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Marquee offseason addition ‘unlocks’ Boston Celtics All-NBAer at PG: Analyst

By Andrew Hughes

The marquee addition of the Boston Celtics offseason "unlocks" the C's All-NBA First Teamer as a floor general, says NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg (Photo by Nick Grace/Getty Images)
The marquee addition of the Boston Celtics offseason "unlocks" the C's All-NBA First Teamer as a floor general, says NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg (Photo by Nick Grace/Getty Images) /
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Kristaps Porzingis, the marquee offseason addition for the Boston Celtics during the summer of 2023, will be the key piece that can bring the most out of Jayson Tatum — who will be playing significant backup minutes at the point guard spot if Malcolm Brogdon’s relationship with the franchise causes him to miss any time — as he assumes second unit floor general duties during the 2023-24 season, says NBC Sports Boston’s Christ Forsberg.

“Tatum’s overall efficiency as a pick-and-roll ball-handler has dipped in each of the last three seasons, even as his overall scoring efficiency has improved,” Forsberg wrote. “Tatum’s assist percentage has bubbled up over 20 percent in each of the last two seasons, an encouraging trend, and now he must simply marry that ability to create with doing it more often in point guard actions.

“Here’s the most promising part: Having a versatile offensive player like Kristaps Porzingis on the court this season could further unlock Tatum as a playmaker.”

If Jayson Tatum works at the point guard spot, the sky is the limit for the Boston Celtics

Tatum working out behind Derrick White at the 1 would be the most ideal outcome for the Boston Celtics; who’d then become more versatile than any team in the Association. No. 0 is a true nightmare matchup for all 29 starting point guards, and defensively, Tatum can hang with just about anyone.

The ceiling for such a Celtics squad seems like it could be similar to the Los Angeles Lakers’s during the 2020 bubble postseason. On that squad, LeBron James was a full-time point guard, giving the Lakers three wings and two bigs in the frontcourt.

The 2023-24 season’s Cs are built to facilitate that level of talent and present position-less basketball to the rest of the basketball-watching world. Jordan Walsh, Oshae Brissett, and Dalano Banton could be beneficiaries of Tatum taking opportunities from Payton Pritchard and Malcolm Brogdon in the second unit.

Tatum figures this new role out, and Boston having Banner 18 ambitions is hardly an overstep.

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