Boston Celtics: 3 bold predictions for 2019-20 NBA season

1. Top 8 ranked defense

All the talk this off-season has revolved around losing Al Horford and gaining Enes Kanter. On paper, that is a defensive downgrade at best. But look a little deeper and things are not as clear cut. Yes, the Celtics lost Horford and his unique defensive ability but they also lost the need to rebound by committee too.

In Kanter, the team has a true rebounding machine on both ends of the floor. Yes, he will be attacked in the pick-and-roll and quicker players will try to get him to switch on to them so they can beat him off the dribble. But how many tried to do that during the Portland Trail Blazers‘ playoff run last year?

They have a defensive juggernaut in Marcus Smart, capable of guarding any of the five positions on the floor. A true leader by example, Smart is the heartbeat of this team, especially at the defensive end.

Stevens has a reputation for bringing the best out of players who have been written off around the league. He has done it time and again, evidenced by taking a team containing Jared Sullinger, Amir Johnson, and Kelly Olynyk to rank second in the league for defense.

This roster is reminiscent of that. Kanter has been disregarded as a defender throughout his career. Vincent Poirier has something to prove after failing to make into the NBA on multiple attempts. Gordon Hayward will feel like he has a point to prove after an incredibly difficult time in Boston so far.

Scrappy and well-coached, that is the hallmark of a Brad Stevens Celtics team. It didn’t work out last year due to whatever reason you wish to pin it on, but this year feels different. This year feels like a roster constructed in Stevens’s image, and any roster constructed in Stevens’s image will start with defense.

Don’t be shocked when the Celtics defy all of the low expectations currently placed on them. They prefer being underdogs. It is not unthinkable that they will repeat previous successes, and those successes though started with defense.