Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor is joined by Nekias Duncan to discuss Boston’s outlook for the season without its Finals MVP – and why they’ll still be hard to top every night thanks to its deep roster. Check out the full conversation on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
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Video Transcript
Their rotation this year, no Nakays, you know, no Jayson Tatum.
The team just looks completely different with him, as a guy who maybe, maybe will, maybe won’t return later in the season, but, you know, you’ll have Jaylen Brown out there, Peyton Pritchard, Derrick White, but that’s the center rotation.
Xavier Tillman, Kea Boucher, Garza, is there any hope for the Celtics to be really competitive this year?
I think one of those guys, or multiple of those guys, have to be unexpectedly good this season for Boston.
What is your level of trust in the Celtics rotation, and please tell me why it’s not the worst center rotation in the entire NBA.
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I am so glad that you framed the beginning of the Boston conversation this way because I was, I was thinking about, you know, just getting my notes and stuff together for the pod.
I was like, I feel like I’m going to do the Nakay thing and we’re going to go to Boston and the first thing I want to talk about is Xavier Tillman.
And so I’m glad that we started here, so I actually can just naturally talk about Xavier Tillman.
I think heading into the season, it is more than fair to have questions about what their front line is going to be, especially within the context.
Of all of the front court talent and front court versatility that they lost.
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However, circling back to Xavier Tillman.
Looks better.
Talked about how much better he feels, talked about his comfort in three-point shot.
Also sprinkle in the nugget that through the early, early camp and stuff like that, Boston is playing faster and that really intrigues me.
Like this is media day, so everyone wants to play faster.
They want to defend, their yada yada.
But if this is going to be a more up-tempo group, that leads me to believe this is gonna be a more pick and roll heavy group, especially with Jayson Tatum out.
And I think they do kind of have the horses for that if they’re gonna do that.
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We’re very much looking at this in the same way because I think I look at the Celtics team and I’m like, huh, not bad.
Like they, they’re gonna be tough to beat, they’re gonna play hard.
I think they’re gonna be fun.
I think this is gonna be a really fun team to watch.
And ultimately, I think for them, it wouldn’t surprise me if, you know, come middle of February, they’re a game or 2/500.
Wouldn’t shock me one bit at all, uh, if, if they’re surprisingly pretty solid.
And, and I think there’s like no, Tatum creates opportunity.
Everybody talks about Jalen Brown.
What’s he gonna do without Jason Tatum?
Is he gonna put up 37 and 5?
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Is he gonna have a big year?
Everybody talks about Jalen, but I’m also wondering, what is Derrick White gonna do with more opportunity, with more on-ball chances because you think about when he was in San Antonio.
He was not an elite shooter off the catch.
He was pretty good off the dribble getting into his mid-range, running some pick and roll, making the right decision.
He hasn’t had as many reps in Boston’s offense to do that, in part because of the structure of that team and the guys ahead of him.
What’s Derrick White gonna look like?
Is he gonna take another step forward?
Does Payton Pritchard go from 6th Man of the Year caliber talent to, oh, wait a minute.
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He can do more with more volume.
He’s still having success as a starter.
Anfernee Simons, we’ve seen this guy go through stretches, especially a couple of years ago when Dame was out in Portland.
I think it was like a, a February, March, April stretch where Anfernee Simmons was putting up Dame-like numbers.
I’m pretty bullish on, on some of those guys, and I think ultimately this Celtics team.
I think they’re gonna be good enough that there will be the question come March, if Tatum’s healthy, should he come back?
I, I think the team will be in a position that they’ll be good enough that it will be appealing for Tatum to to return.
The only question will be, is he healthy enough at that point?