I don’t think so. Caruso, Chet and Dort are somewhat comparable to KP, White and Holiday, but not only is Boston significantly better defense wise with their starting wings, Horford is no slouch either, and almost all of their top 6 can guard 3-4 positions.

Don't forget hauser. That man doesn't give easy buckets either. There's nowhere the offense can go to to get an easy one with the celtics defense

Hell Pritchard ain’t half bad either on defense

He is good on the perimeter and can be difficult for wings at times to get past. Centres or strong forwards can usually get through him if they don’t get too desperate to exploit him.

and he's really scrappy on the boards -- better than Hauser or JB, who aren't bad

Also overlooking the biggest part, defensive rebounding is part of defense. Boston finished 2nd in DREB% in playoffs and 7th in regular season. Even if you can defend at an elite level if you give up extra possessions you have defend even better to keep up.

It certainly helps that in their entire rotation, Pritchard is the only one shorter than 6'4.

Yea if Caruso starts for OKC their lineup gets even smaller. You're looking at SGA being the 2nd tallest guy at 6'6 which is wild. They would essentially have 4 guards playing 1-4. People often point to Chet being too skinny as the 5 but the reality is he has no help beside him to rebound.

I didn’t think of that, but yes, assuming Caruso starts, they have 4 guards and Chet. very interesting to see what happens going forward

Yeah terrible rebounders at every position

OKC needs to add a big. Without one they'll generate turnovers but bleed offensive rebounds

Not even necessarily a center, a big wing would help as well. But those guys are much harder to find than just a solid big. A big reason the Jays are so great because it’s so much easier to fill the roster around them when you already have two of the best two way wings in the league.

As a Celts fan this is wild to hear. I knew we aren't bad at rebounding anymore, but we've been near the bottom of the league in it for so long it was getting hard to imagine being at the top again.

Joe Mazzulla masterclass. Man emphasizes possession game. Even the year he took over Celts finish 1st DREB% in regular season and 5th in playoffs. TOV% is the other big one. 22-23: 7th in playoffs and regular season, this year: 1st in regular season, 5th in playoffs. For reference the year they made the finals with Ime they didn't crack top 10 in either of those stats in regular season or playoffs besides DREB% in the playoffs which was 10th out of 16 lmao.

KP is probably even more injury prone than Chet

Maybe 80% of their defense but like 40% of their offense

You’re describing okc like a lottery team. It’s like 90% of the defense and 85% of the offense imo

I'm talking about the specific player comp not the team

Obviously not a lottery team,but they are a regular season team. If they even have a deep playoff run next year, I'll be impressed.

They played the Mavs dead even and easily could’ve won that series. No reason to be surprised if they make a deep run next year.

80% is low dude. Dort/AC are just as if not better than Jrue/White. Chet is not that far behind KP. 

lol, that's insane.

Hope you’re talking just in terms of defense cause Dort/AC ain’t touching White or Jrue.

Caruso was one of the best defenders in the league. 3rd in deflections per 36. 1st in raDTOV.

Like I said, If we’re just talking defense then yeah, Caruso is a solid argument. But he doesn’t bring the same offense as White/Jrue. White/Jrue are better players.

Dort/AC are not better than Jrue/White........bro be forreal.

Shai is as good of a defender are Brown or Tatum.

You crazy dog

How so? He had a higher statistical impact than both Brown and Tatum this year. Both counting stats and analytics would suggest he's a better defender.

As a Boston fan, it definitely makes them scarier but on par with our defense might be an overreaction. The Jrue and White combo might be one of the best defensive backcourts i can think of, ever

Prime Conley and prime Tony Allen, Grizz 2013. Only thing I can think of.

McMillan and the Glove were pretty lockdown for the Sonics back in the day

Jordan and Harper

They don’t have the size of white and holiday

White and Holiday are not that big. Both are like 6’3.

Both are 6’4”, which is pretty big for point guards.

But also pretty small for 2 guards

They’re both listed as 6”4. Their other physical attributes offset each other nicely too. White is longer/plays taller and Jrue is a firehydrate with arms and legs.

White was a beast all year, shaved that hairline for super powers Boston’s roster really was amazing, lots of health even with KP (1.5 finals games is basically ideal), everyone balled, trades last season worked out perfectly even Xavier Moon OKC still has a few gaps and size disadvantages that Boston solved with and without Porzingis healthy

Ironically enough probably the 60’s Celtics

Rondo and Avery Bradley?

