This Celtics Team Has the Best Two-Way Roster In _____ Years
- Jake Hunter
- Jun 10, 2024
- 4 min read
Jrue Holiday
Widely considered one of, if not THE best perimeter defenders of the past five-plus years of basketball. Historically underperforms at the offensive end in the playoffs (due to being asked to do too much), but has flourished in a new role as the schemed fourth/fifth option in Boston and is making a run at Finals MVP. The Portland Trailblazers must pay for allowing the Celtics to add this guy to an already stacked roster for such a mediocre return.
Derrick White
He was underrated for years (and 90% on NBA analysts will still assure he still is despite virtually every engaged fan acknowledging his excellence), but he's a perfect role player-PLUS (not a primary option, but equipped to perform like one when called upon). He can run the point when needed and space the floor at a HIGH level. Still, his best asset is his defense, where his spatial intelligence and ELITE shot contesting from the guard position makes him a formidable on-ball and help defender.
Jayson Tatum
He's firmly entrenched as no better than a second-tier NBA superstar, but you cannot deny his increased value in accentuating the ancillary skills when his scoring isn't going. He's developed more playmaking chops than he flashed in prior playoff runs, and his activity as a help defender and rebounder has salvaged what has otherwise been an extremely underwhelming series from a player with his supposed stature in the league.
Jaylen Brown
I've always been a huge fan of Jaylen's game since he made it to the league, and he has a multi-year track record of stepping up more prominently than Tatum in the most terminal series that the Celtics have made during this current era of Celtics basketball (nearing a decade long at this point). He's so athletic and strong, but he's controlled and calculating in ways he doesn't often get credit for. His Achilles heel remains his lack of dribbling with his left hand, but aside from that, he is a HIGH-level finisher at the rim with a strong overall three-level scoring arsenal. Beyond that, his overall size, athleticism, and basketball intelligence makes him a fearsome defender on the perimeter and at the rim, allowing him to step up and guard the opposing team's best player for extended stretches of game-time if they play any position besides center. The fact that they can rotate him, White, and Holiday on the opposing team's #1 perimeter option for the entirety of the game without ever expending Tatum's energy on such a task is just silly.
Kristaps Porzingis
He's 7'3", has strong mobility, and is a knockdown shooter. He's a legitimately elite deterrent at the rim on defense at this stage of his career, and he is a uniquely challenging mismatch on the offensive end because of his height and high shot release (which makes his jumpers close to unblockable for sub-7-footers). He's always struggled with staying healthy (even during this current playoff run), but the overall depth of two-way prowess on this team has lowered the amount of overall wear and tear Porzingis has undergone this season. Couple that with him undoubtedly leveling up as a player almost comprehensively over the past two seasons from a guy who was already a fringe All-Star, and the Celtics have undoubtedly struck gold with the perfect center to apply the maximal tension to the fabric other teams' defenses while anchoring their very own.
Overall, I think this is the most well-constructed team since the prime Warriors of the mid-late 2010s. I didn't even mention Al Horford, who is a terrific complement at the 5 to Porzingis and provides many of the similar benefits to the Celtics' lineups with an additional layer of true veteran savvy to help overcome his deteriorating athletic abilities (don't take this the wrong way: he is still exceptionally spry for a 38 year-old center). Do I think this is the best team since those teams? Probably not. I think last year's Denver team (and, frankly, their less-formidable team this season also) would have given this iteration of the Celtics plenty of issues. The Celtics do not have a top-five NBA player on their roster, and that would hurt them if they played a more balanced team with a top-tier player (which they hadn't faced until this current series) that individually exceeds the talent of their own best players.
These Mavericks are very comparable but inferior to the Nuggets in a lot of ways. Each team's best players (Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic) are of comparable quality as probably the two best players in the NBA. Their second options (Kyrie Irving and Jamal Murray) are comparable as well, with my personal preference leaning toward Murray due to multi-year consistency. Kyrie has been abominable through the first two games of this series. Denver's third-best and fourth-best players, whichever you choose between Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., are definitively better than whoever you choose from the Mavericks roster to put against them.
Yes, I know the Nuggets lost to Minnesota, who the Mavericks just beat in five games. I think this is a perfect example of matchups mattering in the playoffs as well as acknowledging that players can have outlier performances over a four to seven game series (see: Porter Jr.'s horrendous series against Minnesota) that can completely swing the entire outcome of a given season's playoffs. This is GOOD. These games aren't played on a computer, and it makes them worth watching. This series isn't over by any means, but these Celtics are pretty darn good, and if they go on to win this championship, I do think it'll be because they have the best team in this current NBA season. I don't personally want the city of Boston to be awarded with another title (yes, I'm being a hater), but I cannot deny how impressive this squad is now that we've seen them play on the biggest stage in the sport.
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