Dissecting the Celtics’ hot streak & future planning 🏀 | The Hoop Collective

Dissecting the Celtics’ hot streak & future planning 🏀 | The Hoop Collective

Of course porzingis is a huge part of it because they didn’t have what what did we see guys we saw the crunch time offense constantly let them down well now they have the most efficient play in basketball this season is a christops porzingis post up by points per

Possession that wasn’t in the bag obviously before this year they also added Drew holiday who we know has been a key key key contributor with massive winning plays on a championship team MH but but I I also think something that doesn’t get talked about enough is Marcus Smart not being there and that’s

This isn’t this isn’t to knock Marcus but Marcus Smart not being there has also allowed Derek white to flourish I think it’s allowed Tatum and brown also in their games and personality wise to continue to evolve and grow and you’re seeing them I think is the best

Versions of themselves when it comes to being cogs in a team and and and playmaking and picking their spots and doing what the game asks of them and to me the only thing that’s keeping us from talking about the Celtics as this unbelievably dominant historically good team which right now you know they’re

Net rating they’re plus 12 which is the best in the play-by-play era which only goes back to 96 97 but you know that’s still a a decent chunk of time is the fact that they you know last year they they got beat by the heat right like other than

That it’s hard for me and I’ve watched them up close I’ve had many Celtics games this year it’s not it’s not even close how much better they have been in this regular season than every other team in the NBA now you’re going to give respect to Denver because we know

They’ve done it and we know the Murray yic Twan game is the most unsto able Force at the end of a game in the NBA but I still think people are underselling how good this Celtics team is and if they run through the playoffs and never see a seventh game and win a

Title I think we’re going to look back on it and say huh you know we were kind of assigning a previous roster shortcom this as a veteran of about six seven game Celtics Series in the last three years there’s no way they exasperated as I book game seven instead of going home

Sorry I want to make it about myself but I will believe that when I see I’m not I don’t take any offense of what you hold on but you’re gonna be on the west you’re gonna be on the west finals this year right so maybe if they can just get

Rid of you they can close out a series a little bit quicker seem to end up booking a last minute flight to ball oh man Brian you you think you think that they’re fully healthy you think they’re going to see a seventh game in an Eastern Conference series they shouldn’t but I’ve seen

It series after series after series I that kind of but isn’t that kind of my point my point is you’ve seen it but you haven’t seen it well here’s this team here’s one thing that we haven’t talked about obviously the Frontline guys get talked about a

Lot two things I’ll talk about one Derek white when you talk to folks around the Celtics Derek White’s got the second best plus minus on the on the roster behind Jason Tatum Derrik White’s having a spectacular season and he is um since the All-Star break I don’t have his

Numbers right in front of me his shooting splits are like spectacular yeah he already is one of the best offensive uh perimeter players in the league one of the best in the league at shop blocking his at a guard but he’s shooting the ball great that’s one thing

Second thing is they got some you know people say that they’re bench is short yeah I guess because they’re not proven Sam Hower is having a spe spacular year that’s a guy who if you’re not a Celtics fan you may not be that familiar with him but I suspect if you watch the

Playoffs this year he’s going to announce himself he’s shooting 44% on threes with like averaging five or six attempts a game he’s had a couple of huge games in the last couple in the last couple of weeks despite having a bad ankle injury which he got overcome

And pton Pritchard a guy who was I don’t know if he was unplayable he just wasn’t a guy that Joe Mulo ever went to so was a guy who was a key member of their rotation a couple years ago it was kind of a surprise last fall when they gave

Him a contract extension it was like really and he has been a a real contributor yeah like he distributes the ball he doesn’t just shoot he’s shooting it okay shooting 39% which is obviously above average he shot a little better earlier in his career he was a killer

Shooter at Oregon uh in his college career but um he he sets guys up like he’s making defensive plays like offensive rebounding despite his size too yeah he gets rebounds I don’t want to say like he’s a great rebounder cuz he’s not but like he comes out of there

With with balls so I do think that’s a that’s interesting Factor on on the Dereck white thing it’s interesting you know McMahon at the end of this season Derek white um is eligible because it’s based on his current contract he’s got one year left he’s eligible to go for four years and

122 million I think um and I’ve been debating with people about whether or not that would be like I think they should absolutely get him signed um but like his quote unquote Max yeah that’s a funky word right is I think four and 122 uh so about 26 no that’s not right

28 or something like that you are so bad at math it’s it’s a little over 30 it’s over 30 it’s 30 30 30.5 no but I K State folks no I it’s I don’t know St Mary yeah well I was definitely not a good math student oh hold on I’m gonna I’m

Gonna does your iPhone not have a calculator on it I you know it’s 30 if it’s 122 over 4 it’s 30.5 did you rary iPhone without a calculator what’s going on hold on I’m uh anyway okay four for1 22 30.5 mil that’s the average okay thank you just verifying that all right

Do we think he’s a $ 30 million player and you know yeah don’t talk to me about numbers talk to me about impact on winning and he is a critical critical part of a team that’s going to win 6 what five 66 games yeah that’s what as the cap continues to

Rise and you know I don’t know what the what the starting number will be but it’s not going to be 30 next season the cap will continue to rise now he’s under contract for next season right so it won’t be 30 in a couple years you know

And look the it to me the question is not is he a $30 million a year player it’s when you start looking at because obviously Jaylen Brown just got what will temporary or what is for now but will not be the summer the the biggest contract in NBA history and by the way

He’s had a great year y um Jason tatums about to get an even bigger biggest so the numbers according to Bobby I know it was reported as be over 300 million for Jaylen brown but ended up being 288 once all the everything was calculated and Tatum is eligible for 304

