A single statement that has appeared with variations every autumn since 2008.
Hopes for the upcoming 2023-24 season are no different. The offseason saw star players retained and valuable contributors said good-bye to. Key veterans remain while fresh faces were brought in hopes that another banner can finally be raised to the rafters.
In the 16th season since Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and company defeated the Los Angeles Lakers to claim title 17, the Celtics have remained competitive. Twice they have nearly tasted a World Championship in this span. Five times Boston has reached the Eastern Conference Finals and three times the semis have been their final destination.
During this time, the Celtics have failed to reach the playoffs only once, in Brad Stevens debut season as head coach in 2013-14.
Last season ended in disappointment for the Celtics, falling to a Miami Heat team playing their best basketball. Boston, however, was not. And Stevens, president of basketball operations, has dug deep to make sure this season ends much differently.
Boston Celtics: Change is afoot
At first blush, in failing to overcome their shortcomings in 2022-23, the Celtics overcorrected this offseason to get better. Help on offense was needed and secured with the arrival of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. This meant saying good-bye to key defensive cogs in Marcus Smart (traded to Memphis Grizzlies), Robert Williams III (traded to Portland Trail Blazers), Malcolm Brogdon (traded to Portland), and Grant Williams (signed with Dallas Mavericks).
Okay. The Grant Williams one I'll give you. I was a fan of his, even advocated for keeping him around. Then, after the trade deadline, Williams was ineffective and disinterested. He'd still pop-off on occasion as a reminder of his talent. But as the season progressed, minutes dwindled and the playoffs held a lot of DNP - CD next to his name in the box score.
Smart, Williams III, and Brogdon will all be missed. Smart was one of those players I imagined finishing his career in Boston. While there's still that chance, Smart's leadership, intensity, and defensive play will be missed.
The Celtics did make the smart move in signing Jaylen Brown to a long term deal. Tatum is the obvious superstar but Brown is not too far off. They form one of the best scoring duos in the league and are coming off a season in which they combined to average 56.7 points per game.
One of the main aims with the Celtics during this duo's tenure is surrounding them with the right teammates. Holdovers include Derrick White, who was as stellar as they come the last two months and into the playoffs last season. And Al Horford, trucking on for another steady season in the green and white.
Sam Hauser made strides last season and Payton Pritchard is ratcheted up to contribute much more this season.
Rookie Jordan Walsh could make a surprise impact, especially on the defensive end. Newcomers Oshae Brissett and Dalano Banton are expected to provide valuable minutes, too.
It is the arrival of Porzingis and Holiday, however, where the biggest impact is expected.
The Porzingis effect
At his best, Porzingis is a volume scorer and can provide the offense in the paint Boston has sorely needed in the last decade.
The hard part? Keeping Porzingis healthy and on the court.
The same can be said of players who Porzingis is replacing, with the upside being the offense the big man can contribute. I was already worried about it when the trade was announced and even more so when Porzingis had to miss the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Porzingis is coming off one of his best seasons, in which he averaged 23.2 points per game for the Washington Wizards. His 8.4 rebounds can help alleviate some of that from Tatum, who averaged 8.8 for the Celtics in '22-23.
There's also the 1.5 blocks Porzingis notched while playing in 65 games, his most since the 2016-17 season.
To me, Porzingis is not the lock to uplevel the Celtics that many think he will be. With Time Lord's trade, Porzingis is sort of out there to roam the middle on his own at the moment (unless Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta can make some strides).
Part of what I loved about the possibility of Porzingis and Williams both being present is that it would hopefully take some minutes away from Horford (who can be still looked to for the occasional double-double). It will be interesting to see how minutes are delegated for Horford and Porzingis but a healthy, engaged season from both will do wonders for the Celtics.
The same can also be said for Boston's newest acquisition.
On a Holiday
Holiday had quite the tour of the United States in the last week, traveling from the upper Midwest to the west coast and back across the country to the northeast.
Okay, so maybe he didn't physically do all that traveling but it's been a whirlwind for the 14-year veterans. The initial push was being involved for the Milwaukee Bucks trade for Damian Lillard. Then, the Celtics made their move, bringing Holiday to Boston.
Holiday brings even more scoring to the Celtics, coming off a season in which he averaged 19.3 points per game. He can heat up in a hurry and is able to dish the ball, too, averaging 7.4 assists last season.
There is also the defensive aspect of Holiday's game, and he will provide adequate efficiency to make up for Smart's loss.
Injuries are also a concern with Holiday, who has played in only 70 or more games four times in his storied career. But, perhaps his minutes can be managed to an extent he is best used down the stretch and into the playoffs (which can happen if Pritchard and even JD Davison contribute productive minutes at the guard position).
At the end of last season, I was in the mindset for the Celtics to have one last go-around with the team they had in place. I haven't come around fully yet, especially on the Porzingis trade but tides are slowly starting to turn in my mindset.
The fresh faces brought in to complement the two stars should allow Boston to keep pace in the East. The Celtics and Bucks must be favorites but teams like the Heat and Sixers are always lurking and the Cavs are ready to make a push. Boston's offense will be better and they should stay at least steady on defense. Do that, and the franchise can move on, talking in the future about banner 19, rather than another year of blathering on about title 18.
photo credit: Flickr
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