Celtics receive votes for NBA’s best offseason

The Boston Celtics received votes for having the best offseason in the NBA.

Following the Boston Celtics 18th championship in franchise history, Brad Stevens has focused on roster continuity. Within the last 12 months, he has extended every member of the core rotation outside of Al Horford. During the opening weeks of the 2024 offseason, Stevens has tied down Derrick White, Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser to long-term deals.

As such, Boston’s summer has been spent ensuring the championship-winning team will be around for multiple years, thus ensuring their window of contention remains open for the foreseeable future. Of course, other teams around the NBA have been doing their best to catch up.

In a recent article by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, multiple scouts and executives from around the NBA voted on which team has enjoyed the best offseason thus far. The Celtics received two votes, placing them fourth in the overall voting process.

Boston’s commitment to roster continuity and keeping their core together for the long term has clearly gained some appreciation from scouts and executives around the NBA. After all, Joe Mazzulla’s team dominated the league last season, and steamrollered their way to the a championship.

With the entire core locked down for the foreseeable future, the pressure is now on for the Celtics to continue challenging for championships, thus avoiding another 16-year drought.

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Team USA cracking jokes about Boston Celtics champions

Certain members of Team USA have been cracking jokes about the Boston Celtics championship winning trio.

Team USA has three members of the Boston Celtics championship-winning roster. Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Jayson Tatum are all part of Steve Kerr’s roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. All three of them played a significant part in helping Joe Mazzulla’s team hoist banner 18 at the end of last season.

However, having three newly crowned champions on one roster has likely led to some bragging or light-hearted joking within the roster. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant recently cracked some jokes at their teammate’s expense during a news conference. They noted how Jayson Tatum had been walking into a room and declaring that “the champ is here.”

During a recent episode of the “How ‘Bout Them Celtics” podcast, hosts Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance discussed the team chemistry on display during Team USA’s news conferences and how the trio of Celtics players have likely played a role.

You can watch the full episode by clicking on the embedded link above.

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Is team chemistry the Boston Celtics secret weapon?

Is the Boston Celtics elite team chemistry their secret weapon heading into next season?

Over the last 12 months, Brad Stevens has prioritized securing the long-term future of the Boston Celtics core rotation. He has extended Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard. A significant portion of those deals occurred during the opening weeks of the offseason.

The Celtics are clearly betting on their team chemistry and roster continuity as they seek back-to-back NBA championships. Boston was the most dominant team in the NBA last season and ended the playoffs, having held their opponents to under 100 points in 11 of their 19 outings.

During a recent appearance on “The Celtics Beat” podcast, Adam Himmelsbach of the “Boston Globe” joined the show to discuss the Celtics elite chemistry and whether that can help them secure another championship next season. The Celtics had consistently spoken of their close-knit locker room throughout their championship season.

You can watch the full discussion by clicking on the embedded video above.

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Is this version of Team USA the modern Dream Team?

Is this iteration of Team USA basketball as talented as the 1992 Dream Team?

The 2024 Paris Olympics are right around the corner. Team USA has sent an incredibly strong team to compete for a gold medal in basketball. The decision was made after a difficult FIBA World Cup showing, where the USA finished fourth after losing a third-place decider against Canada.

Superstars such as LeBron James, Steph Curry and Anthony Davis have traveled with Steve Kerr’s team this summer. The Boston Celtics have three representatives on the squad: Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. As such, this roster is arguably one of the strongest basketball rosters Team USA has ever taken to an international tournament. Even Joel Embiid joined the USA to get a chance to win a gold medal.

During a recent episode of the “Bob Ryan and Jeff Goodman Podcast,” the two hosts discuss whether this version of Team USA is as good, if not better, than the Dream Team of 1992. Of course, that debate may need to wait until after the Olympics before a genuine assertion can be made.

You can watch the full episode by clicking on the embedded video above.

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Substack: https://bit.ly/3WoA0Cf

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Boston Celtics receive an A grade for their offseason work so far

The Boston Celtics have favoured continuity during the opening weeks of the off-season, signing multiple players to new contracts.

The Boston Celtics entered the offseason as NBA champions. As a second apron luxury tax team, their ability to make moves was significantly limited. As such, Brad Stevens focused on securing the long-term future of the roster’s core rotation, inking Derrick White and Jayson Tatum to long-term extensions while bringing back Neemias Queta and Luke Kornet.

