On paper, this Celtics team had a lot of obvious flaws coming into the season, but arguably no concern was bigger than rebounding. Between Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Jayson Tatum, and Luke Kornet, Boston lost its entire frontcourt from last season, starters and reserves. Add in Jrue Holiday to that mix, and the Celtics lost their top 3 rebounders from last season, plus their fifth and seventh-best boardsmen.
Their leading returning rebounders from last season were backcourt players in Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard, who didn’t even combine to average 15 boards a game. The team’s entire frontcourt was a question mark, with the roster littered with relative unknowns, late draft picks with no experience, and retread free agents.