(I wish I’d included that in my column a week ago!) Not likely, of course, but certainly plausible. If they can tick up a couple of percentage points, we could see a team with the league’s best offense and defense. Both Tatum (35.0%) and Jaylen Brown (33.5%) had downright poor long-distance shooting seasons, yet the Celtics still had a top-five offense.
Stat to watch : Jays’ three-point percentage. His ability to mentally adjust is as important as his actual ability to produce. There will likely be some nights where he doesn’t close games, particularly if he and Horford struggle together defensively. I believe in his shooting and defense, but he must accept a smaller role. The C’s still have a few chips left to play, too (two picks and a handful of swaps, although finding matching salary may be tricky). Bringing in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis for Marcus Smart increases the team’s variance in a good way, and if Tatum and Brown keep improving, Boston will have their best chance yet to snag a ring. The Celtics have long been good enough to win an NBA title, but they couldn’t crest the summit despite years of getting close.
