The Boston Celtics have obvious terrific high-end talent, and are possibly even deeper than last year due to the addition of Malcolm Brogdon this offseason.
But despite looking at times like the NBA Finals favorite they are billed to be, the Celtics also revealed a major flaw during their four-game preseason, which could be their Achilles hell until at least Robert Williams returns.
Boston struggled mightily keeping opponents off the glass, and the statistics were startling. The Celtics allowed 17 offensive rebounds per game -- one of the worst marks in the NBA during the exhibition slate -- culminating by surrendering 22 offensive boards in their preseason finale Friday night to the Toronto Raptors.
It isn't exactly a news flash the Celtics are going to miss Williams, and not just because of his ability to roll into the lane and throw down lob passes. He was Boston's leading rebounder a season ago, and it is a void the Celtics will have to fill with the TimeLord sidelined.
While the Celtics posted the best defensive rating in the league last year, even their stellar defense won't be able to survive allowing as many second chances as they did in the preseason. Boston even had issues a season ago keeping teams off the offensive glass, and as the Celtics know, it can prove to be very costly.
The Celtics will rely heavily on Al Horford and Jayson Tatum to control the boards in the defensive end, but they'll need others to chip in, especially with Boston needing to keep a close eye on Horford's minutes. He played in his most games during the regular season since the 2017-18 season and logged 815 minutes in a grueling postseason run to the NBA Finals.
That's why it didn't come as a surprise the Celtics held onto Noah Vonleh, whose best asset is his rebounding ability. The Massachusetts native and eight-year NBA veteran collected 7.3 rebounds per game in the preseason.
Defensive rebounding has to be a point of emphasis for Celtics interim head coach as Boston flips the page to the regular season. They will be tested right away, too, with the Philadelphia 76ers featuring two strong rebounders in Joel Embiid and Montrezl Harrell, who always seems to be a thorn in the side of the C's.
The Celtics begin their season against the 76ers on Tuesday. Tipoff from TD Garden is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
