Boston Celtics: My Projected #1 Seed in the East

Last year, I had 5 names I was rotating between for my last two Eastern Conference All-Star Performance spots. Those 5: Trae Young, Bam Adebayo, Kristaps Porzingis, Kyrie Irving, and Bradley Beal. At the time, I picked Trae and Bam as my final selections. I felt unconfident at the time and agonized over my decision, but All-Star Break sprung up on me and those were the choices I made at the time. Over the course of early May and then again in July and August, I watched more of the Wizards pre and post ASB. By the time Kristaps was traded to Boston, I was already wavering about standing by my decision to pick Trae Young over Porzingis. By mid-August, I had fully flipped my decision. I love being wrong and Kristaps' play made me decidedly so. I knew he was a decisive force as a shot blocker and overarching presence at the rim. Kristaps was one of 7 bigs to defend more than 7.5 shots per game within 10 feet of the rim and hold opponents to 8% or worse below expected on those shots (the rest being Ivica Zubac, Brook Lopez, Nic Claxton, Steven Adams, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler). The man who Ant Edwards once called the best rim protector in the league verified the data on film too. Time after time, Kristaps stayed down and used his length to force opponents to reconsider, to alter shots, and to sometimes toss up debris that he would easily swat away:  

 Kristaps Defense.mp4

So then why did I overlook Kristaps?

I believe I over penalized Kristaps for these flaws:

1. lack of defensive scheme versatility as a relatively immobile big in today's day and age

2. an inability to self generate offense by dribbling through defenders

3. a lack of premium passing vision that would make him a true hub

In doing so, I underweighted some of Porzingis' strengths. Porzingis made 136 3s last season, 2nd most among centers only to now-teammate Al Hoford. Porzingis took deep 3s and shot 39% for the season. As a pure big, he was extremely effective occupying many different roles. At full health, Kristaps could roll and pop equally effectively. He set up his post moves better than ever before and used his quickness advantage to spin off opponents or fake defenders out on face ups. In the past, touches for Kristaps would sometimes end up becoming slow and tedious. Now, he has become a master of ruthless efficiency. 

 Porzingis Offense.mp4

Porzingis' 62.7% true shooting percentage was a career high by more than 4% and was primarily driven by his comfort attacking within the paint and shooting decisively off the catch from deep. When you can support a 27% usage with a stacked offensive arsenal while being a premium defensive gamechanger, that's an All-Star performance to me.

Once the Celtics traded for Porzingis, I knew they had their frontcourt settled, but I was worried about the team overall. What would happen with the 3 bigs? Who would be the primary passer on a team that lost Marcus Smart? I love Derrick White, but that's not his role and Tatum and Brown aren't ready for that yet either. Who would be the 5th member of the closing lineup? The optimal way to use Porzingis would be to play with two pass-first guards capable of shooting pullups and 3s to maintain spacing who were also adept at chasing ball handlers into Kristaps' overbearing drop coverage. Derrick White was one, but who would be the other? The Celtics answered by trading for Jrue Holiday. My concerns were minimized. The Grant Williams trade made more sense in light of the salary cap structure of this new roster. This is a legitimate All Star team now. 4 of my All Star Performers from last season are on this roster. Derrick White and Al Horford are solid, positive veterans who provide low usage playmaking and sharp defensive instincts on reasonable multi-year contracts. Payton Pritchard's 4 year, 30 million dollar extension locks in a solid 7th man who needed more on-ball touches as a backup point guard and distributor to maximize his on-court value for the team. Oshae Brissett and Sam Hauser might not warrant novels, but they're capable backups at a very low cost for a championship caliber team. This is the best team of the Jays era. While perhaps none of their stars is truly a top 5 player, the sheer quantity and complementary nature of their true All Star Performers (mostly within their primes) make the Celtics my #1 seed out East.