The Boston Celtics may not be drawing title buzz after the blockbuster Jaylen Brown trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, but Chris Mannix thinks their regular-season ceiling is higher than most people expect.
On the SI Show, Mannix said he was quick to cool on Boston after the Brown deal, but the roster has pulled him back in. He still doesn’t view the Celtics as championship material, yet he believes they have enough to make a run at the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
“I’m starting to be talked into liking Boston more than I thought I would in the immediate aftermath of the Jaylen Brown trade. The Jaylen Brown trade goes on, and I’m like, alright, they’re not championship contenders.
And I still don’t think they’re championship contenders. I still think they have a playoff ceiling.”
“But as far as the regular season goes, I think this team can get the number one seed. There’s obvious variables.
Paul George has to be healthy. Gotta give you 60-ish games.
Tatum has got to be all the way back from the Achilles tear. And usually, even though he played well coming back from the Achilles injury, at lightning speed, he was not the same Jayson Tatum.”
Those variables are a big part of why Boston’s outlook feels split in two. Mannix pointed to Tatum’s physical recovery, George’s availability, and the Celtics’ overall depth as the reasons he’s leaning in Boston’s direction for the long haul of the regular season.
“Those two legs were physically different. We’ll see what he’s looking like going into this year.
But I like the depth that they have. I think Mitchell Robinson is going to be a huge weapon for them.That’s something they were lacking, and Mitchell Robinson is a Joe Mazzulla kind of guy.
A guy that will go out there, play 20 minutes a game, gobble up 10 rebounds or more, block some shots, and just be a presence.”
“The kind of presence that Neemias Queta, with all due respect, wasn’t able to give them, at least, not in the games that counted. I think Payton Pritchard will play even better this year.
I think he’s ready for another step forward. I’m talking myself into believing that the Celtics can be the number one seed.”
That optimism comes with plenty of resistance. The East has loaded up around Boston, with the defending champion New York Knicks still dangerous, the Philadelphia 76ers now featuring Brown and LeBron James alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the Miami Heat adding Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Toronto Raptors bringing in Kawhi Leonard. The Cleveland Cavaliers, meanwhile, are still in the mix.
Boston’s own numbers show why the team is hard to pin down. Tatum played just 61 regular-season games last season, finishing with averages of 21.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. In the first-round playoff loss to the Sixers, he improved to 23.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists, but the Celtics still fell after blowing a 3-1 series lead.
George’s season was uneven as well. He appeared in only 37 regular-season games and averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.
Even so, Boston’s depth could matter over 82 games, especially with Mitchell Robinson now in the mix. He gives the Celtics more size and rebounding alongside Neemias Queta, and Boston already finished fourth in defensive rating last season while allowing an NBA-low 107.2 points per game.
The Celtics went 56-26 last season and earned the No. 2 seed in the East even with Tatum missing most of the year. But the first-round exit to Philadelphia changed the conversation, which is why Mannix drew a hard line between Boston’s regular-season potential and its championship ceiling.
He’s not sold on the Celtics as a title team. He is, however, sold on the idea that a healthier Tatum, enough George games, and better depth could push Boston all the way to the top of the conference standings.
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