If there was an award for receiving offseason praise, the Celtics would have locked it up a long time ago. But, that’s not stopping the NBA world from handing more in the direction of Boston.
In the latest example of the Celtics winning over hearts this offseason, ESPN polled a list of coaches, scouts and executives to get a consensus opinion on a number of topics. Among them were the best offseason, potential MVP’s and winner of the 2023 NBA Finals.
Jayson Tatum was the lone Celtics player to get individual praise, with two voters agreeing that he would be the best player in the NBA in five seasons. Why? His defensive ability edges out that of Luka Doncic.
“Luka did a hell of a job carrying that team this year, but the two-way wing creator/scorer is the ultimate archetype, and Tatum is that at 24 years old, and just got that team to the Finals,” An Eastern Conference scout told ESPN. “I just like his ability to give you something defensively that Luka likely never will be able to.”
Though they didn’t edge out the competition fully, the Celtics received the second most votes for perspective NBA champions in 2023 at four. Part of the reason why their offseason. Here’s what was said about the moves they made.
Coming out on top by a decent margin, however, was Boston’s offseason. The Celtics added two quality rotation players — guard Malcolm Brogdon in a trade with the Indiana Pacers, and forward Danilo Gallinari as a free agent — without sacrificing any of their top eight players who got them to the NBA Finals.
Another day, another heaping of praise onto the Celtics.
