Why the new and improved Celtics are a major threat

Given how heavy the stake is for the Boston Celtics and how different they are about to look, the excitement is real. Rarely do you see a team this close make this significant of an offseason blockbuster, let alone receive the deal’s best player.

"“I’m probably more excited to watch them than any team I could remember in recent memory just because of how much different they are going to be and the stakes that are on them. To Brian’s point, they have leaned so far into what Joe Mazzulla wanted to do and so far away from what they were under Ime just a couple of years ago.” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps on Brian Windhorst and The Hoop Collective on July 17"

If it were not already clear with the Marcus Smart-Kristaps Porzingis deal, Stevens and the Celtics’ brass have fully invested themselves in the Mazzulla regime. Windhorst describes it as high-volume three-point shooting with massive offensive versatility.

The Grant Williams-Dallas noise came to fruition with Boston getting a TPE back. Another hard-nosed defender cut from the same cloth as Smart is no longer in green. Grant was a notable instrument to the C’s 2022 Finals team that kept the defense intact outside of the core for the bench.

Though, in comfort of Williams’ expected exit, rookie Jordan Walsh gave the Celtics a ton of promise during the Summer League in Las Vegas. Walsh has prematurely returned that competitive grit that lied within the two departing fan favorites. Ranked the fifth-best rookie in the exhibition, the 19-year-old provided plenty of skillset offensively as well that maybe wasn’t fully on display as a Razorback.

But on defense, a complete fire-breathing disruptor is a pest that is always bringing that energy and intensity. That Celtic edge that many fans fall in love with, which Walsh immediately acknowledged when he was introduced, means he knows that, with his length, he fits as well.

Walsh, Oshae Brissett, with his thunderous cutting, shot-blocking, and length on the glass, and Sam Hauser can all play into the minutes that Williams left. There were highlighted moments last season in the regular season and playoffs where Williams did not receive any playing time due to Hauser’s elite shooting and good plus-minus defensively.

Boston’s new and improved starting lineup and depth

The Celtics, as flashes were found in the Summer League with their new blueprint and design, could accommodate more of a zone defense at times. The zone has tended to be their kryptonite during instances of panic falling apart at the end of games or not completing expectations, quite commonly, once again via Miami. So, why not add their own repertoire?

That’s not to say their defense won’t be Celtic-esque, with another chance of being in the top five or more with that elite-switching, full-throttle physical intensity. Now, following their busy offseason, that offensive evolution for who represented the East in the 2022 Finals is coming full circle. Thanks to the seeds Mazzulla planted throughout the last season.

There has been a collection of chatter from experts around the league who view the Celtics as subtracting two of their most notable defensive voices and hearts from the locker room once Williams became a Maverick. While they both starred in that role and Smart was a leader, they were not the only ones on a championship-caliber team full of battle-tested veteran voices. And not for nothing, those declaring the locker room’s lack of “dog,” tied with leadership, Boston still has more than enough of those rough-housing intimidators who bring fire.

Both Jays are also closing in on a decade themselves, with their default dogged leadership on top of them fighting through more postseason wars than an abundance of the league’s faces together. Al Horford might actually be one of the most title-hungry figures in the league, with all he’s been through and a history of biting first towards an opposing contender’s star when the stakes are high in a series.

Boston improved one of their biggest weaknesses.

The Porzingis acquisition provides stability in the Celtics’ lineup. Brad Stevens instantly pointed out how KP fits any of their team’s combinations, providing more rest given Al Horford’s age and Robert Williams’ injury problems. Porzingis can also be the stand-alone five with the ball-handlers and play next to one, if not both, of the bigs in efforts to rest the Jays or guards.

Horford and Timelord can impressively guard anyone and any position, with Robert Williams III still the Celtics’ prominent defensive anchor on both ends, further evolving and getting past the injury woes. but the Celtics needed this balance more than ever. Williams recently showed off his offensive work this offseason, with him having his healthiest summer.

Many thought Smart may have lost his legs defensively, with him seeming a tad on the decline on that end last season following his DPOY 2022, with White filling those shoes and beyond as a No. 3 option Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown haven’t had yet. The numbers showed, and everyone remembers his buzzer-beater in Miami. It was displayed throughout the season as one of the most interesting stories in his first full season, with all his comfort.

How it all fits together for the Celtics.

To show more resemblance with his bulldog features aside from his greatly connecting offense, White even made an All-Defensive team, leading all guards in blocks and at the rim. He even recorded more than Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The fire is heavily instilled within the roster: Hauser, Payton Pritchard, etc. All with the amount of runs Boston has been on together deep into May towards the ECF or further year after year. Porzingis can certainly up the energy with his gritty intensity when he gets going on both sides. Once he does, he is one of those guys that you just can’t stop. Most prominently, the historically growing duo of Brown and Tatum has been through numerous wars that any executive would drool over.

KP adds a whole new dynamic to all three levels on both sides, which Boston had been missing. The duo needed all-star, sizable frontcourt assistance. Brad Stevens could be establishing the best trio in the league with the Celtics, as they should be fearful for the rest of the NBA with Porzingis, Brown, and Tatum close in age.

Boston should be one of the game’s most powerful and best shows, as a whole new element and philosophy are taking place.