Any time you bring back an NBA roster that came within a pair of wins of hanging a banner with even more talent added to it the next season, people are almost always going to want to see how it goes.
And such is the case for the Boston Celtics, at least in the eyes of senior ESPN writer Zach Lowe. For him, the Celtics are a top 10 must-watch ball club heading into next season, coming in at No. 6 overall in Lowe’s annual League Pass ranking exercise that gauges the fun and watchability of every team in the league based on their score in five categories.
For the ESPN analyst, that includes zeitgeist, highlight potential, style, league pass minutiae, and unintentional comedy.
Celtics do not even make top 10 of HoopsHype’s NBA’s most interesting teams to watch in 2022-23 https://t.co/Py1jo1NPXH
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 13, 2022
“Boston’s stars offer different stylistic ingredients, but they don’t always synthesize on offense,” suggests Lowe.
“The defense … holy hell. They are huge, mean, smart — a switching forcefield. (Marcus Smart and Blake Griffin have to wager on who takes the most charges, right?)”
Three Boston Celtics among Sporting News’ top 30 bench players for 2022-23 https://t.co/nBUa4hWN73
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 13, 2022
“They are also strategically quirky,” added the ESPN senior writer. “The Celtics clicked into place when they shifted their center — Robert Williams III — onto nonthreatening wings, unleashing him as a free safety.”
“Timelord didn’t just reject shots. He obliterated them. He spiked some before they even left shooters’ hands — before they really became shots at all. Others, he smashed against the backboard with such force you almost expected them to become impaled in the glass. From mid-January on, Boston allowed 105.4 points per 100 possessions — four points stingier than the league’s No. 2 defense.”
“The Celtics became one of the greatest defenses of all time, even as smart opponents began exploring counters to Boston’s scheme — running Williams around off-ball screens, using more false actions,” recounts Lowe.
This Boston Celtics duo had the misfortune to have been swept from the playoffs the most https://t.co/29eKN8Xdrh
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 13, 2022
“Expect more of that cat-and-mouse game now that opponents have had an offseason to study,” observes the author.
“Boston found its flow on offense too. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Smart cooperated in more two-man actions — forcing switches Tatum and Brown could exploit. Tatum’s liquid grace and Brown’s straight-line power make for a perfect contrast. Derrick White added Spursian quick decision-making. (Update: He should be part of the Griffin-Smart charge-taking wager too!)”
“The Celtics’ green uniforms are maybe the best in sports, and they improved their historic court by removing the chunky white circle from underneath the leprechaun,” closes Lowe.
Is this Boston Celtics team making you believe in a championship? https://t.co/cyNDx2yy7k
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 13, 2022
While we disagree with Lowe’s assessment of the new court — to us at least, it looks like the graphic designer accidentally hit CTRL-Z just as she finished the job — we are more or less on board with everything else Lowe has to say.
And as far as a No. 6 ranking goes for Boston, that also feels about right, with the Celtics just ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks and right after the New Orleans Pelicans and the return of Zion Williamson.
Kissoonlal might trick one into assuming he is a big man at 6-foot-11, but at least in his time playing in the backcourt at the college level. https://t.co/CdNKlDJxzF
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 13, 2022
It’s important to remember (as Lowe himself reminds us) that this exercise is not a power ranking of teams around the league when you see the Brooklyn Nets at No. 1.
Whether the Nets implode yet again under the weight of their own offcourt issues or finally put things together, one thing is sure — people are going to be fascinated by whatever ends up unfolding at Barclays Center this season.
The Celtics center will be available to play against the Toronto Raptors on Friday for the Celtics’ last preseason game. https://t.co/qVDZKBk0PX
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 13, 2022
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
