Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are looking to take the NBA by storm in 2023-24. The Celtics added two All-Star caliber players this offseason in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to help supplement the supporting cast surrounding Tatum, which has led some pundits to believe the Celtics should be championship favorites as things get underway.
One of those pundits is former NBA player and current analyst Charles Barkley.
“I thought the one thing the Celtics were missing was a point guard, and they got probably the best point guard available,” said Barkley, per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. “I said, ‘man, the Milwaukee Bucks are going to be the favorite,’ and then the next week, the Celtics got Jrue Holiday, and I said, ‘oh, let me change that.’ So if you asked me right now, I’d probably pick the Celtics to win this thing.”
Talent has never been the issue for the Celtics, even before the splashy moves they made this summer. What plagued Boston throughout each of the last two postseasons was their late game execution, with the team often finding inventive ways to lose playoff games due to their inability to take care of the basketball in high leverage moments.
While Jrue Holiday is certainly talented, it remains to be seen whether he has the “floor general” presence required to quell these concerns. The Celtics will tip things off for the 2023-24 campaign with a road game against the New York Knicks on October 25. That game is slated to tip at 7:00 PM ET.
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