NBA legend Isiah Thomas firmly believes the Boston Celtics have what it takes to win it all in 2023-24, especially after the team traded for Kristaps Porzingis to form a legitimate Big 3 in Beantown.
Thomas shared that Porzingis could be the “missing piece” to get Boston over that championship hump. The team has been to the conference finals five times in the last seven seasons, making it all the way to the NBA Finals in 2021-22 where they only lost to the Golden State Warriors.
“Maybe Porzingis is the missing piece. They have all the pieces, and should be favored to win it all,” Thomas shared, via Sports Illustrated.
While the Celtics did lose Marcus Smart in the process, Thomas emphasized that they still have their main core in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown intact. With that said, the two-time NBA champion said that it would be a big surprise if they cannot snatch a title with the current roster they have.
“They did have to trade Marcus Smart, but the core of the team is still intact. The Celtics have been knocking on the door for so long. Think about the success Tatum and Brown have had at such young ages. Not many people have that type of success without winning a championship,” Thomas added. “They've been to four Eastern Conference Finals and one NBA Final. It's pretty remarkable that they've been knocking on the door for so long and they haven’t won it yet.”
Sure enough, there were plenty of concerns when the Celtics traded Smart in order to land Kristaps Porzingis. Smart was the heart and soul of Boston, and parting ways with someone who had a huge part in building their identity over the years comes with drawbacks.
But considering the fact that the Celtics were unable to win a title despite numerous tries, it's understandable why Boston felt the need for a change.
Hopefully Isiah Thomas is right and KP becomes a game-changer for the Celtics. It surely won't be an easy journey for them, though on paper, it's definitely not hard to see them as title contenders.
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