The Boston Celtics have stormed off to a 15-4 start and appear as good as any team in the league despite playing one of the most difficult schedules in the league to begin their next push at hanging Banner 18. Despite missing crucial players like as star big man Kristaps Porzingis and experienced point guard Jrue Holiday for multiple games, the Celtics continue to roll.
In truth, their toughest enemy this season has been, for the most part, their own laziness and lack of focus on some nights – perhaps with a sprinkle of length, power, and physical defense from a few opponents. Even still, these blunders are few and few between.
“Few, if any, NBA lineups look as utterly dominant as the Boston Celtics starters have so far this season,” Bleacher Report NBA expert Andy Bailey agrees.
“We’re still in the ‘small sample theater’ portion of the season, but when Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis are all on the floor, Boston is a whopping plus-28.2 points per 100 possessions,” said the B/R analyst.
“Even when one or two of the aforementioned players are unavailable, as Porzingis was for the Celtics’ final in-season tournament group game on Tuesday, the team has just enough depth and balance to remain dominant.” Boston smashed the flailing Chicago Bulls by 27 points with Al Horford in place, sealing its position in the new tournament’s knockout stage.”
“Now that they’re officially one of the final eight teams, they’re unsurprisingly the favorite to win the whole thing,” Bailey said.
However, there are still concerns to work out, ranging from the lack of a viable third big man due to KP’s health and Horford’s age, to a lackluster performance on the playmaking front and a lack of wing depth off the bench.
However, the trade deadline is still months away, and finding the ideal combination of deeper rotation guys might alleviate many of the problems internally as well.
And if there is a team in the league that can afford to be patient, it’s difficult to argue that it’s Boston.