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Justin Quinn

Projecting the Boston Celtics’ 2023-24 season part III: The players

Jrue Holiday Celtics Boston (Organization) CT (Person) the Boston Celtics The Celtics Wire Joe Mazzulla Marcus Smart Al Horford Jayson Tatum

While the Boston Celtics are, by reliable reporting, not done making moves to fortify their roster for their next run at hanging Banner 18 at the end of the NBA’s 2023-24 season, with the trade for former Milwaukee Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday now official, we can begin to make more concrete statements and predictions about the ceiling and floor of this ball club.

To such an end, our team of analysts at the Celtics Wire decided to hold back on part three of our series preview roundtables given it is focused on the players on the Celtics’ roster once word started percolating up that Boston was indeed trying to land Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers last week.

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With that sorted, let’s take a look at what Adam Taylor, Cameron Tabatabaie, Robert Marvi, and Justin Quinn.

How are we feeling about the Jrue Holiday trade? What do we think his role will be?

Justin Quinn: I am a little skeptical about the lack of depth in the big man rotation that the trade created, but am more comfortable that the team will take the needed steps to bolster the roster there based on Wyc Grousbeck’s comments at Holiday’s introductory presser; I am very into what he can bring on both ends apart from that quibble.

I still think Derrick White will stay the primary point guard at the start of the season, but I also think that designation matters less every season of Jayson Tatum’s career, and could well end up being matchup-dependent who is the nominal floor general.

Cameron Tabatabaie: It’s a home run of a pivot and one heck of a gamble for the Celtics. The ceiling for this team is extraordinary if everything clicks — but the floor is a bit higher as well, and they’re serious contenders after the Holiday trade if they were not in your opinion before.

What happens in future years is for another round table, but health will again figure prominently.

Holiday will be a key connecting piece for the offense, a point-of-attack defender on the other end of the ball, and a helpful veteran leader amid a purported leadership vacuum.

Robert Marvi: Holiday seems to represent a definite upgrade over new Memphis Grizzly Marcus Smart, and the fact that he played on an NBA championship team with the Milwaukee Bucks will help a Celtics team that hasn’t learned how to win on that stage yet.

He should give them a bona fide floor general, something they have seemingly lacked for some time now, as well as another late-game offensive option.

The concern, however, is the depth Boston had to give up to get him.

Adam Taylor: Holiday will play a different role to what he comprised with the Milwaukee Bucks. That will allow the UCLA alum to lock in as a point-of-attack defender and secondary playmaker for Boston.

The Celtics needed a glue guy after losing so many veteran locker room leaders this summer, and that’s where Holiday is going to shine for his new team. This was a great pick-up!

With so much turnover from last season's roster, what will this team's identity?

RM: I wonder if the Celtics might try to win a little more with offense now that Smart and Robert Williams III are both on other teams now.

Kristaps Porzingis is a very good shot blocker, but he is also injury-prone. The big concern this season is the Celtics’ lack of depth though.

If the Latvian big man, veteran forward Al Horford, or the 33-year-old Holiday get injured, who will step up offensively? The moves they made seem high-risk, high-reward.

AT: From all the talk at Boston’s Media Day, in press conferences afterward, and even in a few podcast appearances, the Celtics appear to be going back to their defensive identity.

I would expect everyone to be locked in on that end of the floor, as they utilize a blueprint that took them to the NBA Finals in 2022.

On offense, new assistant coaches Sam Cassell and Charles Lee will likely ensure we see a more robust game plan that isn’t reliant on gargantuan 3-point volume.

CT: That pugnacious identity that my colleague Adam hints at may have been a holdover from the Udoka era.

Instead, I think we are looking at an offensive juggernaut in the flesh. This is what Mazzulla needs to be successful — unless he turns a fair amount of what Boston did last season into something very different.

Defense is obviously critical to any team hoping to win a title, but Boston can fully open the taps and put teams to bed with an onslaught of scoring from more than just around the perimeter.

JQ: I think this team can be a top-five defense AND offense, and Joe Mazzulla’s comments on the ‘Old Man and the 3’ pod have me believing that with enough time to set up the style of play he actually wants Boston to use that this ball club could shock people with just how dangerous they are — so, a maddeningly tough, two-way identity.

The ties we’ve developed to Marcus, Rob, Grant, et al. are hard to let go of but are part of the sport. We can still follow them as people, after all.

Leadership will be a concern with Smart, and Grant gone. Who steps up?

RM: Holiday being a veteran and a world champion means perhaps the team should look to him somewhat to fill the leadership void.

But it will ultimately fall to Tatum to do the leading. He’s the Celtics’ best player, and he needs to lead, if nothing else, than by playing up to his ability in big playoff games.

AT: Holiday will indeed help fill some of the leadership void. However, this is Jayson Tatum’s and Jaylen Brown’s team now, and with that status come roles.