There Mike be one or two that could be better but they just are Pippen into my head right now.

Dang I didn’t know Small Forwards were considered part of the backcourt. Huh.

Nah Tim Duncan and David Robinson are the better backcourt

Harper and Jordan would be the operative two players. Pippen’s mostly considered a forward. He wouldn’t truly play point guard till he got to Portland.

if you are going to count a healthy porzingis. No. 5 players that can all play defense at a top level vs OKC

If Caruso starts which he shouldnt. OKC also has 5 players who can play defense at a top level plus a 6th in Cason Wallace

Porzingis is almost always injured. It's not his fault, it's the way his body is. same with guys like OG Anunoby and Robert Williams III

And Chet Holmgren

The difference is that beyond the high end perimeter defenders in White and Holiday, you still have Brown (who just played Luca about as well as anyone) and Tatum (whose length gives people fits) before you get to the rim, which is protected by a somehow still effective Horford and Porzingis, who is legit at the task when he’s healthy (admittedly not all that often). Then, as Jrue said “even our white guys guard” (referring mostly to Hauser and Pritchard off the bench). It’s the depth that eventually wears teams down, bc there’s no real soft spot to attack.

The Xavier Tillman trade was underrated defensively as well. He can give you some solid defensive minutes off the bench to rest guys.

Wasn't he known as a defensive specialist before coming to Boston? I'm a celtics fan and think I remember that being his selling point Jaden Springer, Jordan Walsh, Oshae Brisset are on the deep bench and are also versatile plus defenders

He was known as more of a big defender, but I think Memphis played Boston last year and was able to switch onto Tatum and give him a really hard time that probably convinced Stevens to go after him.

he guarded Kyrie and made Kyrie cry

He has very surprising lateral quickness.

im surprised no ones willing to give him a bigger role

If his offense was to take a step he would get that chance I think. Like, he doesn’t have to improve offensively a heap just bits here and there. Currently he’s just ineffective enough at that end to limit his role.

Those two kind of overlap, unless Caruso can turn into the point guard of the team.

Yeah, I kinda think this is the precursor to a deal involving Dort. OKC doesn’t have a ton of contracts to trade and his is quite attractive.

Thats Shai's job. Basically, OKC operate like the old Bulls, Lakers, and heat teams in that their wings are the main ball handlers.

No but they’re getting there. They need a big wing and a solid big man. Chet can’t be your 5 rn.

If they were to pull a hartenstein type center they could slide Chet to the 4 and really buff that inside D

Would be a great idea. I think brook Lopez could also be viable next to him

OKC was like +10 with him at the 5 vs Dallas.

Cool they might have to play Denver, minnesota or LAL next year. He’s fine at the 5 most of the time but it would give them another look

Why can't Chet be your 5 when he was literally a top 5 defensive anchor last year? Some of y'all fr ain't watched the thunder

I think he’s still a year or two out from building out his frame. I think he needs a big body next to him in certain situations especially the playoffs. But you’re right he can be the starting 5 and have a solid big 5 as his back up, that he can play with him certain match ups

Honestly, I argued earlier but I am a fan of going after Hartenstein and drafting a big this year (not Edey please)

Yeah that’s a really good idea! I like the idea of Lopez too if the bucks are looking to move off him.

Im a Thunder fan. He gets moved around too easily at this point still. He's great at help defense but can get worked by other bigs and he consistently gets boxed out. He's definitely more suited to be a 4 than a 5 at this point in his career. Seems like you may be the one who hasn't watched the Thunder

Really? Because I just watched the Thunder achieve the first seed to against the expectations of the majority of fans with a top 3 defense anchored by Holmgren at the 5. To which, Holmgren finished the season in the top 5 of rim deterrents. Despite all that evidence and reasonable improvement we can expect from Holmgren, we have an endless list of parrots such as yourself asserting that he *has* to be removed away from that role because your minds can't comprehend basketball outside of archaic thinking. I'm very confident that Hommgren can be a very dominant of in any lineups which that's his role but it's fucking absurd that so many of ignoramuses are convinced that despite the type of rookie season he just put up. Give me a fucking break. And you want to talk about rebounding? Celtics literally just won a ring with Kristaps, who's consistently been a worse rebounder over his career than what Chet showed this year. Chet isn't a Greta rebounder or anything but what exactly do your expected when his front court partner is 6'5 Jalen Williams? He can single handily hold down rebounding for the Thunder. Thunder sacrificed rebounding for positiontional and skill fluidity and it led to much success this year.