Sam Hauser is expected to sign a contract extension with the franchise in the near future. As such, the majority of Boston’s roster spots are accounted for, leaving little work to be done in rounding out the gaps toward the backend of the bench.

In a recent episode of ESPN’s “Get Up,” cap expert Bobby Marks discussed why he would give the Celtics an A grade for their work this summer, noting how Stevens has favored continuity rather than trying to build on something that was already incredibly successful.

You can watch the full episode by clicking on the embedded link above.

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Substack: https://bit.ly/3WoA0Cf

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Why Team USA replacing Kawhi Leonard with Derrick White over Jaylen Brown makes sense

While Brown is the better player, White fills a role better for Team USA, because he is willing to do the dirty work.

The US National Team electing to bring on Boston Celtics point guard Derrick White to replace injured Los Angeles Clippers veteran forward Kawhi Leonard instead of star Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was the right call to some NBA analysts. 

Among them, we can count Charles Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who recently sat down with the hosts of the CLNS Media “The Big Three NBA” podcast, A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, and Kwani Lunis, to talk over the decision by the US Olympic Team to select White with their final roster spot over Brown. While Jaylen Brown is the better player, Pompey argues that Derrick White fills a role better for Team USA, because he is willing to do the dirty work.

Check out the argument yourself in the clip embedded below.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

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Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

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YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Former Buff Derrick White joins US men’s basketball team ahead of Summer Olympics

Derrick White’s year keeps getting better

Now that Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard is officially ruled out for the 2024 Paris Olympics, former Colorado star Derrick White will take his spot on the U.S. men’s basketball team.

The Team USA nod is another mark of success in what has been the best year of White’s basketball career.  The 30-year-old guard posted a career season for the NBA champion Boston Celtics in his seventh year in the league, averaging 15.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists while remaining the best shot-blocking guard in the league. As a reward, the former Buff was named a potential replacement player for Leonard in mid-June before signing a large contract extension with the Celtics on July 1.

White’s selection will make him the third-ever CU men’s basketball alum to play for the U.S. men’s basketball team in the Summer Olympics, following in the steps of Burdette Haldorson and Bob Jeangerard. White also joins Boston teammates Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday on the stacked national team roster.

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Boston’s Derrick White will replace Kawhi Leonard on Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics

The Celtics will now have a total of three members of the 2024 title team playing to bring a gold medal home.

Champion Boston Celtics point guard Derrick White will replace veteran Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard on Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics after the latter withdrew from playing on the U.S. National Team on this past Wednesday (July 10).

In response to the news that the Celtics will now have a total of three members of the 2024 title team playing to bring a gold medal home, CLNS Media reporter Bobby Manning reacts to the addition of White to a loaded USA team. Will the Colorado native be the missing piece the U.S. National Team needs to put them over the top?

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what he had to say.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Chris Paul admitting he chose playing time with the Spurs over chasing a ring was refreshing to hear

Chris Paul still wants to play and contribute.

Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Prince J. Grimes.

Chris Paul’s fit on the San Antonio Spurs was obvious the first time it was ever mentioned the team might be interested in acquiring his services this offseason. What wasn’t always obvious was how the Spurs fit Paul’s own personal timeline.

At 39 years old, the only thing missing from Paul’s 19-year career is an NBA championship. So, most people assumed being able to compete for a title would be high on his list of priorities when choosing his next team.

As we found out when he signed with the Spurs last month, it wasn’t the most important factor.

Maybe it was his experience with the Golden State Warriors last season — coming off the bench for the first time in his career — or maybe it was injuries limiting him to just 58 games, but Paul said during his introductory press conference news Tuesday, he just wanted an opportunity to play.

In this era of ring-chasing, it was refreshing to hear.

“I love nothing more than the opportunity to play and contribute and hoop,” Paul said.

Surely, he could have take a minimum deal elsewhere — like the Los Angeles Lakers, who reportedly had interest — to join a team people might consider a more serious contender than the young Spurs. And there would have been absolutely nothing wrong with that. That’s what we ask of our athletes. To actually care about the same things us fans do, which is winning.

