I feel like two things are true right now: 1) the Boston Celtics have a pretty bleak outlook in the Eastern Conference ahead of next season, and 2) I don't think they should be scared by the "monster" they helped create in the Philadelphia 76ers.
Just months after blowing a 3-1 lead in the first round to them, the Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to the 76ers for Paul George and picks... and then they signed LeBron James. Adding that to their trio of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe has got a lot of people feeling certain things about Philadelphia.
I'm not one of them.
The 76ers should at the very least be a top-six seed in the East next season, but I'm not buying all this talk about them being the NBA's next juggernaut. And I don't think the Celtics should be all that scared of them.
The new-look 76ers are not a good fit on paper
This isn't 2K, and this isn't the NBA even 10 years ago. Having a superteam in the modern era of basketball filled with a ton of the game's most intriguing names doesn't automatically equate to championships. It's all about fit and depth, and Philadelphia doesn't cross either of those off.
As Celtics fans have learned over the years, Brown is not a good off-ball player on either side of the ball. He's at his best when he has the ball in his hands and can create his own shot offensively, and is a point-of-attack defender on the opposite side of the ball.
Not only that, but James (while improved) also isn't a great off-ball player... and neither is Embiid. And while Maxey and Edgecombe are at least solid off the ball, that's not going to matter much because of how high their usage rates are going to have to be.
And on top of that, none of them are legitimate three-point threats; the inside of the arc is going to be clogged, and they do not complement each other very much.
The 76ers also don't have great depth. They signed Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons, who can each help stretch the floor a little, but that's it. They lost Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes, who were excellent last season, and, funnily enough, they're going to miss what Paul George brought on the court as a connector and someone who can fill in the margins.
What does this mean for the Celtics?
It means that while there are some teams in the East Boston absolutely needs to be wary of (the reigning champion New York Knicks, the now fully healthy Indiana Pacers, the Toronto Raptors - if the Kawhi Leonard trade goes through -, and the Cleveland Cavaliers - who were just in the conference finals... not really the Miami Heat), the 76ers should not be one of them.
Yes, they just sent Boston home last season. Yes, they played a direct hand in breaking up the Jays (in two ways). And yes, their team looks incredible on paper. But I'm struggling to see how the 76ers will mesh on the court and actually go the distance.
Maybe I'll be eating my words by the end of next season, but I'm not scared of this 76ers team, and the Celtics shouldn't be either.
Add us as a preferred source on Google