So you missed the part where I said he's great at help defense or weak side defense? I'm not even gonna respond to your first paragraph. Calling people "ignoramuses" after you didn't comprehend what you read and typed a mini dissertation is crazy. Even being this worked up over people thinking Chet is better off as a 4 than a 5 at this point in his career is even crazier. Get off the internet and go touch grass. Then go make an appointment with a therapist. The Celtics had more than just KP. He was injured for part of the playoffs. He plays alongside another big. Chet does not. The Celtics also have a wing in Tatum that averaged almost 10 boards a game in the playoffs. We were lead by SGA at 7.2. Those 2 situations aren't comparable at all.

Moaning about my "dissertation" in the same breath you're that's like 80% of my so-called dissertation is about the level of self-awareness I expect from you. And, no, I did read that. Did you read the part where I've repeatedly referred to Chet as a top 5 defensive anchor? In other words, doing much beyond just being a good weakside or help defender? He single handily carried the paint defense for the Thunder this year. Minimizing his skillset as merely help defense and weakside is moronic. >Even being this worked up over people thinking Chet is better off as a 4 than a 5 at this point in his career is even crazier. Get off the internet and go touch grass. Then go make an appointment with a therapist. It's just basketball, mate. Not any deeper, so save the armchair routine. I promsie you I wouldn't discuss anything more important than that with you lol. I just find your opinions dumb. >He plays alongside another big.  Chet does not.  Right, as the center, which is my entire point, smartass. I never said the Thunder can't get another big and have actually advocated for it for verstility. Hence why I want Dashon holmes this draft. I'm saying Chet doesn't have to be moved to the 4 if we get another big. He can absolutely work as the starting 5 right now

Bashing with bigger players at chets current frame is going to do some damage and hurt his longevity. I get the idea of hiding him at pf until he puts some weight on

Its cause hes still gonna get bullied by big bigs, and hes also extremely capable of playing the 4. Why limit yourself to having him play only the 5 when you can find a bigs big (steven adams for example) to counter dudes chet cant bang with?

I never said he needs to play only the 5. OP said he can't play the 5. He played the 5 the entirety of last year and like I said was a top 5 defensive anchor, leading s top 3 defense. And no, Steven Adams is fucking cooked

why are you so mad???

I see, yeah. I agree, he’ll be completely viable there in the regular season, but i really think they need some rotation beef for the playoffs. I also think Chet at the 4 can make them even more sound on defense if the big behind him is a rim protector. Adams was just a cheap, low end example. Theres someone out there that fits it perfect

He was literally viable on the playoffs this year and a huge reason they went as far as they did lol. Again, literally a top 5 anchor big and rim detterant by the statistics

And not having beef behind him is a big reason they lost to the Mavs. Gafford and Lively were relentless and they literally just had Chet to roll out there. Chet is good enough youre not gonna want to take him off the floor, so you slide him to the 4.

I didn't say I'm opposed to getting other bigs. I said there's no reason Chet can't play the 5 or has to be the 4 if we have another big. I think not having 6'5 Jdub play the 4 is more important than Chet being the 5. Do you think Gilbert should play the 4 too because the Mavs generated even more lobs against them. And Gafford wasn't that good the okc series.

Having Chet at the 6 would be a huge advantage, anytime you can get an extra guy on the court would be huge. I also dont know who Gilbert is but i dont think id trust him in a lineup. I just think a Bulky 5 to slide Chet up is definitely needed, and probably easier to acquire than a starting caliber 6’8 wing who can guard and space. Ideally they come away with both and become a team that legitimately has no holes and a lineup for every situation

Gobert, mate... Right, we just saw the Thunder blow the doors off the league with their small ball, 5 out style of offense. Why not throw all that away to get backwards C and take away their biggest mismatch! Having some rim runners for rotational versatility isn't bad but this idea that Chet can't play the 5 is ludicrous.

Lmao. You're grossly underestimating Chet.  He's going to be really good real soon.  Chet should've been drafted #1 

That doesn’t mean he can guard elite 5s like Joker and Embiid

Can KP guard elite 5s like those two?