So Tatum assuming he gets the supermax which he’s already qualified for it yeah will be the first $300 million player and joic is third like or second now but yic had some 280 something like that 275 so right uh you know they’ve got the Drew holiday contract as a as an as side

You brought that up so Drew Holiday by the way he is eligible on April 1 to he’s already eligible now but he gets this sounds funky he gets more eligible April 1 there’s there’s there’s fewer limits on what he can sign on April 1 and I do think that there’s

Interest on both sides to get something done um sooner rather than later whether they do or not I don’t know yeah obviously they extended porzingis quickly after the trade so I guess the what I’m saying is the question is not is Derek white a $30 million player

It’s given the luxury tax that the Celtics are looking at pay because he wouldn’t be a $30 million player as far as you know their actual payroll is concerned he’d be a 30 million times you know x squ gy z whatever now you totally lost me you know my point is it would

Cost a Celtics a hell of a lot more than $30 million a year to have him so that’s a that’s a Celtics ownership how much are you willing to pay to keep what is right now the best team in the NBA together and that that’s the question

Not is not is he impactful enough to pay 30 mil you you know what’s interesting about it though guys too like we talk about his defense and and like you were talking about Brian and and it’s incredible this is a little bit um as you guys know and can tell like I do

Love the analytics and how they can support you know especially some of the things that that go maybe undervalued Derek Derek white is top five in pick and roll efficiency as a ball handler and last Celtics game I did talking to Joe Missoula about white who

I mean as you know and and anyone could imagine Joe just absolutely loves Derek white and any coach would he he he said watch us if we need a bucket we go to a we go to a Derek white pick and roll on the right side that’s what we go to so

This is a guy who’s not only just you know perfect in his role but he’s a guy who’s expanded his game in a way in which he continues to provide an impact even as he’s being asked to do more and more it’s hard I know that you’re right

Tim like that I mean it’s going to if they keep this roster together it’s going to end up costing them a ton of money it is hard for me to imagine them drawing up a scenario where Derek white is not a a part of their future yeah and

And listen nobody’s crying for the old this ain’t some small Market oh how are they gonna they sell tickets big TV deal kind of thing that’s true but by comparison their ownership group isn’t as deep pocketed as some of the others but I will say they do have so so

Tatum’s extension would kick in after next season Derek White extension will kick in after next season um Drew holiday actually has a player option next year for 39 million which depending on how they negotiate he could Decline and I don’t want to assume what they’re going to do my guess maybe lower that

Number down a little bit and then push He’s 33 give him years they could give him up to four years their Celtics aren’t facing severe tax and apron ch challenges until the year after next so this group I think is going to you know again assuming they get holiday locked up

Porzingis already signed his extension earlier this uh season this group I think will largely be brought back they already extended pton Pritchard would not surprise me if they try to get something done with Sam Hower as well um they have a window here of this season

And next before they have to make what I think will be hard decision and then they might I mean ultimately there’s nothing says that they can’t keep all these guys just right tax penalties and and uh and apron issues but the really good thing about the Celtics is even

Though they’ve made some big trades to get Derek white to get Drew holiday to get cpaps porzingis they haven’t really super mortgaged their future they owe they owe a couple firsts but they’re in decent shape with first round picks like they can still draft a little bit and

They can still even make another trade giving first round picks they aren’t like heavily mortgaged this is such a windy conversation though and and I love it because you are the king of looking at the NBA and you understand the business of the game so well you understand the business of player

Personel running a front office and sometimes you forget the games are fun let these let these dudes go on let’s see if they can go on a damn Championship run before you have people in Boston woring about 2025 26 well I I’m not I’m just saying like you know

They have to make decisions on Dereck white and Drew holiday in the next few months no what they have to do what they have to do the next couple months is win a damn NBA championship all right well you can watch you can watch the Boston

Celtics a lot on ESPN in the next few weeks and Ryan will be on the call we’re getting we’re getting late here we’re getting late but no you you talked about you started this talking about the the pressure on them because they haven’t done it they haven’t done it they

Haven’t done it but you you get enough at bats you’re going to hit a home run you know if you’re a you know if you’ve got a a big swing and you look at like Tatum and you know LeBron now you’re talking about the Yankees R go LeBron

LeBron and and JD reic on their podcast brought this up Tatum’s 26 years old has played in four Conference Finals in one of those times got to the finals when a guy is going that far consistently and it’s not just look obvious he got to a team that was ready to contend right

Away but he’s been a featured attraction from his rookie year on a huge a huge part of those teams when a guy is going that deep in the playoffs year after year after year after year and they’ve got The Supporting Cast R them they’ve upgraded they’re going to break through

Eventually and there’s going to be a ton of pressure until they do and then I you know nowhere is it written that they must break through [Applause] Is

Dissecting the Celtics’ hot streak & future planning 🏀 | The Hoop Collective

Brian Windhorst is joined by Tim MacMahon and Ryan Ruocco to talk about how historically great the Celtics have been.

0:00 Marcus Smart’s absence
4:17 Payton Pritchard’s contributions
9:40 Derrick White’s impact

#ESPN #NBA

☑️ Subscribe to ESPN+: https://plus.espn.com/​​​​​
📱Get the ESPN App: http://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn​​​​​
🏀 Subscribe to NBA on ESPN on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2yxs3Og​​​​​
☑️Subscribe to ESPN on YouTube: http://es.pn/SUBSCRIBEtoYOUTUBE​​​​​
☑️Watch ESPN on YouTube TV: http://es.pn/YouTubeTV​​