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The 2022 Celtics were carried into the NBA Finals on the back of their defense. Sure, they had Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to carry the offense, but that team had a lot of offensive flaws, including turning the ball over way too often.
Unlike that team, this Celtics team doesn’t have a clear number 2 offensive option (unless Payton Pritchard can grab it with a big season). They also won’t turn the ball over and get a lot of offensive rebounds.
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Like that team, this Celtics team should have one of the best defenses in the NBA.
The offseason additions of Paul George and Mitchell Robinson should accentuate last year’s top-5 defense. As CelticsBlogger Nate Moskowitz wrote in July, George and Robinson create turnovers, something that the Celtics did not do last season.
Boston was 5th in the NBA in defensive rating last season, according to Cleaning the Glass but were 23rd in creating turnovers. Creating more turnovers is something that the Celtics clearly put an emphasis on this summer.
Last season, George ranked in the 89th percentile in steals percentage for forwards while Robinson was in the 95th percentile for bigs.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 05: Mitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks gurards Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers in the first half at Staples Center on January 5, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We have evidence that elite defenses can win in the playoffs — the 2022 Celtics and the 2025 Thunder were built around their defenses and got to at least the NBA Finals with OKC ultimately winning the whole thing.
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The Robinson and George additions are going to open up Derrick White to be even better on that end of the floor as well.
For a lot of last season, White was used as a perimeter defender to guard one of the better players on the other team. Now, George, Jayson Tatum and a cast of others can do that. Robinson, meanwhile, is one of the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/celtics-ceiling-raising-defense-100000290.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-01 10:00:00
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