The boston celtics are a superteam. They have five players on their roster that are capable of being all-stars. Al horford is their sixth player. In addition, their best player, jayson tatum, is a good mvp candidate. So, it was no surprise that after the boston celtics defeated the chicago bulls on thursday, coby white addressed their roster design. White said, per julia poe of the chicago tribune, “they’ve got a s— ton of good players.” White’s words represent what everyone else is saying. The celtics are unquestionably the league’s deepest team.
They pose matchup problems at any angle on the court. They currently have a league-leading net rating of +0.4. They’re unquestionably one of the favorites to win the larry o’brien trophy at the end of the season. This summer, boston’s roster dramatically expanded. Brad stevens swung deals to land kristaps porzingis and jrue holiday. The celtics’ core was reshaped by those arrivals. Around the feb. 8 trade deadline, xavier tillman and jaden springer were added to the stacked roster, giving it more depth. With so much talent on their roster, anything less than a championship will be considered a failure by the celtics.
In the middle of the season, defeating a struggling bulls team will do little to help lift the ball for a burgeoning fan base. Nevertheless, that same level of talent will undoubtedly entice a swath of fans who are eager to see the team fail. White’s words will inspire those who want to see the celtics struggle. There are always those who wait for a superteam to fail. The brooklyn nets, led by kevin durant, were the same. However, the celtics have been working toward this point for almost a decade. In the playoffs, their best players are vying for attention. White’s words should be read as a warning to the rest of the nba. Because there isn’t much in the league that will stop this version of the celtics from excelling at their best.
