Look, Im a pessimist by nature.
I also view myself as a realist and relatively objective with my favorite teams.
As the playoffs wore on, I needed to counterbalance Greenies optimism about the teams flaws.
Unfortunately, I was more right than not about my roster assessment.
So, more of the same for the new season?
Out was Celtics lifer and former DPOY Marcus Smart.
Out was fan-favorite Rob Williams.
Out was 6th Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon.
Out was (I dont have a positive adjective to say before his name) Grant Williams.
In was Kristaps Porzingis.
In was Jrue Holliday.
In were expanded roles for Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard.
It was a wild off-season and a significant shake-up to the teams foundation.
So, lets run down the roster compared to last season and see how it all shakes out.
(Important note: these assessments are based on PLAYOFF GAMES.
IDGAF about the regular season record.
Its nice to win em, but anyone who watches this sport knows the playoffs are a different game.
Just get into a top 4 spot in the East, and Im good with it.)
But that last line is part of the problem.
If you want to win a title, Marcus Smart couldnt be the team leader anymore.
Jayson Tatum needs to be the teams heartbeat, which could never happen with Marcus in the locker room.
And I dont mean that in a bad way; by all accounts, hes a great teammate.
But his status in the locker room was oversized and honestly too big for his production on the floor.
Well all cheer like crazy when Memphis comes to town.
The video montage is gonna be tear-inducing.
But it needed to happen.
And thats not even the actual playing basketball part of it.
Smart was verging on a liability defensively on the perimeter last year.
Maybe he was hurt, but he was not the same guy who won DPOY the previous season.
Plain and simple, Derrick White was a betterperimeterdefender last season.
Offensively, we all remember the Marcus Smart experience.
There was a reason that was encouraged/allowed by opponents.
White is an upgrade offensively and someone we will trust more in end-of-game situations.
By default, more significant minutes and an expanded role for White is a good thing.
Plus, he finally shaved his head.
Advantage:This year, majorly.
He has become a midrange assassin.
Defensively, hes slipped from where he once was, especially off-ball.
But his athleticism hasnt dipped.
With more focus on that end, he can be a plus defender again.
The (playoff) book is out on Juice.
Its on him to make that book wrong.
Advantage:Pushto slightly this year.
It has to be marginally better, right?
He is a stud.
Id imagine this year is no different.
His ceiling is a Top 5 player in the league, and hes damn close already.
the playoff bugaboo is still hovering over him, and until he fully shakes it, its deserved.
Sure, 50 points vs. Philly was incredible.
But the Heat series also happened.
Everyone is entitled to an off-game in the playoffs.
But the best players on championship teams dont have many of them.
Be a dawg, put the team on your back, and win us the tough games.
Its the last step in the Tatum evolution.
He hasnt pissed me off yet this year, so I have hope itll happen.
(Check back with me in May, though.)
Also, can we cut the shit with the no-pass, above-the-break threes in the half-court offense?
K, gr8, thx.
Advantage:Pushto Slightly this year.
The dude is late 30s and was incredible on both ends of the floor.
yo, Joe, Im begging you.
The starting five should be White, Jrue, JB, JT, and Porzingis.
Advantage:Last year.
Father Time is undefeated.
TBH, good riddance.
I couldnt do another season of holding my breath and worrying about an injury every time he jumped.
Im sure I wont worry about that with (checks notes) Kristaps Porzingis.
KP is better defensively on the wing but not nearly as good in the post.
Neither is durable, but KP has played 20 more games over the last two years than Rob.
The Smart-KP trade was made for the offense.
Brad was sick of watching playoff possessions stall, leading to settle threes by Tatum or Smart.
(So was I.)
The offense was stale, predictable, and one-dimensional.
When healthy, KP allows us to vary the attack in ways we havent seen in years.
We are giving up something defensively, but I think its a little overblown.
Rob was match-up specific.
When the match-up suited him, he was a menace.
But when there was a ton of shooting out there, he bordered on liability.
KP can pretty much stay on the floor regardless of match-up.
I am concerned about rebounding.
Al hasnt been good at it in years, and KP is a clear step down from Rob.
Advantage:This year.
A true win across the board if you take emotions out of the equation.
Compared to Malcolm, we know the differences.
Malcolm won 6th Man of the Year.
We will miss the scoring punch off the bench, but he was a turnstile on the perimeter.
Really, I should be comparing Pritchard to Brogdon, but this is Greenie-level long at this point.)
Depth
The biggest question mark - besides health - is the depth, especially in the front court.
I am NOT a Grant Williams Stan.
But he was important.
How they fill that role is a huge question.
Sam Houser and Payton Pritchard will step into more prominent roles, and I think they are ready.
But we wont know for sure until the bullets are flying.
Also, no Blake sucks for vibes.
Advantage:Last year.
If you factor in Blake Vibes, it is a massive advantage for last year.
Coaching
Joe Mazzulla was as polarizing a Head Coach as they come.
I was of the mind that he was fine.
Thats gone this year.
Hes been given an offensive weapon at the 4/5 to alleviate the half-court issues.
They shipped out Smart and Grant Williams outsized voices to give Joe more of a presence.
And now hes been through an 82-game season, plus 20 playoff games.
Inexperience is no longer an issue.
He has no excuses now.
Advantage:TBD
If youve read this far, you deserve a present.
I dont even want to re-read it all before I click submit.
This roster has all the makings of a title team.
They have corrected most of the issues I had with the squad.
I am thrilled with the job Brad has done.
Yes, there are still major questions.
Depth, rebounding, durability.
Can Tatum take The Leap?
Did Jaylen figure out how to use his left hand?
Does KP have another healthy 75 games in him?
Can Al come close to replicating last year while also being fresher for the playoffs?
Can Pritchard be a third guard for a title team?
All VERY valid concerns.
The window is now.
Sustained success and being competitive year after year is cool and all.
But at some point, you gotta win one.
The old core of the Celtics plateaued.
I dont think they could take that final step as constructed.
The ceiling of this years team?
I believe they can.
The 23-24 Celtics are all in.
And Im here for it.
