The Atlanta Hawks just traded Trae Young for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. No draft capital involved. It looks like the Memphis Grizzlies could end up trading Ja Morant. Plus, Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball just came off the bench. Things aren’t looking great there, either.
It has never been more obvious that the Boston Celtics have built their team the correct way. They found stars that play both sides of the ball, role players that play both sides of the ball, and a GM and coach who value that. In today’s NBA, that’s more important than ever, which the Hawks, Grizzlies, and Hornets are learning in real-time.
Boston fans should be thrilled.
Ja Morant, Trae Young, and LaMelo Ball news prove Celtics built their team the right way
Young made the Eastern Conference Finals with the Hawks in 2021. At that point, everything looked great. Atlanta looked poised to be a big-time player in the East for years.
The same could be said about the Morant-led Grizzlies. At one point in time, they looked like they were going to sit toward the top of the West for the better part of the next decade.
And even though the Hornets have never made the playoffs with Ball, he at least looked ready to lead them into an era where they could compete. That hasn’t happened.
The constant between all three players? All offense, no defense. Young has consistently been one of the worst defenders in the league, Ball hasn’t shown much desire to put in his full effort on that end, and Morant isn’t exactly a stopper, either.
A quick glance at the last 20 years, and the only championship winners who weren’t at least very capable defenders are Stephen Curry and Dirk Nowitzki, and neither is a particularly bad defender on that end. Plus, they had Draymond Green and Tyson Chandler by their sides, respectively.
The Celtics built their team the right way. Jayson Tatum is a spectacular offensive talent and an elite defender, capable of guarding almost every position on the court.
Jaylen Brown is the same. He’s an unbelievably impressive point-of-attack defender, and his scoring ability (and ability to act as an offensive hub) has transcended to another level this year.
While the Hawks, Hornets, and Grizzlies scramble to restructure their rosters and, in Atlanta’s case, trade their superstar for salary filler, the Celtics are sitting pretty.
That’s because they built their team the right way. They prioritized two-way players instead of guys who only play offense.