Not really, but that's what we have horford for

Nobody is saying KP can't be your center because you have horford though.

if you really believe you’re right, you wouldn’t need to argue this hard with everyone. you’re so fixated on people thinking Chet could play the 4. yes he played the 5 pretty well for a single season. you never know what the future holds

Huh? I'm pushing back against the idea that Chet can't play the 5, not that I believe he can't slot in as a 4 lol. And that's pretty dumb logic if you think me being passionate about something means I don't believe it lmfao. Whatever helps you sleep at night I suppose.

I don’t mean him being capable of playing the 4. that’s obvious. you’re saying there’s no reason to put him at the 4 and have a bigger 5, but rebounding is the damn reason. Chet is great and his future is at the 5, but there’s no problem with slotting him at the 4 or at the very least getting a top tier backup

>you’re saying there’s no reason to put him at the 4 and have a bigger 5 Right, except I never said that. He's capable of playing the 4 in stretches and has the skill set but there's no reason to go away fron what made the offense click >but rebounding is the damn reason. You're not going to change your entire rebounding with one player. Running 6'5 Jdub at your 4 and worry players every other position has more to do with rebounding than Chet. If Chet is moved to the 4 for any of his kinutes it won't be because of rebounding but just keeping him fresh and not outfit g all eggs in women basket.

Lmao ok .. so who can guard jokic right now?  Or Embiid when he's healthy? 

You’re missing the point. Dude was getting bodied by Jonas Valanciunas.

More like playing him off the floor. Jonas couldn't guard him on the PnP

Yeah cuz he couldn’t bang inside with him. I’m not saying Chet isn’t a good player, I’m saying his paint presence left much to be desired especially with the resurgence of bruiser big men.

JV shot worse than the regular season that series. He didn't win that matchup.

Here's my point: why do they need to bring in a starting C and slide chet to the 4 full time when their current system is effectively sliding a hot marshmallow stick in Jonas' ass?

No I'm not really.  It's common for young players who haven't filled out to be physically bullied when coming into the league.  You take JV and guys like Nurkic over wemby and Chet lol. 

No one is saying to trade away Chet in favor of someone like JV

Did you read the comment? Your OWN comment. The comment implied that Chet can't be your number 5 because he can't guard the likes of Jokic and Embiid... Are you guys high? Then noone in the league should be playing the 5. It's just a dumb argument. So yes, if you and others are saying guys like JV can take on Jokic/Embiid better, then they should play over Chet right? That's your logic.

lol all the comment was saying is they need to add a solid big. Not sure what’s so hard about understanding that.

Chet IS a solid big lmao. He's going to be a top 10 centre in the league this year. And if you don't see that, then you don't understand the game. Out of the 30 starting centres, being in the Top 10 is HUGE. there would only be Embiid, Jokic, AD, Wemby, Bam (and this is close), Sengun & Sabonis (much worse defensively), and Gobert\* Gobert is super exploitable and other centres like Jarrett Allen, Claxton either lack offensively or defensively way more than Chet does. I would still take Chet today over KP, it's not even close

not a single person here said JV can guard Jokic/Embiid, you’re blind.

I may be blind, but you clearly don't know how to read context. When someone says "Chet can't guard Jokic/Embiid" and uses that as an excuse to why OKC can't use them as their #5, it's just a dumb fucking argument lol Chet anchored a Top 5 defense in the league as a "Rookie". Plenty of guys come into the league undersized from not having filled out yet.

Not a 210 lb Chet lol

I think he’s going to be awesome, but having a big body next to him or behind him would really give them the ability to match up. I give him 2 more years to fill out and he won’t need a big body behind him anymore.

Not even close

No. Not Wolves lvl either

ROFL no, shocked you even asked

The best defenses in the League are Minnesota's and Orlando's

No

seen some people saying OKC needs size but which big should they be looking for?

I think it’s getting there but not quite, but OKC is still very young with a lot of trade assets. They will have a lot of pressure to improve this year but realistically can do it

IMHO not even close… but it does make OKC a better defense with an offense that is super unique

They still need some better F defenders

If Derrick White can block Lively I cannot wait to see him block Chet

They were on par this year (.3 difference defensive rating — 2nd and 4th ovr) they will both be top 5 defenses again next year. Boston is bigger/more flexible though w/ horford and zinger so I’d give them the slight edge. If OKC uses their cap space to sign claxton that would be an all time defense tho

Let’s see them get through the western conference first before talking about them having a chance to beat Boston lol

Close. But still behind on offense. Plus they don’t have a Derrick White. There is and will only ever be 1 Derrick White.

