As the Boston Celtics prepare for their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, ESPN recently spoke about what is their greatest strength.
The Boston Celtics were able to make fairly quick work of the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. As the favorites in the Eastern Conference to win it all, the Celtics have a lot of pressure on them to succeed in the postseason this year, after their failures of last year.
After a good offseason, in which they added Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, there really isn’t an excuse for the Celtics this year. With a star-studded starting lineup, the Celtics might have the most talented starting five in the NBA.
Recently, ESPN spoke about what the real greatest strength of the team was. Here’s what they had to say.
Strength: Depth beyond their star duo (specifically, Derrick White)
White, a guard long viewed as one of the league’s best role players, has reached another level this season. He’s a heady ball handler and a terrific defender. But during his team’s first-round victory over the Miami Heat, White proved he was more than that, notching a career-high 38 points in Game 4, then a game-high 25 in Wednesday’s close-out win. His 13 3-pointers in those two contests were the most in Celtics playoff history over a two-game span.
It was certainly a bit of a surprise to see Derrick White and the depth of the Boston Celtics as their greatest strength, however, it does make sense. White is an excellent player for Boston, as he certainly could be a starting guard on most teams in the league.
As mentioned, he can put up some good stats on the offensive end of the court, as the Celtics have many players who can beat you on any given night. On the depth side of things, that will be tested in the second round, as Porzingis has already been ruled out for the series with the Cavaliers.
With it being likely championship or bust for the Celtics this season, we will have to see how White and the depth of the Celtics do in the rounds to come.
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