The Boston Celtics are widely seen to have leapfrogged the Milwaukee Bucks by outdoing their trade for Damian Lillard with a deal for former Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday, a deal made possible by the Lillard trade itself. But how are NBA insiders and those working in the NBA for opposing teams talking about the East arms race?
It depends on who you are asking, as is usually the case with opinions about the ball clubs projected to be at the top of the league. One such anonymous insider had plenty of love for the move in a recent article from Sports Illustrated’s Landon Buford.
Buy Celtics Tickets“Jrue Holiday with the Boston Celtics creates a monster 1-2-3 punch in terms of (Jayson) Tatum, (Jaylen) Brown, and Holiday might be the best point guard, shooting guard, small forward (trio) since Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen.”
New episode of the Celtics Lab Podcast ☘️🧪🎧
We chatted with @SamLaFranceNBA and @JackSimoneNBA about our favorite potential line ups, how Jrue and KP change the Celtics, and much more
Sponsored by: @FDSportsbook:https://t.co/igr0oj6Cko
— Celtics Lab Podcast (@CelticsLab) October 5, 2023
“This team is set up to be featured in multiple NBA Finals with this core,” added the insider. “They are, without question, going into the season better than what they were last season”.
An anonymous East executive spoken to by Heavy’s Steve Bulpett was considerably more circumspect about the trade, however. “Boston’s going to miss what Rob gave them,” they offered. “And if Al (Horford) or (Kristaps) Porzingis ever gets hurt, holy (expletive) … that could be a real mess in a hurry.”
“But as it stands now, Boston’s clearly the team to beat, no doubt about that,” the added.
Who are the Boston Celtics' top-10 all-time leaders in postseason free throws? https://t.co/kt7bMVk86t
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 6, 2023
The Celtics are widely seen as likely to add depth to their big man rotation at some point in the 2023-24 season, with reporting to such an end bolstered by the words of Celtics Governor Wyc Grousbeck.
But such analyses from those closer to the team and players involved are the rare breed of opinions to be both different and likely correct — this team does indeed look like a juggernaut — but one in need of a frontcourt safety net to fully realize their potential.
Kevin Garnett's grandmother once got out a shotgun when a recruiter tried to bribe him https://t.co/v3XM1oyfol
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 6, 2023
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
