The Boston Celtics have had a busy offseason, officially trading for Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.
Boston had to trade Marcus Smart, Robert Williams and Malcolm Brogdon to make these deals happen. But now that the season is approaching, this is one of the most talented teams in the league and can easily contend with anyone in the Eastern Conference.
First and foremost, led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics now easily have one of the best defensive units in the NBA.
White (97th percentile), Holiday (95th percentile), Porzingis (87th percentile), Brown (83rd percentile) and Tatum (77th percentile) all ranked in the 75th percentile or better in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus (dEPM) last season.
Everyone in that starting lineup has a wingspan between 6-foot-7 (Holiday) and 7-foot-6 (Porzingis) and that makes them a tough matchup.
Additionally, every player in the first five is a capable shooter who can space the floor. That will make life a lot easier for Tatum and Brown as the primary offensive engines.
Here is the projected starting lineup for the Celtics (with Al Horford as the first player coming off the bench):
POINT GUARD: Derrick White
SHOOTING GUARD: Jrue Holiday
SMALL FORWARD: Jaylen Brown
POWER FORWARD: Jayson Tatum
CENTER: Kristaps Porzingis
