Celtics prominent in NBA TV's predictions for the 2018-19 NBA season

In this morning's NBA TV broadcast, analysts Isiah Thomas and Steve Smith gave the nod to a number of candidates from the Celtics organization in their predictions for the upcoming season.


Smith predicted Celtics coach Brad Stevens would win NBA Coach-of-the-Year, and commented:

I think he's done such a great job with this group, and I think this is going to be the Celtics' year. He's loaded at a lot of positions. He's one of the best.

Most Celtics fans, including me, feel Brad was robbed of the award last season. Let us all hope that voters see the landscape more clearly this year.

Steve also went with Terry Rozier for Sixth-Man-of-the-Year. Per Smith:

I got Scary Terry. The way he played in the playoffs, and I think the voters will remember that. (Brad Stevens) may end games with Terry and Kyrie (Irving) on the floor.

Terry's baptism-under-fire in the playoffs last season was revealing. We can forget about his 0-for-10 on three-pointers in the losing effort against Cleveland in Game Seven of the ECF's - many legendary superstars have had similar disasters. Sixth-Man-of-the-Year is not out of reach for him.

Isiah obviously thinks Jaylen Brown will have one hell of a year. He voted for Jaylen as Most-Improved-Player and also voted for him to participate in his first NBA All-Star game.

When it comes to Jaylen, we just don't know how good he can be. But we may find out this season. Thomas obviously thinks very highly of him, and so do I. At least one member of the Jay-Team will have a breakout season, and both Jaylen and Jayson Tatum could accomplish that.

By the way, both analysts predicted Boston and Golden State in the NBA Finals, with the Warriors emerging victorious. Let's hope they are wrong on the end result.

Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC

Photo via Maddie Meyer/Getty Images