Back behind their computers after a brief offseason, the Globe’s Celtics writers, Adam Himmelsbach and Gary Washburn, had an email exchange about the team as it prepares to defend its NBA title.
Adam: Gary, it seems like just yesterday we were picking confetti out of our hair and trying to dodge spraying champagne while chronicling the Celtics’ NBA championship. Now we’re back to see if this team can do it again. I have to admit, it feels a little weird not talking about significant roster or coaching changes, or what this team needs to do to finally get over the hump. The Celtics are champions, they are returning almost their entire roster from last season, and they are heavy favorites to repeat. But it’s unlikely to be easy, so what do you think has to go right for yet another banner to get raised to the rafters?
Gary: I think the Celtics need good health. They need strong years from their core, and that includes even better play from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. And they need more support from the supporting cast such as Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet. This year is going to be far more difficult than last year because the Celtics are going to be everybody’s Super Bowl, so they’ll need focus, some good fortune, and the constant pushing from coach Joe Mazzulla. I trust that he won’t allow this team to become complacent, but the Celtics also need to be certain they are healthy and whole come playoff time.
Adam: To that end, I think they’ve become more aware of being at their best when the games matter most. The guess here is Tatum’s minutes per game dip slightly for the second year in a row. Brown’s minutes were sliced by more than two minutes last year.
It was a short, busy summer. The season ended in late June, and then Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White spent more than a month crisscrossing the world for the US national team. Training camp started a week earlier than usual because of the Abu Dhabi exhibition games. It’s no surprise that Al Horford sat out the first three preseason games. He will get plenty of rest all year. And, of course, Kristaps Porzingis is expected to miss at least the first two months after offseason ankle surgery. How do you think the Celtics should make up for his absence?
Gary: They have to do it by committee. Horford is going to need some help, but that’s why you have Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman, and Neemias Queta. They’re going to have to star in their roles, giving the Celtics rebounding and interior defense and the occasional dunk or layup. None of those three is a dominant offensive player, but they don’t have to be. They have to protect the rim, screen, and make an open jumper. Horford is going to understandably be a tad slower because of his age. So he needs to be preserved for those big moments. But the Celtics have enough depth to get through for the next two months and getting those guys key minutes in the early season should pay dividends down the road.
Adam: Kornet, in particular, had an excellent preseason, raising some questions about whether Mazzulla might start him at center until Porzingis comes back to keep Horford’s minutes down in a reserve role. I’ve got my eye on Tillman. Mazzulla loves his defensive versatility and he has worked on his 3-point shot to give Boston another floor-spacing big man.
But let’s be honest, this team will go as far as Tatum and Brown will take it, and both players are squarely in their primes with fresh motivation. Brown’s postseason, which included MVP trophies for both the conference finals and NBA Finals, cemented his place in Celtics lore. But he was agitated when he was not chosen to replace Kawhi Leonard on the Olympic team. Tatum, meanwhile, faced criticism for his poor shooting in the playoffs and was benched for much of the Olympics by coach Steve Kerr. Do you think it’s good for these two to enter the season feeling like they still have something to prove? Or is there a danger that their focus could be disturbed?
Gary: I think it’s a great thing for Tatum and Brown to have added motivation. The last thing I think Celtics faithful want is for both to be basking in the glory of winning a title and being told how great they are all summer. They both know they’re great players, but basically the powers that be in basketball — Team USA, Grant Hill and Steve Kerr — have told them they are still not elite, regardless of how well they played for the Celtics.
Tatum needs to have MVP on his mind this season. There is no reason he should relinquish that award to Luka Doncic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander because they are more highly regarded. Tatum needs to play with more anger and force. Brown needs to respond to his doubters by continuing his offensive ascension and improving even more on defense. If he wants to make an All-Defense team, then play that same type of defense he did against Luka in the Finals. If Tatum and Brown play like they’re capable, the Celtics are the best team in the NBA and it’s not close.
Adam: It’s always funny to me when someone says that a certain team improved its roster in order to challenge the Celtics. No, that team improved its roster because that’s what teams are supposed to do. Regardless, some teams in the East appear to have gotten better. I like the Knicks’ move to add Karl-Anthony Towns. Deploying a 7-footer who can space the floor for Jalen Brunson will give New York a unique weapon, and Mikal Bridges should be a clean fit. The 76ers fortified their roster too, but there are always injury concerns with that group, and Paul George is already dealing with a knee injury. Can anyone really test the Celtics in the East? What would have to happen for the Celtics not to reach the Finals again?
Gary: I do think the Knicks and the 76ers can challenge the Celtics in the East, but everything would have to go right for them to do it, and those franchises each have had their fair share of bad luck and misfortune. There’s just something I don’t trust about the Knicks. Towns has never shined in the big-time moments, and he’s going to have to play a more physical style this season. Philadelphia is banking on 34-year-old George and the fragile Joel Embiid.
I think the Celtics are built to beat both teams, but they’ll also need good health and good fortune. Remember, being in the second apron limits how much they can improve the team during the season, such as they aren’t allowed to sign buyout players who made over the mid-level exception. So this is the roster they’re going to have to ride with. I think the Celtics will figure out ways to beat the Knicks and the 76ers, and I also think one of those two teams won’t be as good as advertised. If the Celtics play the way they’re supposed to play and stay healthy, they should be back in the Finals.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach. Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.