The National Basketball Association is just over a month away, and it is once again time to preview every NBA franchise. I will be covering the teams in the Eastern Conference and my colleague, Joel Beatton, will feature teams in the Western Conference. Today we are featuring the Boston Celtics.
Key Acquisition
On June 23, prior to the 2023 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics were involved in a blockbuster trade with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards. The principal players in the deal were Marcus Smart, Tyus Jones, and Kristaps Porzingis. A native of Liepaja, Latvia, Porzingis is a veteran center who had 23.2 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game, 2.7 assists per game, 1.5 blocks per game, a field goal percentage of .498, three-point percentage of .385, and a free throw percentage of .851, last season with the Washington Wizards.
Fantasy Star
Jayson Tatum of St. Louis, Missouri is first among power forwards and small forwards. Last season he averaged 30.1 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game, 7.7 rebounds per game, 4.6 assists per game, 1.1 steals per game, a field goal percentage of .466, three-point percentage of .350, and a field goal percentage of .854.
Projected Finish
The Celtics should be considered the best team in the Atlantic Division. Last season they were at 57 wins and 25 losses. This season they could face a challenge from the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers. The concern here for Boston is they are not heading into the season with a lot of momentum. They were completely outclassed by the Miami Heat in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals last year, with Miami coming away with a 103-84 win. The Celtics do have two stars in Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but both did not meet expectations in the 2023 playoffs. Boston did make Brown the richest player in the NBA in the offseason. This should give more incentive to play better. The Porzingis trade is also interesting because the Celtics gave up a defensive specialist in Smart, to acquire the large Latvian.
For FREE!
