Celtics Schedule Features ‘Tough Sledding Early’

The Boston Celtics have the easiest strength of schedule in the NBA, according to ESPN, but not everyone is buying that assessment.

Although ESPN’s metric determines that the Celtics have the easiest path, Boston’s schedule early on is no walk in the park, which is a relevant detail for a team that will be facing huge internal adjustments during that stretch.

CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning discussed this on Thursday, indicating that the Celtics’ schedule early on won’t be doing them any favors as they get used to life without Jayson Tatum.

“We don’t know who the Celtics are yet,” Manning said.

“So it’s tough to look at any opponent right now and be like, ‘All right, they got them, they don’t have them.’ We don’t even know who this team is right now.”

“It’s going to be tough for them regardless (of the schedule early on), adjusting to Tatum’s absence, figuring out who all these new guys are … everybody’s stepping into a new role.”

“And you are throwing in some tough games early between Cleveland, Detroit … the (New York) Knicks are obviously the Knicks, and then a Magic doubleheader on the road, followed by Philly, Memphis, LA. There’s some tough sledding early for a team that probably already was gonna struggle.”

The Celtics’ second game of the season — October 24 at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks — is among the five must-see games on Boston’s schedule.

Whether or not you agree with ESPN’s strength of schedule metric, one thing is true about Boston’s schedule — it features the fewest back-to-backs of any team’s schedule in the league.