guard has proven to work well for this group of players. Smart bought-in and took on a different role, focusing more on facilitation and taking less shots to better the team. But after Smart the Celtics don’t have another guy who can run the offense as a true point guard.

The Celtics need someone who can come in after Smart and consistently run the show

In Game 1 of the Finals, Tatum manufactured 13 assists on an off-shooting night. The run to the Finals proved the Celtics don’t have anyone outside of Tatum who can consistently create opportunities for himself and his teammates.

White and Pritchard are great in their roles, but for them running point only works if they’re already hot from the floor. The Celtics need another point guard who can facilitate just a little bit better for this team when Smart isn’t on the floor. 

The need to add playmaking is something that Brad Stevens has mentioned he has wanted to do this offseason.

“We need a little bit more playmaking. I think that’s real. I think we need more playmaking. We have to make sure that we continue to play with pace. When we are at our best we play with pace, and when we create one advantage, the ball whips around the court.”

Stevens is just getting started with his offseason tasks, drafting DJ Davidson, an explosive guard out of Alabama.

Acquiring Trevion Williams as an undrafted rookie free agent after the draft. Stevens still has a handful of TPE’s to play with, one (the big one) that expires in just a few weeks from now.

One thing Stevens hasn’t done is hesitate to make his team better. I’d like to guarantee that he stays true to his word and gets another point guard to upgrade the Celtics this season. 

It’ll most likely have to be used through one of the TPE’s or possibly even a free agent that Boston can land using the MLE. However it’s done, Patty Mills and Seth Curry are easy obtainable options. If they’re looking to go all in, Jalen Brunson and Dejounte Murray are great options as well.

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