Last season: 57-25 (lost in the conference finals)
Starters: Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford
Bench: Malcolm Brogdon, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, Robert Williams III, Luke Kornet
The Boston Celtics had a busy offseason after losing to the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals in seven games. The front office traded Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies and Grant Williams to the Dallas Mavericks and acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards.
The Celtics also signed Jaylen Brown to the richest contract in NBA history, giving the All-Star forward a five-year deal worth up to $303 million.
With the 2023-24 season right around the corner, let’s take a look at what to expect from the Celtics next season and predict how many games they’ll win.
Expectations For The 2023-24 Boston Celtics
The Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum era started in 2017-18. Since then, the Celtics have never missed the playoffs and have made four conference finals and one NBA Finals.
With that said, Boston should be expected to make the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. The team got stronger on offense and defense by adding Kristaps Porzingis, who leads the NBA in active games with three-plus 3-pointers and three-plus blocks.
Porzingis averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks in 2022-23. He shot 49.8% overall, 38.5% from beyond the arc and 85.1% from the free-throw line. The All-Star, who signed an extension with the Celtics after getting traded to Boston, has career averages of 19.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks with the New York Knicks, Mavericks and Wizards.
There will be more driving lanes and space in half-court sets for Tatum and Brown in 2023-24 since Porzingis can space the floor with his high-level shooting skills. When Porzingis goes beyond the 3-point line, he will bring his defender with him, which will create more room in the paint for Tatum and Brown to attack the basket.
The embarrassment of losing to the Heat in Game 7 of the 2023 conference finals at home by 19 points should light a fire under the Celtics, particularly Tatum and Brown. There are several people around the NBA, including new Philadelphia 76ers guard Patrick Beverley, who don’t believe Boston can win a championship with Tatum and Brown. 2023-24 is the perfect season for the two All-Stars to quiet their critics for good.
“I’m still 25 and he’ll be 27 in two months,” Tatum told Jeff Goodman of The Messenger. “We’re far from perfect. We won’t ever get the credit we deserve until we actually win a championship. That is the ultimate goal, but you can’t bypass all the things we’ve accomplished in the six years we’ve been teammates at a very young age. We’ve been to the playoffs every single year, we’ve gotten better. Yes, it took some time to figure out how we can be as special as we can be, and how we can co-exist and do it together. I know everybody says, ‘They take turns.’ I feel like we got to a place where we were feeding off each other, playing really well.”
Brown averaged 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 2022-23 while shooting 49.1% from the field, 33.5% from beyond the arc and 76.5% from the free-throw line. He was eligible to sign a designated veteran extension this offseason because he made an All-NBA team last season.
Tatum, who averaged 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists last season, could be eligible for a $338 million extension next offseason, so playing well in 2023-24 and making another All-NBA team while leading the Celtics to the promised land will be at the top of his mind.
Win-Loss Prediction For The 2023-24 Boston Celtics
Prediction: Celtics go 60-22, lose in the conference finals of the 2024 playoffs
An anonymous member of the Celtics told Keith Smith of Spotrac that the team traded Marcus Smart and Grant Williams and acquired Kristaps Porzingis to “become a different kind of team.”
We have the “different” Boston club going an impressive 60-22 in 2023-24 and finishing with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
“We’re going to miss Marcus,” the Celtics member told Smith. “We’re going to miss Grant. But we had to become a different kind of team. Getting KP is huge for us. Literally and figuratively. He’s going to make a massive difference for our offense. And he’s come a long way with his defense too.”
The Celtics are going to be special on offense and defense in 2023-24. Their projected starting lineup of Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Porzingis, and Al Horford is filled with scorers, playmakers, and defenders.
Once the 2024 playoffs start, we have Boston winning its first and second-round series before losing in the conference finals again, this time to the Milwaukee Bucks, who acquired superstar point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team blockbuster trade with the Phoenix Suns.
The Bucks now have a Big 3 of Lillard, Khris Middleton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, which is a better Big 3 than Brown, Tatum, and Porzingis.
