Things will look much different when the Celtics kick off their 2023-24 campaign on Wednesday night in New York against the Knicks.
The Celtics overhauled their roster this offseason, trading away Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, Grant Williams, and Malcolm Brogdon to bring in Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. Boston also revamped their coaching staff, adding Sam Cassell, Charles Lee, Amile Jefferson, Phil Pressey, and even Jeff Van Gundy as a senior consultant.
The Celtics have been knocking on the door of a championship for several years now. However, having reached the Eastern Conference Finals five times in the last seven years, with just one Finals appearance and no championships to show for it, changes were needed, and credit to the Brad Stevens and Celtics’ ownership, they made them, going all-in on raising Banner 18.
With all the movement has come sky-high expectations from top to bottom. The Celtics have all the pieces in place to snap their 15-year championship drought, and given their current roster, the championship-or-bust expectations are totally fair.
Understandably, Celtics fans will need to see it to believe it. Over the past several years, the team has simply not been able to get it done during the biggest moments.
However, this year is different.
There has been a sense of excitement and eagerness throughout the Auerbach Center since day one of training camp. The team has entered the new year with a different mindset, something Mazzulla has preached often in camp.
The 2023-24 Celtics know they have the chance to do something incredibly special, and this truly does feel like their year.
In pairing Holiday and Porzingis alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Derrick White, the Celtics have the best roster in the league. Not to mention, the team is surrounded by a wealth of knowledge with the new coaching hires and the constant presence of former champions.
Losing skids are inevitable across an 82-game season, but aside from those, the 2023-24 season is going to be a fun one for Celtics fans and will feature a lot of winning.
The team is different and the culture is different, which will result in duck boats making their way down Boylston Street come June.
Here are five bold predictions for the 2023-24 Celtics season.
Brad Stevens wins Executive of the Year
Stevens was a madman this offseason, and it will be the moves he made that put Boston over the top.
The 47-year-old has excelled since taking the President of Basketball Operations gig, finishing top six in voting for the award in his first two seasons in the role.
As long as the Celtics meet expectations, this will be the year Stevens wins the award, and he will be the first Celtics executive to do so since Danny Ainge won it in the 2007-2008 season, which also happens to be the last time the Celtics won a championship.
The Celtics will have the league’s top defense
A lot of the focus was on the Celtics’ offense a season ago, but they sneakily finished second in the league in defensive rating (110.6) behind just the Cleveland Cavaliers (109.9).
The Celtics have placed a clear emphasis on defense this season. Mazzulla has stressed the importance of defense in camp, and both Tatum and Brown have mentioned they want to make an All-Defensive team this season.
Pairing Holiday, who has been named to the All-Defensive first or second team in five of the last six seasons, with Derrick White, who made his first All-Defensive team a season ago, gives Boston one of the best defensive backcourts in the league.
Porzingis has also really impressed with his defense in the preseason. We got a nice glimpse at the 7-foot-3 big man’s elite rim protection and his ability to defend the perimeter in preseason play.
Porzingis has also built a reputation as one of the league’s better players in drop coverage, which is something the Celtics run a lot of. Pair Porzingis in drop with Derrick White and Jrue Holiday trailing, and it's a lethal combination.
It’s well-known how dangerous Boston’s offense is, and their play on the defensive end will translate to offense.
Expect the Celtics to finish with the league’s top-rated defense and top three in offense.
The Celtics will win the In-Season Tournament
The NBA will have its inaugural In-Season Tournament this year, starting Nov. 3, with the championship on Dec. 9. The tournament will start with group play to decide who advances to the knockout rounds.
Boston has a favorable group consisting of Brooklyn, Chicago, Toronto, and Orlando.
The in-season tournament will give Boston a chance to make a statement early, and given their group, they should be favored to win the thing.
Kristaps Porzingis will make an All-NBA team
Not only will Porzingis be an All-Star, he will also make an All-NBA team, something he has never accomplished in his seven-year career.
Porzingis is going to be a perfect fit in Boston. The big man found early success in the preseason, and that will only continue.
The attention Tatum and Brown draw offensively is going to lead to wide-open looks for Porzingis, who has shown he can score from anywhere on the floor.
Porzinigs adds a whole new dimension to Boston’s offense, and his ability to space the floor, work as a screener, execute the pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop will benefit him greatly.
He’ll also make some noise on the defensive end with his length.
As a focal point on a team that is going to win a lot of games, Porzingis has a great opportunity to earn All-NBA honors for the first time in his career.
C’s finish with 60 wins
The Celtics finished with 57 wins a season ago, their most since the 2008-09 season (62). The C’s have finished with 60+ wins just 13 times in franchise history but have an opportunity to add to that total this season.
Last year’s team probably could have reached 60 wins had they not come out of the All-Star break stumbling. This year's team has only improved from a season ago and should reach 60 wins as they take the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Finals prediction: Celtics over Nuggets in 6
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