New Boston Celtics group deemed unstoppable after home run offseason trades

The Boston Celtics' brand new starting lineup -- the five-man group consisting of marquee offseason additions Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday as well as returning starters Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Derrick White -- was given the unstoppable label by The Ringer's Michael Pina.

"Boston is 9-1 when Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis have shared the floor this season," Pina prefaced before saying, "All are scorers on the perpetual verge of catching fire. None are shy about hunting a heat check. All are able passers with undeniable gravity who, not even a dozen games into their new alliance, have blended pure dominance with clear room for improvement. What they are now is an incredible collection of size, skill, speed, and strength. In a few months, with more reps and a better understanding of one another’s tendencies and preferences, they could be unstoppable."

Any calls to break up this starting five isn't coming from someone watching Celtics games in 2023-24. With that said, though, this team has a notable Achilles heel that has the potential to keep Banner 18 in the hypothetical realm and out of the TD Garden rafters come next June and beyond.

Boston Celtics bench not up to snuff for a championship run

Thus far, Payton Pritchard has struggled to justify the team's long-term investment in him, though his shooting has improved following a 13-point outburst against the Brooklyn Nets on November 10. Still, he's shot 42% since, and that's not even where the fourth-year floor general would like to be.
Al Horford has fully recovered from his own struggles in the early going, which were mainly the result of an adjustment to coming off the bench for the first time in his career in Boston.

Outside of those two, the Celtics' second unit is the lone worrisome issue that could be Boston's downfall if the front office doesn't address it.

Expect Brad Stevens and Co. to hunt buyout market targets unless a can't miss trade pops up before the trade deadline.