The Boston Celtics and team president of basketball operations Brad Stevens ensured the team’s needs for improvement were addressed — evident in an offseason in which the C’s added experienced NBA veterans Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari.
So, where do said offseason acquisitions place the Celtics among the rest of the league?
Well, according to one longtime NBA reporter, Boston’s efforts to ensure a return to the NBA Finals placed them among the best in the league.
David Aldridge, who currently serves as a senior columnist for The Athletic, ranked the Celtics’ offseason moves third-best in the NBA in his latest “Top 10” piece on Thursday.
“Getting better minutes on the ball than the Celtics got in the finals from Marcus Smart was key, and acquiring Brogdon should shore that up,” Aldridge wrote. “This isn’t a criticism of Smart, who is as vital to Boston as Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown; it’s just a recognition of his limitations as a playmaker. He’s a scorer with the ball. Brogdon can score but is much more impactful as a team’s quarterback. The two of them could actually be terrific together in smaller-ball lineups with Brown at the three.”
Aldridge added: “And Brogdon will only enhance Boston’s best-in-the-league defense. Gallinari still showed some offensive pop with the Hawks, and Lord knows Boston could use more consistent scoring in reserve.”
Last season the Celtics finished with a 106.9 defensive rating — tied for the best in the league with the defending 2022 NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
The only teams Aldridge ranked higher than the Celtics were the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers.
