As one of the NBA’s best teams in the 2022-23 season, the Boston Celtics ought to be in the mix for several of the league’s honors for individual excellence in the regular season, and a new article by the Ringer’s Michael Pina sees players from Boston’s roster getting some love in that regard.
There are some near misses as well, with the competition thick as ever despite the Celtics having one of the best records in the Association this season, with some of the early season narratives having taken a minor hit here or there at the same time other worthy prospects had their case amplified.
Let’s dive into where Pina sees the Celtics taking home some trophies — or narrowly missing doing so.
Celtics Lab 179: Gearing up for the Boston Celtics’ 2023 NBA Playoffs with Jack Simone https://t.co/dFgGVQG4Yo
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Sixth Man of the Year
Here, Brogdon beat out the New York Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley and Los Angeles Clippers’ Norman Powell.
“As the most efficient option who’s logged the most bench minutes on the best team, Malcolm Brogdon is my default winner,” writes Pina.
Coach of the Year
Boston wasn’t super close here, but Joe Mazzulla came in third behind the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Mark Daigneault and Sacramento Kings’ Mike Brown in reverse order.
“Mazzulla deserves credit for keeping a championship train on the tracks, and then some,” suggests the author.
All-Defensive Second Team
Derrick White made this one and deservedly so given how critical he has been for Boston in 2022-23.
“White leads all guards with 75 blocks, and he’s drawn 48 offensive fouls on a team that allows a paltry 107.4 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor,” notes Pina.
First Team All-NBA
Did you really think Jayson Tatum wasn’t going to make it despite being an MVP candidate for nearly the entire season?
“This is all pretty straightforward, a group of MVP candidates who’re each responsible in their own way for helping push the entire league’s offensive rating up by nearly three points above what it was last year,” recounts Pina.
Second Team All-NBA
If this were for real and not a projection, you’d hear millions of Celtics fans sighing with relief that Jaylen Brown making All-NBA (and comfortably at that) as a forward, making him available for a supermax extension.
“Jaylen Brown has emerged this year as one of the best scorers in basketball … making 58% of his 2-point shots and remains a torpedo in transition,” relates the Athletic analyst.
