The biggest cause of consternation in Celtics Nation is whether Derrick White will get the All-Star consideration he truly deserves, which suggests a solid state of affairs for the team with the best record in the NBA at the calendar prepares to flip to 2024.
For this week's off-day edition of the Celtics Talk podcast, we dipped into our mailbag and deep-dived on your questions, including:
- Is White an All-Star?
- How many All-Stars will Boston ultimately get?
- What is Brad Stevens’ next move?
- Is Kelly Olynyk a realistic trade possibility?
- How do we feel about the Celtics compared to one year ago at this time?
- How is Joe Mazzulla doing with minutes distribution this season?
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You can listen to the pod HERE or watch it on YouTube.
🔊 Celtics Talk: Can Derrick White snag an All-Star spot? And what is Brad Stevens’ next move? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
But you all flooded the mailbag with questions on both X and Instagram, so let’s use the digital version of the ‘bag to tackle a few more questions that we couldn’t stuff into the pod.
Who do YOU think the Celtics need to trade for and who are you willing to give up? — @jimmydepaul on IG
The list of players who fit into the Grant Williams trade exception is paltry.
If you inquire about a Saddiq Bey or Otto Porter Jr., are those type of players getting time over Sam Hauser? You might trust an acquired player slightly more than you do an Oshae Brissett or Lamar Stevens right now, but we’re not sure there are any needle-movers that fit into the TPE (and justify the picks that would have to be attached) who will be surefire playoff bodies.
The more intriguing move is trying to find someone who fits your plans long-term at a manageable number. That means additional pain points -- are you willing to move on from Hauser or Payton Pritchard for a bench upgrade?
The one name I invariably come back to for splurge-type potential is Wendell Carter Jr., but 1) The Magic seemingly would have little interest in what Boston could offer and 2) We can’t even get to that salary figure without including just about every bench piece not named Al Horford.
All of the above underscores how difficult it will be for Boston to find an upgrade before the deadline.
What is one thing that you think the Celtics can improve on that people haven’t been talking about a lot. — @christian184738 on X
We did a segment on Celtics Pregame Live the other day in which we all picked one gift we'd give the Celtics for Christmas. The most popular choices were health and a killer mindset.
There’s not much the Celtics can do to ensure their health, although it would help if opposing defenders would stop sliding under shooters on closeouts and spraining everyone’s ankles. Boston certainly can work to be better at holding leads and closing out games but that’s a hackneyed topic.
The one thing I would continue to harp on: The Celtics need to be better at turning over opponents.
Boston sits 26th in the league in opponent turnover percentage (12.7 percent) per Cleaning the Glass data. The Celtics have made solid strides in taking care of the basketball on the offensive end but they’re simply too good defensively not to be turning over opponents more.
To Boston’s credit, though, the block totals have been off the charts.
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The Celtics bench doesn’t get enough credit. Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, and Luke Kornet seem better than most other teams benches. True? — @Gldnby84885150
It’s easy to get hung up on bench scoring. What matters to me is bench efficiency. Are reserve players consistently holding leads even if no one is having a Malcolm Brogdon-like scoring impact this year?
It’s encouraging that Queta, thrust into a bigger role recently, has a +16.3 net rating, with the team posting a sizzling 133.2 offensive rating in his 135 minutes on the floor. Maybe the biggest development is Pritchard being able to impact winning even when he’s not scoring and his +10.5 net rating is very encouraging.
We’d like to see Boston’s bench show more consistency on the road -- some of the splits with Hauser and Pritchard (at least before this West Coast trip) have been concerning -- but the bench has calmed a lot of early season anxiety.
Who is the biggest threat to the Celtics other than the Bucks — @jhoussports on IG
While Philly has feasted on inferior competition -- as any good team should -- the metrics are off the charts for the 76ers since the James Harden trade, and it’s clear they’re not going to be an easy out.
The Celtics, Bucks, and 76ers have all distinguished themselves in the East, but if Boston maintains that top spot, it probably only sees one of those teams on its playoff path.
Let’s see what happens before the trade deadline, as that could change the outlook of some teams, but it sure feels like Boston is in Tier 1A, the Bucks and Sixers are in 1B, and the rest of the East is at least two tiers below at the moment.
That's not to say an Indy or Orlando couldn’t be a pest in a seven-game series. But Boston’s talent wins out in those matchups.