Teams will have no chance of keeping up with the speed and strength of the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have one of the most special collections of talent in the NBA, and they have embraced versatility as much as anyone. None of their projected starters are going to have any kind of one dimensional role, because Brad Stevens is going to make sure he uses that talent in as many different ways as possible.
The Celtics now have the kind of physical tools that should be able to challenge anything any other team can do, while absolutely blowing away most of the competition. These tools will be used both on defense and offense, and can be a part of everything they want to do.
Right now, the Celtics should have a combination of speed and strength that is truly unmatched in the NBA. On top of that, it is speed and strength in so many different ways. Its not just about having that raw speed, because Kyrie Irving’s quickness in small areas is truly impossible to defend.
Jaylen Brown will be racing past people in transition, while having the explosion to leave individuals in the dust even in the half court. With no traditional size, the slowest player the Celtics will ever have on the court is Al Horford, and he might be the most versatile big in the entire NBA.
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In a vacuum, his speed may not be a strength. Against most bigs in the NBA, however, there may be no one that is better at staying with perimeter players on the outside.
Brown and Irving are certainly going to get the biggest advantage with speed, but keep in mind the matchups the other wings in Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward will have. The may not have that high end quickness of the other two, but it will be laughable to see opposing bigs try and stay with either of them.
The Celtics had games against the Cavaliers where they had a speed advantage at every singe position, and that should be the case for the majority of the season. There may not be a team in the league who can match that speed of Irving and Brown, but the biggest opportunity for advantage will be with the others. The Celtics know how to use ball movement and off ball movement go manufacture space, and these athletes will shred teams in those situations.
There is a lot of athleticism in the NBA, and teams will have some defenders with the speed to keep up with these guys. The difference maker is that teams will have no chance whatsoever at matching the depth of their speed, and they will not even have weaknesses off the bench.
Transition might be the place you see it the most, but there is no doubt that Stevens will find ways to exploit slower defenders in the half court, because they have five players who will all be able to attack with their speed.
The best part, however, is that they have all this speed without sacrificing any strength. Irving is the only one of these fast options that does not have great strength as well. That being said, his strength is good enough to hold off any point guard, and he has more than enough help behind him.
The Celtics have already seen both Brown and Tatum use their strength as an advantage, and that is from underdeveloped 20 and 21 year olds. These are two of the most special athletes in the NBA, and they will not let anyone push them around, while having that ability to scorch players with their speed.
Brown and Tatum have already taken on some of the most difficult physical matchups in the NBA, and at no point has it looked like they are too weak out there. When you think about how much they will be able to develop over the offseason, and both of them will have more ways to attack with their speed and strength.
With Horford, he is not going to have strength to overwhelm opposing bigs, but he has been able to hold his own. Similar to Irving, his strength will be enough to make sure he is not a liability. From there, their depth will once again be able to overwhelm opponents who will have have this kind of athleticism with players as skilled as they are.
When you get to the bench, everything gets better. Marcus Smart might be the strongest guard in the NBA, Terry Rozier is already one of the most explosive athletes on the team and Daniel Theis has the lateral quickness to defend on the outside while being strong enough on the inside.
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The Celtics have some of the best physical tools on the entire NBA, and they will be able to put on a show with their strength and speed next season. Who knows how Stevens will end up using it, but there are so many things these athletes will be able to do, and it will be a joy to watch next season.