- The Bucks have formed one of the best duos ever with the Damian Lillard trade
- Boston has one of the best starting lineups in the NBA with Jrue Holiday
- A best-of-7 series might come down to who is better between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum
The Boston Celtics are matching the Milwaukee Bucks in terms of winning the summer trade market. The Bucks shocked the NBA world by trading for superstar point guard Damian Lillard, as they have one of the scariest depth charts in the NBA right now. Boston, a team that made the Finals in 2022 and made it to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023, is right in the mix.
After acquiring Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics have now added All-Star and All-Defensive guard Jrue Holiday to a core that also features All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Along with the Bucks, the Celtics are the massive favorite in the East and will likely go toe-to-toe with the 2021 champions in the Eastern Conference Finals.
It is only natural to start comparing the Celtics and Bucks in what could be an exciting Eastern Conference Finals showdown next season. Here is the full comparison and breakdown between the two teams, with one team ending up with the advantage in the end.
Starting Lineups
Boston Celtics: Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis
Milwaukee Bucks: Damian Lillard, Pat Connaughton, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez
The Boston Celtics’ starting lineup has been boosted tremendously with the addition of Jrue Holiday, one of the best two-way guards in the NBA. Holiday is a player who helps teams win as he showed in the 2020-21 season with the Milwaukee Bucks. He proved to be the missing piece for the Bucks and he might do the same with the Celtics. In some ways, especially on offense, Holiday is an upgrade over Marcus Smart as he posts a career 16.4 points and 6.5 assists per game on 36.6% shooting from three. Last year, Holiday shot 38.4% from deep.
With an upgraded version of Marcus Smart, Holiday forms a dynamic backcourt with Derrick White. White made the 2022-23 All-Defensive Second Team and is an intelligent player on both ends of the court after years playing for the San Antonio Spurs. The frontcourt, however, is where the Celtics will make their money. Jaylen Brown is the highest-paid player in NBA history and as an All-NBA talent, he will post at least 24 points per game while playing improved defense next year.
Jayson Tatum is the superstar of the team, averaging 30.1 points per game last year and making the All-NBA First Team for the second time. Tatum is arguably a top-five player in the world right now and having made the NBA Finals and Eastern Conference Finals, he has playoff experience to lead a team. Finally, the newly added Kristaps Porzingis is injury-prone but has the potential to be an All-Star as a 7’3” big man who posted 23.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game on 38.5% from three last year.
The Milwaukee Bucks have a scary backcourt, mainly because of Damian Lillard. Lillard is right behind Stephen Curry as the best point guard in the world, averaging 32.2 points and 7.3 assists per game on 37.1% from three in 2023. Lillard is not much of a defender and the Bucks might miss Jrue Holiday in that sense, but Dame is a far more explosive offensive player as one of the best shot-making guards in NBA history.
Alongside Lillard is Pat Connaughton, an athletic guard who can space the floor and compete on defense. Connaughton knows his role, and he shot 33.9% from deep last year and can be relied upon to make timely shots. This backcourt is explosive offensively, thanks to Lillard, and it fits perfectly alongside the frontcourt led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
Middleton only played 33 games last year and averaged 15.1 points per game, but he should be healthy and get back to his All-Star numbers of around 20 points per game on over 44% shooting from three. Middleton is also an elite defender who is a solid third option. Of course, Giannis is the star of the team. Whatever the Bucks will do ends up with how Giannis plays, which will be at a high level. The two-time MVP is a dominant inside scorer and athlete who is also suffocating on defense.
Giannis will form a difficult defensive partnership with Brook Lopez as both players are elite defenders including the latter being a shot-blocker who posted 2.5 blocks per game in 2023. Giannis and Lopez will make up for the backcourt’s defensive deficiencies, but the Celtics have a slightly more solid starting lineup without any weakness. Not one player in the starting lineup has a particular weakness on either end of the floor and that gives Boston a slight edge in the starting lineup.
Advantage: Boston Celtics
Bench
Boston Celtics: Payton Pritchard, JD Davidson, Jordan Walsh, Dalano Banton, Jay Scrubb, Svi Mykhailiuk, Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, Lamar Stevens, Luke Kornet, Al Horford, Wenyen Gabriel, Neemias Queta
Milwaukee Bucks: Cameron Payne, Andre Jackson, Lindell Wigginton, TyTy Washington, Jazian Gortman, Malik Beasley, AJ Green, Omari Moore, M. Beauchamp, Chris Livingston, Jae Crowder, T. Antetokounmpo, Drew Timme, Bobby Portis, Robin Lopez, Marques Bolden
The Celtics have lost some depth with Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams heading to Portland in the deal for Jrue Holiday. However, there is still sufficient coverage with a chance for the team to continue making moves. Payton Pritchard has complained about playing time in the past, and after only playing 13.4 minutes per game last year, expect him to play around 20 in the upcoming season. Al Horford is another big name off the bench and as a two-way big man, he is a perfect modern option for the power forward or center spot.
The Celtics have also added Lamar Stevens and Wenyen Gabriel, two players who can play minutes during the regular season and sparingly in the playoffs. There is some expectation that Jordan Walsh will be a solid contributor and the Celtics have been hyping him more than we might have expected.
Meanwhile, the Bucks have a very solid bench led by Cameron Payne, Malik Beasley, Jae Crowder, Bobby Portis, and Robin Lopez. Payne was just signed after a trade from the Phoenix Suns and he is a more than capable back-up point guard on both ends of the court. Beasley is a career 37.8% shooter from three and he will get plenty of open looks playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Jae Crowder is also hungry to have a bounce-back season after some drama last year that forced him to appear in only 18 games. If Crowder is motivated, he is an exceptional backup forward who is tough on defense and is scrappy. The duo of Portis and Lopez adds size, defense, and rebounding while the former is also a capable scorer who posted 14.1 points per game on 49.6% from the field.
