Celtics Get Lots Of Love, Seen As Title Favorites In NBA GM Survey

Do you think the Boston Celtics are going to win the 2024 NBA Finals?

If you said yes, you have something in common with the majority of NBA decision makers.

The 2023-24 NBA GM survey was released Tuesday, with the 22nd edition of the study giving plenty of love toward the Celtics. In fact, it’s hard to find a question they aren’t connected to — most notably being tabbed as the favorites to come away from the season with the title.

The Celtics were tied with the Denver Nuggets for most votes regarding which team will win the 2024 NBA Finals, garnering 33% of the tally. Boston also is viewed as the favorite in the Eastern Conference, receiving 53% of the votes to win the conference and 96% of the votes to be among its final two.

It makes sense that many view the C’s as title favorites, especially considering they tied the Milwaukee Bucks (23%) as the team general managers believe made the best offseason moves.

The Celtics respect doesn’t just stem from changes they made, however. Jayson Tatum was voted the best small forward in the NBA, receiving a higher percentage of votes (47%) than Kevin Durant (20%), Luka Doncic (17%), LeBron James (13%) and Kawhi Leonard (3%). The 25-year-old superstar also finished third (13%) in a hypothetical MVP vote, finishing behind Nikola Jokic (43%) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (20%).

It’s only a matter of time before we find out what the GMs were right about, as the Celtics’ season begins on Oct. 25 against the New York Knicks.