The Boston Celtics enjoyed a great deal of success in the 2023–24 NBA regular season for a reason. Since they are as well-rounded as any club in the league, it is difficult to find a flaw in their team.
They were the clear favorites to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy going into the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Many people believed that their journey to the NBA Finals would be relatively easy, especially considering the injuries that other Eastern Conference competitors had sustained.
However, things aren’t always as simple as they appear. The Boston Celtics are not exempt from having a weakness that may be exploited—even the best teams have one. What may be the possibly lethal defect?
NBA writer Chris Herring of ESPN believes it’s their rim protection. Due to Kristaps Porzingis’s injury, which will keep him out of the starting lineup until at least the Eastern Conference playoffs, the franchise is vulnerable to insider trading.
Boston has been excellent this season without Porzingis (21–4, to be exact), but his absence will mostly affect the defense.
The 7-foot-3 center equaled Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Rudy Gobert for the NBA record for best mark among players who contested at least 350 tries near the basket. He kept opposition shooters to an absurd 13.8 percentage points below their season averages within 6 feet.
When facing an explosive Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers’ two big lines, a Porzingis-less interior may be a problem.
Only Minnesota was better than Boston at holding opponents below their averages around the basket, Herring wrote.
As he is most likely the greatest No. 3 option in the NBA, a lot of talk surrounds Porzingis’ offensive effect. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum provide Porzinigs the luxury of playing off of each other, and he has the skill to be a go-to offensive player.
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Porzingis can play to his best on defense and not have to put in as much effort on offensive. Given his length, he makes a great rim protector and is agile enough to cover ground and put opponents at ease anywhere in the paint.
The Celtics now need to assist open up the perimeter by providing support in the interior as a result of this. The series was tied at one game apiece as the Cleveland Cavaliers used their unexpected victory in Game 2 to their greatest potential. They did this by shooting a high percentage of 3-pointers.
The Boston Celtics are going to have more problems than anyone could have imagined if it happens once more.
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