The decision to trade Smart was partially to force the final evolution out of the two All-NBA wings, and I would expect we see that come to fruition almost immediately.

Of course, we can’t forget Al Horford’s impact, either – he’s the veteran voice that keeps everybody pulling in the same direction.

JQ: I think it’ll be a bit of a group project with Tatum leading as he usually does, but a bit more vocally, with Brown, Holiday, Horford, and Porzingis all stepping into that void in their own way.

Will it be enough to win a title? That’s an excellent question — and one that can’t be answered fully until they play the season.

CT: I’m curious to see if Jaylen Brown steps up to the plate here. I feel as if he has a lot to say and has patiently waited behind other vets his entire career.

Now there is a chance for him to really put his fingerprints on the team, and I expect him to do so. Holiday is the only one with a ring on this team, so his voice will have a lot of heft as well.

Defense could also be a concern -- and that's connected to leadership. Who takes charge(s)?

CT: Frankly I hope Joe Mazzulla takes responsibility here. He’s not the one out there making plays, and the players don’t need to be micromanaged on either end of the court.

But I would love to see Boston really emphasize defense as important as I think offense will be for them, and that starts on the sideline.

RM: This is another area where Holiday needs to step up and take responsibility for his new ball club.

The perennial All-Defensive guard absolutely locks people down, much as Smart did for Boston in the past. This is also an area where Al Horford should also help out as he has in previous seasons.

JQ: Though Porzingis was brought in to provide an alternative where Boston’s offense has stagnated, his size and shot-blocking will help the Celtics reconfigure how they defend.

Length has been a running theme among the rest of Boston’s new arrivals, so a mixture of defensive strategies rather than pegging all the hopes to a switch-everything defense may surprise fans expecting an inferior product on that end of the court.

AT: This has to be a collective effort to work. Defense is a team-based escapade, so, the team has to hold each other accountable, regardless of role or stature within the rotation.

If the Celtics are going to be an elite defensive team, it will be with effort and commitment. That type of mentality must be 15-man strong because it’s the only way it will be truly successful.

On a granular level, what are some examples of player growth you want to see?

AT: It’s the simple things for me. I want to see Tatum improve his off-the-dribble shooting, Brown improve his eurostep when driving the lane, and to make smarter decisions when driving.

Also, I would like to see a more diverse offensive game plan being implemented by Joe Mazzulla.

JQ: I’d like to see better decision-making from Jaylen as well, more aggressive play from Derrick White — especially now that he has to share the court with Jrue — and Al Horford leading the way among players who should be taking care of their bodies in getting the rest needed for when it counts most.

I’d also like to see Mazzulla facilitate that by actually playing and developing his bench this season.

CT: It’s overplayed, but I want to see Tatum become a true Most Valuable Player. And for that to happen, I suspect that means much more emphasis on the fourth quarter.

We’ve seen him take over games and be the engine for Boston down the stretch, but there are still nights where he is largely absent in crunch time. I would like an improvement on that end.

RM: The Celtics really need internal improvement from their young bench players to replace the production that Malcolm Brogdon and Grant Williams gave them.

But ultimately, as Tabatabaie alluded to, Tatum needs to play like a true MVP when it matters most. He played very poorly in Game 7 of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals and the 2022 NBA Finals and that just won’t cut it for the best player on the Celtics.

Brown swaps trade rumors for massive expectations. How does he handle it?

CT: Frankly, I think that this question can only be answered in the playoffs.

The rub on Brown is probably overblown, but he needs to have a postseason where he plays solid defense and takes care of the ball to put those exaggerated criticisms to rest for good.

JQ: Mostly neutral, I think, so long as the Georgia native doesn’t think himself out of a postseason game as he did a few times in the 2023 playoffs.

There’s also the risk he could have a major slump in part of his game during the regular season onward to give the boo birds life, but I agree with Tabatabaie here regarding when we’ll truly have the answers to this question.

Make good decisions, boo birds migrate elsewhere.

AT: Brown qualified for his supermax contract extension by making an All-NBA team last season. If he can make marginal improvements in his game and produce at a similar level to last year, I’m not sure how much more we can expect of him.

After all, making an All-NBA team is far from easy.

RM: Brown may be a bit overpaid to some, but the market for NBA stars is quickly rising, so it may not matter that much.

What ultimately matters for him, as it does for Tatum, is playing his best when his best is needed, and that’s how he can earn his gigantic paychecks without complaint.

What needs to happen for this team to make it back to the finals? To win it all?

AT: The Celtics will need to become an elite defensive unit, and probably have a couple of zone options they feel comfortable with. Also, and this is a cliche, they need to stay healthy.

For the past two seasons, Tatum has played through the postseason with injury, and it’s hurt the team deep into the playoffs. If the Celtics can lock up on defense, stay healthy, and produce at a higher level, they have everything they need to be back in the finals.