But Paul doesn’t want to win if it means riding the bench or doing the bare minimum. He’d rather be a significant contributor on a team with a promising future that may not be quite there yet (the Spurs are +15000 to win a championship at BetMGM). He’d rather help speed the progress of the potential next face of the NBA, Victor Wembanyama. He’d rather spend his time playing for another legend of the game, coach Gregg Popovich.

And I, for one, can’t wait to see what that trio does together.

Just because the Spurs might not be ready to compete for a championship doesn’t mean they can’t be better than anyone is expecting and push for the playoffs. Paul gives them a chance to do that if he has anything left in the tank. We saw him do it with the young Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019-20 and with the Phoenix Suns the following year.

For Paul, helping a young team overachieve seems to be more rewarding at this point in his career than doing the bare minimum on a team already stacked.


Kawhi Leonard out. Derrick White in.

(Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Kawhi Leonard withdrew from Team USA for the Paris Olympics, it was announced Wednesday, and though the news was hardly surprising, it’s not exactly what anyone wanted to hear.

The concept of the country’s best players coming together to take on the world is always fun — even if many of them are past their primes now — and that doesn’t exist without Leonard. When healthy, he’s easily one of the best players in the world.

Regardless, health has always been a part of his story, and as a result he’ll be replaced on the team by Derrick White of the NBA champion Boston Celtics. And if that sounds like a significant downgrade, it is. But then again, anyone would be.

That doesn’t make White any less the right pick for this team. And FTW’s Bryan Kalbrosky has three reasons why: White has prior experience with Team USA, he was already in the player pool of potential options for this team and he has the right style of game to fit alongside his more accomplished teammates.

Per dunksandthrees, the Boston guard finished 92nd percentile in Offensive Estimated Plus-Minues (oEPM) and 91st percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus (dEPM) last season.

It was the fourth season in a row he ranked in the 90th percentile or better in overall EPM. Yet he has accomplished all this while maintaining a low usage rate, which suggests he is able play well within his role next to ball-dominant teammates.

White doesn’t need the ball in his hands to make an impact and he can play in various different lineup styles. He also feels unlikely to complain if he has a smaller role or has minimal playing time, which may not be as true for some of the other players above.”

BK makes a solid argument for why White makes sense on this team.

Related: Jaylen Brown seems salty Derrick White was chosen over him


Shootaround

The NBA’s new broadcast deals are reportedly settled. Here’s Mike Sykes on what that may mean for TNT

Jayson Tatum, A’ja Wilson and Vince Carter are your NBA 2K25 cover athletes

Steph Curry mic’d up during Team USA practice was good stuff

We might have figured out why people were betting on Bronny James to be drafted No. 1 overall… and it kind of makes sense

Team USA chose Derrick White to replace Kawhi Leonard and Jaylen Brown seems salty about it

Jaylen Brown deserves a spot here

By all accounts, Jaylen Brown has had a pretty great summer so far. I don’t think there’s any debating that.

He won his first NBA championship with the Celtics and brought home the Finals MVP trophy. He also had an absolute blast at the championship parade. So much fun, in fact, that he actually lost a ring. And then some fans actually gave it back to him instead of holding it and pawning it or something.

RELATED: The Celtics actually might be a dynasty in the making

As good as his summer is going, though, he seems pretty salty right now. In a few weeks, Team USA’s basketball team will take off for the Olympics in France and, somehow, Brown won’t be there despite proving himself as one of the best players in the NBA.

He didn’t make the initial roster. It’s hard to argue he should’ve considering the number of future Hall of Famers are on the team. But then Kawhi Leonard dropped out, according to a statement from the team.

So, naturally, you’d think that Brown would be a natural fit to slide in and replace Leonard. They’re both wing players. They’re both excellent defenders. They both can score when needed. Brown is a much better athlete at this point, too.

But NOPE. Still, no Jaylen Brown. Instead, Team USA picked his Celtics’ teammate Derrick White over him.

Brown tweeted this shortly after the selection was reported and announced.

He doesn’t seem too pleased with being overlooked for this team again. It’s hard to blame him — he’s proven himself as one of the best players in the NBA.

Of course, part of him is probably happy for his teammate. And there were legitimate reasons to go with White here. But, man. But as an All-Star and a Finals MVP, that must be a tough pill to swallow.

Celtics camp is going to be pretty interesting this summer.