Can Celtics raise Banner 18? Our staff predictions for 2023-24 season

The Boston Celtics' quest for Banner 18 begins Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, and expectations have never been higher.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens swung big not once but twice this offseason by acquiring 7-foot-3 big man Kristaps Porzingis and elite two-way guard Jrue Holiday in trades. Porzingis and Holiday joining forces with the All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has many projecting the Celtics as championship favorites, especially after the new-look “top six” looked dominant in preseason play.

Championship aren’t won on paper or in the preseason, however, and how this season unfolds is anyone’s guess. That’s where our crew comes in.

We asked our team of NBC Sports Boston analysts and hosts to weigh in on the 2023-24 season by sharing their one bold prediction and one key storyline to watch for these Celtics, as well as forecasting the top four teams in the Eastern Conference, the 2024 NBA Finals matchup and the eventual champion.

Let's get to the predictions!

Chris Forsberg, Celtics insider

Bold prediction: Porzingis will be an All-Star. He’s going to get a million open looks and feast when teams put too much attention on Tatum and Brown.

Biggest storyline to watch: Is Tatum ready to carry this team when it matters most?

Depth is great, but almost every title team has an MVP-level player who carries them, particularly in key playoff moments. Is Tatum ready to carry the team on the biggest stage?

Eastern Conference standings prediction:

1. Celtics
2. Bucks
3. Cavaliers
4. Post-Harden 76ers

NBA Finals matchup and prediction: Celtics over Suns in six.

Brian Scalabrine, Celtics analyst

Bold prediction: Al Horford primarily comes off the bench this season, and Payton Pritchard averages 10 points per game.

Biggest storylines to watch:

• The front line. Can Horford and Porzingis stay healthy? Who will the Celtics bring in as frontline depth?
• The leadership of Tatum and Brown. Can you become an elite leader in one year?

Eastern Conference standings prediction:

1. Celtics
2. Bucks
3. Cavs
4. Knicks

NBA Finals matchup and prediction: Celtics over Bucks in East Finals; Celtics over Warriors in seven in the NBA Finals (at home).

Eddie House, Celtics analyst

Bold prediction: Three Celtics players make the All-NBA Defensive Team.

Biggest storyline to watch: How connected defensively will this team be on a consistent basis?

Eastern Conference standings prediction:

1. Celtics
2. Bucks
3. Cavs
4. Heat

NBA Finals matchup and prediction: Celtics vs. Suns. I'm not making a prediction because I don’t like counting chickens before they hatch.

Amina Smith, Celtics studio host

Bold prediction: Tatum wins NBA MVP.

Biggest storyline to watch: The rise of the Celtics' defensive identity. Tatum and Brown have already declared they want to lead the way on that end. If the Celtics can lean into that with projected lights-out scoring, this team is going to be LETHAL. Scoring will be fun to watch, but the defense is going to be why they win a title. 

Eastern Conference standings prediction:

1. Celtics
2. Bucks
3. Cavs
4. Heat

NBA Finals matchup and prediction: Celtics vs. Lakers (Give the people what they want!). Celtics win it all.

Abby Chin, Celtics reporter

Bold prediction: Tatum wins NBA MVP.

Biggest storyline to watch: The defensive backcourt of Holiday and Derrick White is impenetrable.

Eastern Conference standings prediction:

1. Celtics
2. Bucks
3. Heat
4. 76ers

NBA Finals matchup and prediction: Celtics over Bucks in East Finals; Nuggets over Suns in West Finals. Celtics over Nuggets in NBA Finals.

Drew Carter, Celtics play-by-play announcer

Bold prediction: Celtics lead the league in offensive and defensive rating.

It’s not exactly bold to predict Boston will be really good on both sides of the floor, but in the NBA.com/stats database (dating back to 1996-97), no team has ever been the best on both sides of the floor. The Celtics came close last season — 2nd in offensive efficiency, 2nd in defensive efficiency — and the early Death Lineup Era Warriors almost achieved it twice (1st in defense, 2nd in offense 2014-15; flipped two years later).

Thanks to the offseason additions of Holiday and Porzingis, who bolster an already elite defense without sacrificing any spacing on the other end, Boston makes nerd history this year. In case you’re curious… the ’08 Celts had the best defense in the league by a wide margin, but finished 11th on offense -- in the regular season, that is.

Biggest storyline to watch: Who claims the role of third big?

The upside of the Celtics’ offseason is evident; the downside is the potential depth issue it creates in the frontcourt. Without the Williamses (Grant and Rob), the burden on Porzingis and Horford could feel heavy — unless someone emerges behind them.

Luke Kornet averaged almost 12 minutes in 69 games last season and had a nice year, but Neemias Queta outplayed him in the preseason. Take these numbers with a lump of salt due to the tiny sample size, but Queta’s net rating was +55.4 in three games — in other words, the Celtics outscored opponents by 55.4 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor. Kornet was a -19.6.

Queta is signed to a two-way contract, which means he can play up to 50 games with the big club this season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get elevated to a full-time deal at some point.

Rank the top four teams in the East:

Regular season

1. Celtics
2. Bucks
3. Cavs
4. 76ers

Playoffs

1. Celtics
2. Bucks
3. Heat
4. Knicks

NBA Finals matchup and prediction: Celtics over Suns in six.