RM: The Celtics need to find a way to build depth so that they don’t find themselves at a disadvantage when one of their stars is resting.

The Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers both have superior depth, and they may be the two final teams the Celtics need to get past to win the world championship.

The other thing that needs to happen, as I mentioned earlier, is that Tatum needs to play big in the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals, just as the Celtics greats of yesteryear routinely did.

CT: Once again, I feel the only team beating this Boston team will be playing in Celtic green.

They have the right mix of players to be the best in the NBA if they don’t make silly mistakes, don’t relax on defense, and don’t back down from a fight. A little injury luck doesn’t hurt either.

JQ: For me, that injury luck aspect is paramount, and needs as much luck out of the equation as possible. That means trusting and playing the depth in the regular season.

That means players resting when they ought to. And it means taking even minor injuries seriously at the same time that the regular season and its awards ought to be at best a minor focus for the ball club.

It also means treating every possession of every game of the postseason like it matters, as this is another bad habit yet to be excised when it must be.

Is the Celtics we see opening night? In the playoffs? Or are there more moves to come?

RM: As I alluded to earlier, the Celtics could benefit from a minor trade or two in order to gain more bench depth.

On the other hand, they do not have many movable trade assets, unless Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens is willing to give up draft capital for a viable bench player or two.

CT: I’m not sure Boston needs to make any moves, although obviously a little big man insurance would be nice.

Unless it looks like Holiday is not going to re-sign on a long-term deal next summer, a little stability with the players on the team now might be nice for the Celtics to find a groove.

AT: If there are any moves, I would expect them to be focused on upgrading the bench.

Right now, there are so many variables and unknowns heading into the season. We will need to see how the new bench additions perform before declaring a trade necessary.

JQ: I do agree we need to see how the bench plays — especially Wenyen Gabriel and Neemias Queta, to a lesser extent — but this team almost certainly needs another big who can play in the postseason, even if not especially well.

Gabriel MIGHT be that guy, but given the stakes, I would be a lot happier if they spent some draft capital by adding a postseason-capable big once they have a better idea of what sort they might need most should Gabriel need more time to season his game.

Do we expect and of the new bench players to see real floor time?

AT: If Lamar Stevens earns a rotation spot, he will jump ahead of everyone likely to be a reserve in 2023-24.

However, I think we see all of them get a fair share of minutes to begin the season. Whoever performs at the highest level will earn a bigger role as the basketball year goes on. Personally, I’m hoping Jordan Walsh gets a legitimate rotation role.

JQ: I would not be shocked to see Walsh get regular minutes by the end of the regular season if not the postseason, and Stevens, Brissett, and Gabriel also.

I think Mykhailiuk and Banton have less clear-cut roles on this team and will be played — but more situationally.

CT: The regular season could see plenty of action for Boston’s bench players.

The Celtics will blow teams out as often as they’ll rest their starters, to the benefit of some real burn for players like Svi and Oshae. Dalano or Walsh may need to earn those moments a bit more.

Is White ready to be a lead guard? What's Payton Pritchard's role?

JQ: I noted above that I think he will be, but he could lose the job if his confidence wavers.

I also think Jrue can thrive at the 1 or 2 but the Colorado alum feeds off having the trust of his team at the 1 as a starter, which should matter in designating a less meaningful distinction than it might be in other contexts.

Pritchard will play a little of both backcourt roles but expect much more movement off the ball from him as a functional 2 offensively most nights.

AT: Pritchard will be the third guard in the rotation. It’s hard to articulate what that will look like right now, as we haven’t seen this year’s roster and their substitution patterns or how deep into the bench Mazzulla is going to go.

I would expect a 10-14 minutes per night role, where Pritchard provides some floor spacing and secondary scoring. As for White, we’ll soon find out.

CT: Derrick should still be the lead guard, with Jrue playing more of the shooting guard role.

That said, there will be five willing passers on the floor at all times, so a QB-style PG really isn’t the goal here. Pritchard may fill that role a bit more with the second unit, but realistically there will be two All-Star talents on the floor most of the time for Boston.

What do we expect from the frontcourt this season?

CT: Just stay healthy and fresh for when it counts. Did I say just stay healthy and fresh? Just stay healthy and fresh. Please.

(And maybe Luke Kornet can shoot more from the perimeter.)

AT: Health, consistency, and floor spacing for the two main big men on the roster.

Both Porzingis and Horford will have immense roles with the Celtics this year, so those three things will be paramount for both to have a successful season.

JQ: I expect Al to come off the bench more than he ever has for several reasons from depth to age, but I do not expect him to fully transition to a bench role just yet.

I also think Porzingis will be able to stay healthier in a smaller role — and hopefully with enough help behind them to get both to the postseason in good shape.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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