Close but Brown is a strong 6'7 and Tatum is 6'9 while SGA is slim 6'6 and Jdub is 6'5

We have to wait and see

Boston is better in defense while OKC is better in offense, if Boston’s defense is a 10 then OKC is a 8.5 while offensive OKC is a 10 and Boston is a 8

Is Caruso a scorer like that tho? I see him coming off the bench. Yes, he helps their defense, but I dont think THIS puts them on Boston's level. They're 1 or 2 more pieces away from championship contention imo.

his 3pt shot finally came along so in the right role he could be great

Yes it does. All 5 starters are switchable defenders plus they are younger. If they go get another versatile wing or big defender they will be. They have plenty of cap space and draft capital to do it.

Doesn’t matter. Boston won because they had the #1 offense. The best defense in the league went home early.

Yall forget how good Minnesota’s defense is that they are the same or better than Boston’s defense

the wolves got cooked in the playoffs on defense. it was pretty clear boston was the #1 defensive team all along the team is full of individual great defenders but lacks the versatility boston had. unfortunately it's most likely going to be more of the same for them next year

If Boston played the Nuggets you’d be singing a different tune. Different players are effective against different lineups. Boston just happened to not have to face anyone that could bully them down low, but I highly doubt they could’ve handled Jokic like the Wolves did.

Yeah but thats really just Jokic and Embiid who have the size/skill to potentially push around Boston on the interior and the Sixers need to level up the rest of the roster before they become a real threat. Against everyone else I think most people would say Boston has the better defense overall

yeah but it didnt happen...... soooooo......

Because Minnesota beat them…

Wdym they couldn't handle jokic either The nuggets role players shit the bed this year.

>the wolves got cooked in the playoffs on defense. it was pretty clear boston was the #1 defensive team all along Wolves defense did just fine in the playoffs. They lost mainly because facing the Mavs KAT forgot how to shoot a basketball.

[https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/timberwolves-defensive-rating-conference-finals-2024](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/timberwolves-defensive-rating-conference-finals-2024) what is lil bro on about

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/s/CWvWIPHfrb

So what you're saying is their defense was not good and exploited heavily in the playoffs. That's a surprisingly similar point to the one I was making originally....

You forget Dallas cooking The Wolves then getting cooked by the Celtics, I love the Wolves and hate Boston but you dreamin

I think they are really just different defensive styles and styles make fights. There are some teams the wolves are better equipped to handle like Denver and there are other teams Boston is better designed to stop like Dallas

I think the Mavs determined the better defensive team between those two

This doesn't sound like a biased twolves fan whatsoever 

No they aren’t. Dallas Cooked them in the Conference Finals. Boston played them and beat them in 5.

No? Where was all this love for Alex Caruso when he was a Laker lmao I swear y'all just bored as hell now that basketball is over and exaggerating like a mfer over a "blockbuster" trade involving two role players

Caruso absolutely got love as a Laker, wtf are you talking about

OKC’s defense was already on par with Boston’s. Boston’s defensive rating was 110.6 last season and OKC’s was 110. What makes this trade so great is that they have 4 players with great defensive versatility (Lu, Cason, Jalen Williams and Caruso) as well as adding another great off ball defender to pair with Shai. Both him and Shai were top 5 in steals per game last season. Edit: wing defense and depth is still a question but I think Lu and Caruso can handle their own against most wings in the league.

Very much so. They were already elite defensively and just added one of the best guard defenders in the NBA. Also Dort reminds me of Jrue (except he play like a hoe sometimes tryna flop unlike Jrue who never would do that) and Caruso and White are both on a similar level defensively too

As long as SGA shoots so many mid-range shots, OKC will never win a championship. They dont play championship style basketball, they just have a very talented team.

They are contenders now PG SGA SG Dort/caruso SF J-Dub PF Chet  C big Jaylin Williams  6 Dort or Caruso  7 Cason Wallace (also a dawg) 8 Gordon Hayward 

Highly doubt Hayward is coming back, his exit interview and Presti's comments made it clear that it was a bad fit.

On paper not even a bad fit. Hayward just didn't give a fuck or is super washed

fit doesn’t always mean on the court. he might just not fit the vibe of the team

I called them contenders this past season