You ever see a team sign Paul George and Mike Conley Jr. and still have preseason power rankings spread from #4 to #10? That’s the Boston Celtics right now, and it all boils down to one major lingering headache: that center position. With training camp almost here, the palpable tension for Celtics basketball is back, but the early takes are all over the map.
Stacked Roster, Top Tier Hopes, But Where’s the Consensus?
Boston just added Paul George and Mike Conley Jr., so how are they not a consensus top tier team? Michael Pina over at The Ringer has them at #4, even putting them in his “Title Contenders With a Puncher’s Chance” tier. If Jayson Tatum is back to his All-NBA self at 28, you’ve got to think his presence helps offset Jaylen Brown’s departure, right? Pina points to their defense, depth, athleticism, and a ton of outside shooting as winning ingredients. Plus, Head Coach Joe Mazzulla’s pragmatic vision keeps them super disciplined. That’s a stacked team on paper, no doubt. The signs of a potential contender are definitely there, especially with such strong veteran additions.
The Gnawing Doubts That Drag Them Down
But then you look at other lists and it’s a completely different story. Kevin O’Connor at Yahoo! Sports drops them all the way to #9, and USA Today goes even lower at #10. Why such a swing? It’s that center position, man. It was a concern last season, and even after signing Mitchell Robinson, it still is. Robinson is historically injury-prone, and the Knicks had to manage his minutes. Then there’s Neemias Queta, who struggled big time against Joel Embiid in the first round, racking up 4.1 fouls in just 21.7 minutes per game. Yikes. You can’t spin it any other way, Jaylen Brown is a massive loss too, even if Boston didn’t want to pay him long-term. And don’t forget Derrick White needs to bounce back from his down season for this calculated gamble to truly pay off.
So what does it all mean for Boston? The current rankings are a mess, but hey, ESPN’s Future Power Rankings still have them at #3. That’s probably banking on Tatum being the lone core member from 2024 carrying them forward. With training camp right around the corner, every minute of preseason is gonna be watched to see how Mazzulla tackles that center spot and gets everyone clicking. It’s gonna be a wild ride.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Celtics Blog.
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