These two Celtics will be crucial to unlocking Kristaps Porzingis’ potential
By Rob Greene
How it all fits together for the Celtics.
It’s safe to say that Boston needed this for their tandem to complete a likable big three. With the way the league is trending as teams added more talent this summer, with more weaponry escalating and potentially more, they had to move with the landscape. They’ve been right there, nearly having Banner 18 in their hands, for a while now, with an All-Star joining them. The blockbuster really shows how hungry the Celtics franchise is to get the job done, with it certainly being felt throughout the organization.
Imagining the philosophy Brogdon and White have provided next to another dimension that has been unfamiliar to the Celtics being integrated with KP is special. Maybe one they haven’t seen in over a decade with Garnett in a do-it-all role, let alone a big three of this caliber with him and the Jays. The two point guards and Porzingis will elevate Boston further together. This could be tremendously scary for opposing teams as well as a dream for the Celtics’ fans, with Tatum and Brown having the cooking ingredients they never had.
Rather than slowing up the offense late in the game and playing into those usual lapses, the ball can keep swinging now in the C’s position-less scheme between their ball-handlers with all the lineup mixtures. With Smart gone, the “Westbrook syndrome” that some executives labeled him and the Jays with has now largely decreased, also factoring in Brown and Tatum’s evolution as leaders. White better fits the team’s new look, trending direction, and versatility as the Celtics’ point guard than his excellence last year.
The lineup combinations and now flexibility and versatility Boston has on both sides are currently hard to match, with them being the title favorite again. Remember the 2016 and 2017 rumors of Danny Ainge wanting to swap one of the No. 3 Brown and Tatum picks with the Knicks for Porzingis? It shows how these are the three guys that the Boston Celtics’ ownership has forever desired.
May after May, Conference Finals after Conference Finals, getting to just one NBA Finals and repeatedly falling short of Banner 18, like said before, at some point, a change is needed at the helm. And it wasn’t the tandem that could be the best to ever suit up together as they continue to grow and blossom.
Must Read. The new-look Celtics are closer than ever to an 18th title. light
Last summer, Boston’s move for Brogdon opened up the world for them as White worked to get comfortable. Now, in even greater championship desperation, the universe opens up way more with Porzingis added. Brad Stevens and the Celtics’ ownership are more all-in than they have ever been.