Boston has time to keep shoring up their bench but so far, it seems like Pritchard, Walsh, and Horford will be the major players. That means the Bucks have the edge with Payne, Beasley, Crowder, Portis, and Lopez all capable of playing important minutes. In terms of shooting, defense, and size, Milwaukee has the advantage when it comes to the bench.
Advantage: Milwaukee Bucks
Joe Mazzulla vs. Adrian Griffin
Both the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks have newer coaches with new ideas and plenty of time to build on their experience. Joe Mazzulla is renowned for being a hardworking and committed coach and has been an important figure in the success of the team throughout the year, especially with Ime Udoka dealing with some surprising off-court actions at the start of last year.
As we have seen, Mazzulla is an expert in developing game strategies and seems to be a player’s coach because he trusts each and every one of his key players and certainly loves them to the core. In 2023, Mazzulla led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals, and having a year under his belt in terms of play calling and rotations should help him make better decisions going forward.
Adrian Griffin has been an assistant coach in the NBA since 2008-09, taking his coaching talents for a few different teams. He started as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks from 2009 until 2010, joined the Chicago Bulls between 2011 and 2015, and with the Orlando Magic/Oklahoma City Thunder between 2016 and 2018. After his five-year stint with the Toronto Raptors, Griffin has been hired to lead the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Bucks in 2024.
Griffin used to be an NBA player and has 15 years of experience as an assistant coach so he has the pedigree to step into a role to lead a legitimate title contender. But, making the decisions as the head coach instead of as an assistant is an entirely different world and Mazzulla has the edge because he went through that difficult first year already.
Advantage: Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics Advantages
The Boston Celtics are exceptionally talented, with a very deep starting lineup. They have a legitimate superstar in Jayson Tatum, an elite two-way All-Star in Jaylen Brown, and one of the best collections of defensive players in the world in Holiday, White, and Horford. Joe Mazzulla has also kept the Celtics a dominant side in terms of moving the ball and getting good shots, especially when the ball is fed to the All-Stars. Boston ranked 2nd in offensive rating and 4th in points per game last season which is a great sign.
The addition of Porzingis means the Celtics can maximize the big man’s ability on both ends of the court with Horford backing him up. Kristaps can post at least 20 points per game on a good team and as the third offensive option, he will get plenty of good looks from the perimeter while also using his height to block shots.
The key will be Jayson Tatum. The superstar is too athletic, skilled, and focused to handle one-on-one and he will dictate what kind of offensive plays the team will have every time down the floor. Not to mention, there are elite shooters around Tatum. Brown, Holiday, and White can also stretch the floor enough to give Tatum options to pass the ball. The fact that they have an elite ball-handler in Holiday means their playmaking woes will also be solved.
Milwaukee Bucks Advantages
The Milwaukee Bucks have one of the best duos in modern memory with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Giannis is a dominant player in the paint and as an unstoppable force, defenses often collapse around him. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have been excellent backup offensive stars, but Damian Lillard is at a different level when it comes to scoring. Dealing with Giannis means Lillard can handle defenders in one-on-one situations which gives the Bucks an immediate advantage.
Lillard is also a critical piece who can take over in clutch situations as the pressure slightly leaves Giannis’ shoulders. The Greek Freak is averaging a career 70.8% from the stripe and only posted 64.5% last season, so the Bucks won’t have to live and die with their superstar’s free-throw shooting down the stretch. Dame can literally take over games in the clutch better than almost any player in the league.
The Bucks have also retained much of their championship roster in 2021, as Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Bobby Portis headline the frontcourt. Middleton was good enough to be the second option for a championship team which means he will be even better as a third option. Lopez is an elite shot-blocker and can also space the floor (37.4% last year), making him a perfect starting center for the Bucks. Portis is another defensive-minded big who can score as well. In a nutshell, the Bucks have one of the best duos in modern memory and a championship core that has experience playing with each other.
Who Is The Better Team In The Eastern Conference?
Both the Celtics and Bucks have a title-contending roster that greatly usurps what the rest of the teams in the East can do. The Celtics have a slightly better starting lineup on both ends of the court, but the loss of Robert Williams means the Bucks have a deeper bench when it comes to guards, forwards, and centers. But, the Celtics do have a more experienced head coach who has built chemistry with his star players, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Milwaukee does have the best two players on the side when compared to the Celtics, but the Celtics might have the edge if the Eastern Conference Finals arrive as a team. The addition of Jrue Holiday essentially means that Boston has found a way to add an improved version of Marcus Smart and still add talented two-way big man Kristaps Porzingis around Tatum and Brown. That means the Celtics have had an A+ offseason and if they get consistent production from Pritchard and Walsh, they will be able to win many games.
Meanwhile, the Bucks will push with Giannis and Dame leading the way. Antetokounmpo and Lillard are two of the best players in the world right now and they happen to play alongside each other. Middleton, Lopez, and Portis are also three key championship-quality players who know how to play alongside Giannis. The problem is that the Bucks need to build chemistry, as Lillard has been used to carrying a franchise and Adrian Griffin does not have a single game on his resume as a head coach.
The Celtics have a starting lineup without a single weakness, chemistry from top to bottom, and added two pieces who fit perfectly around the stars. There is no doubt that Jrue Holiday is an elevated version of Marcus Smart and Kristaps Porzingis is more offensively talented than Williams, meaning the Celtics can take what took them to the NBA Finals in 2022 and build on that. In a seven-game series, which is expected, the Celtics might be able to sneak through and make the 2023-24 NBA Finals.
