NBA title hopes in 2024 will be doomed by the fatal defect in the Celtics

NBA title hopes in 2024 will be doomed by the fatal defect in the Celtics

The Boston Celtics’ 2023–24 NBA championship run is about to get underway in a few days.

After losing in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the C’s were just one game away from the Finals the previous season. After the dismal conclusion, this summer saw Boston’s front office set to work.

Brad Stevens, the President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics, parted ways with guard Marcus Smart, big Robert Williams III, and other important players in exchange for All-Stars Kristaps PorziņĚis and Jrue Holiday. The C’s gave up a lot in the process, but they also maintained a clear path to victory going into the 2023–24 campaign.

What, though, is preventing the Eastern Conference teams from taking home the championship? Let’s examine one element that might prevent the Celtics from winning the 2024 championship.

Kristaps Porziņģis’s health might be the Celtics’ demise.
PorziņĖis has the potential to be among the finest big players in the league when healthy, as he demonstrated last season.

The Latvian center scored a career-high 23.2 points per game on 49.8% shooting from the field while playing for the Washington Wizards. In addition, during his season of record-breaking play, Porziņ}is started and participated in 65 games. The 7-foot-2 power forward last participated in that many games during a regular season more than five years ago when he was a member of the New York Knicks.

In short, PorziņĖis has experienced a history of injuries. With the New York Knicks, he tore his ACL. With the Dallas Mavericks, he struggled to maintain his health. Plantar fasciitis even kept him out of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The Boston Celtics’ historic trade for PorziņĖis might pay off if he can stay on the court. But given his history thus far, that appears to be a huge “if.”

Things get a little more complicated on the bench, even if the C’s starting five is loaded with skill to cover for any absences.

This offseason, the depth of the Celtics’ big men suffered.
The Celtics have two franchise cornerstones in addition to Holiday and PorziņĖis: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Boston has a strong, star-studded core that should enable them to compete in the East once more.

But the players supporting Porziņģis aren’t as good if he has more problems with his knees or feet.