Celtics biggest offseason concern that nobody is talking about

The Boston Celtics dominated their way to a championship in 2024. They won 64 regular season games and lost just three times in the playoffs. Boston never went to a Game 6 and believes it can be the first title in a multi-year run. The Celtics kept their core together and are set to enter the season as favorites to repeat.

Winning back-to-back titles is never easy. It has not happened since the Warriors with Kevin Durant in 2017 and 2018 and just three franchises have repeated since 2000. The Celtics have the talent, but must avoid the championship hangover. Boston has worries beyond a normal champion.

Fans are talking about the injury that will keep Kristaps Porzingis out for months and the difficulty to repeat, but nobody is discussing a problem unique to Boston. Multiple key rotation players went right into the Olympics after a lengthy championship run, which could be an issue in the quest to repeat.

The Celtics' lack of time off is the biggest concern nobody is talking about

Boston played six players more than 20 minutes per game in the playoffs. They had the best top-six in the world, but it puts added pressure on those players to be great. The Celtics survived KP playing just seven of their 19 postseason games, but it put even more on their other five.

Boston won the championship on June 17. Team USA arrived in Las Vegas for training camp on July 5 and the Olympic gold medal game is on August 10. Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White are all part of the squad, and the Americans have their sights set on gold. It won’t be easy, but anything else will be a disappointment.

Tatum did not play against Serbia in their Olympic opener, but all three Celtics will be key parts throughout the tournament. Boston's superstar was in the starting five for the second contest against South Sudan. Head coach Steve Kerr plans to use everyone and all are needed if Team USA is going to bring home the gold.

Assuming Team USA plays for a medal, the time off before training camp will be short. Boston faces the Nuggets in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 4 and 6 to start the preseason. The offseason trip will make training camp start in late September. The Celtics will have just over one month off after finishing the Olympics.

That makes no mention of the travel. Team USA went to Abu Dhabi, London, and Paris this summer. Another trip to the Middle East only puts more miles on the three key Celtics' tires.

Jaylen Brown and Al Horford are the only ones having a normal offseason. Horford turned 38 this summer and might be entering his final season in Boston. Brown wanted to play for Team USA and fans can bet the snub will have him training hard.

Jayson Tatum believes he can lead the Celtics to a second straight championship, but playing into June is enough to derail some franchises. Tatum, White, and Holiday will play into August if Team USA wins Olympic gold. It likely leads to a slow start from all three and could put Boston in a difficult spot in their quest to repeat.

It is championship or bust for the Boston Celtics in 2025. They have the talent, but their lack of time off may be the franchise’s undoing. The quest for back-to-back won’t be easy, and the Celtics made it tougher on themselves. Can they overcome the odds again? Stay tuned to find out.