Analyst reveals what makes the Boston Celtics title contenders

MassLive’s Souichi Terada believes that the totality of what the Boston Celtics front office has done to fortify the C’s roster — or, in so many words, the team’s depth — is what makes Boston a title contender during the 2023 NBA playoffs.

“The Celtics’ depth is what makes them title contenders,” Terada wrote. “They have a great mix of high-end talent with the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but also plenty of capable role players around them. White’s been arguably the MVP of the first-round series thus far — and he got those chants from the TD Garden faithful after a great game Tuesday. But guys like Williams, Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Al Horford have all been crucial for the team’s success.”

To Terada, leaning away from the double-big lineup and leaning into lineups that feature Derrick White is what ultimately gives the Celtics more versatility — and in the Houdini’s opinion, a better chance to match up with sweet-shooting but by and large athletic lineups like Golden State, Denver, and Phoenix.

“Boston coach Joe Mazzulla has a multitude of options when it comes to how he wants to deploy his rotations and lineup,” Terada prefaced before saying, “While the Celtics are no longer starting the double big lineup — inserting Derrick White for Robert Williams IIII — that’s given them the opportunity to be flexible by relying on different strengths based on who’s on the court.”

The major difference between the Boston Celtics of last season and this one

Terada acknowledged that the Boston Celtics are winning in much different ways in 2022-23 than they were in 2021-22 — primarily regarding the identity switch from a defensive juggernaut to an offensive buzzsaw.

“When the Celtics transformed midway through last season on their way to an NBA Finals berth, it was off the size and advantages of a double big lineup that give opponents fits all season,” Terada wrote. “There were multiple factors that went into the Celtics’ success, but their identity was clearly built on the defensive end. But things are different for the C’s this season.”

Different isn’t bad, though, especially if the end result is one that has extra vinyl hanging from the TD Garden rafters come opening tipoff 2023.