Research shows Karl-Anthony Towns trade still doesn’t top Celtics

Last season, the Boston Celtics had one of the best starting lineups in basketball. It included two All-NBA players, two former All-Stars, and one guy who received a massive All-Star push. On top of that, they still had Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser coming off the bench.

Since then, the Eastern Conference has only gotten better. Multiple stars have moved over from the West, meaning Boston’s path to another ring will be even more challenging. But they look the same. The same lineup that worked so well last season will be back in green next year, all the way down to the 11th man on the roster.

And while the New York Knicks adding Karl-Anthony Towns was a great move, it still doesn’t outshine Boston.

Celtics starting lineup still clears the East

Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports recently conducted a research experiment, ranking the best first, second, third, fourth, and fifth options around the NBA. Needless to say, the Celtics fared pretty well.

At the end of the experiment, the Celtics reigned supreme. Their average across all five options was 2.4. The next-best mark was the Oklahoma City Thunder, who clocked in at a 6.4.

It wasn’t even close.

However, the rankings were updated following the Knicks’ trade for Towns. His addition to the lineup improved their ranking. With his presence factored in, their average was bumped up to 7.2, which put them fourth in the NBA.

It still wasn’t close.

With Towns added to their starting lineup (as well as Josh Hart), the Knicks’ overall ranks put Jalen Brunson 11th, Towns eighth, Mikal Bridges eighth, OG Anunoby third, and Hart sixth.

The rest of the top five were as follows: Boston in first, Oklahoma City in second, the Minnesota Timberwolves in third, New York in fourth, and the Dallas Mavericks in fifth.

Boston’s players absolutely dominated their respective categories. Jayson Tatum was ranked as the fourth-best first option in basketball—and that was the worst mark of any player in the Celtics’ starting lineup. Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis each clocked in at third, and Jrue Holiday and Derrick White were listed as the best fourth and fifth options in the NBA.

There is no doubt that the Eastern Conference got better this season. The Knicks adding Towns made them a better team. The same can be said for Paul George and the Philadelphia 76ers. Even teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic got better on paper. But Boston’s starting lineup still sits atop the East.

And the league.