What I’m Excited For Week: defense wins championships

After we got here up with the theme for this week, I gotta admit, I couldn’t slim it down. There’s simply a lot to be excited for. Nothing is assured after all (knocking on wooden until my knuckles bleed). However how are you going to not be excited to see what subsequent steps Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown make? How will you not be giddy on the prospect of a three-headed hydra guard rotation of Marcus Good, Derrick White, and Malcolm Brogdon? How will you not be giddy in regards to the extremely switchable large combo of Al Horford and Robert Williams III?

So I’m simply going to attempt to slim it down to 1 half of the courtroom and concentrate on the protection. You recognize, final yr’s #1 ranked protection that didn’t lose any key contributors and can embody Derrick White for a full season (with a full coaching camp to be taught the system even higher).

How good was the protection final yr? Ok to impress ESPN’s Zach Lowe (not identified for warm takes or hyperbole).

via NBC Sports Boston

“For the final 45 video games, 50 video games, the Celtics have been perhaps the most effective protection I’ve ever seen,” Lowe admitted. “There are not any weak spots to choose at. They swap every little thing. They don’t make errors.”

There are not any excellent defensive metrics, however the Celtics ranked excessive in nearly all of them (within the common season and the playoffs). Marcus Good received Defensive Participant of the 12 months and Robert Williams was named to the 2nd Workforce All Protection. Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Jaylen Brown all obtained votes for the 2nd group as nicely.

That checklist doesn’t even embody switchable submit anchor Al Horford and the versatile Grant Williams. Malcolm Brogdon is understood extra for his offense however he’s an above common defender in his personal proper. Lowe is correct, there are simply no weak spots to choose on.

The Celtics come at you in waves. Good luck discovering a mismatch, and even in case you do, they scram out of it higher than most groups. Nice offenses and nice scorers struggled in opposition to the Celtics within the playoffs. Ime Udoka had them locked in and shifting on the proverbial string. Decide a defensive cliché, it applies.

So yeah, I assume you possibly can say I’m enthusiastic about seeing this protection frustrate and flummox opponents as soon as once more.