Despite the Boston Celtics' strong start to the season, some concerns could prevent the Cs from winning a championship. The concerns lie with the bench depth, the overall fit of the main core, and what the Cs will do at the trade deadline.
Ultimately, the most pressing need for the Celtics is a third big that is defensive-minded.
The Celtics have a center problem, and it’s been mostly swept under the rug to start this season. The Celtic’s top three bigs, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet all have flaws defensively. Horford is not the same player that he was during the NBA Finals run in 2022, and Porzingis is overrated.
Porzingis is the one I want to highlight because I think people are failing to realize his flaws defensively. Although Porzingis can occasionally protect the rim, he is a flawed defensive player. The three most notable games that highlight Porzingis and his flaws were against the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, and Toronto Raptors. Porzingis was exposed by Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, and Jakob Poeltl.
The matchup against Adebayo was eye-opening as he picked apart Porzingis, scoring 27 points. Adebayo drove to the basket with ease against Porzingis, and the Heat made it a point to attack him throughout the game. The Sixers game was also concerning as the Celtics didn’t feel comfortable having Porzingis guard Embiid. Those two games were eye-opening because in the playoffs, getting stops is what matters, and Porzingis has shown that he will be a liability defensively.
Andre Drummond a logical Boston Celtics target
The defensive concerns are why the Celtic’s most pressing need is another center that is defensive-minded. The Celtics have to prioritize finding a center that can do its best to limit the best bigs in the Eastern Conference. A player that the Celtics should be interested in is Andre Drummond. The Chicago Bulls big man would provide the Celtics rim protection and elite rebounding.
Ultimately, it will be interesting to see if the Celtics solve their defensive woes at the center position. If they don't, there will be more worries than necessary come playoff time.