The Two Roadblocks Between Boston and Banner 19
The Boston Celtics enter the 2024-2025 NBA season fresh off their 18th NBA Championship and return with the major pieces from their title run. The team, led by eighth-year forward Jayson Tatum and ninth-year Jaylen Brown, is poised to repeat their performance in the new year. Other key pieces coming back to Boston include veteran guards Jrue Holiday and Derrick White will provide the defensive edge that boosted the team to a championship level of play. However, some things stand in the way of the Celtics’ 100% guaranteed repeat as champs.
The number one issue the Celtics faced over their championship run came in the form of injuries to the starting center Kristaps Porzingis. Boston became known for one of the most dominant defenses in the 21st century last season, and a big reason is their willingness to switch into any matchup out of the pick and roll, which has dominated the NBA over the last couple of seasons. Veteran forward Al Horford played a significant role in winning the title, providing top-tier defense against several stars in the playoffs. Horford has also managed to hold one of the best players in the league, Joel Embiid, at bay whenever the two match up, especially during the playoffs. However, with 20 years of mileage on the tires, does Horford have the treads to keep the wagon moving forward?
Other than the obvious injury risk, the Celtics’ ability to shoot the long ball effectively and consistently makes or breaks their offense. Head coach Joe Mazzulla has completely changed the way that the Celtics space the floor and attack defenses to maximize the effectiveness of every possession. However, the issue with this comes when the team is shooting poorly from deep. While the team finished 2023 second overall in three-point shooting percentage, they also took almost four more three-point attempts per game than any other team. If the team is not shooting well, the offense will have to rethink its approach completely. For more on how the Celtics dominated the league last season, please click here.