The Boston Celtics were arguably the best team left in the 2023 NBA Playoffs after the early elimination of the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite their hurdles in the first two rounds, the Celtics were still able to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, but most of their weaknesses were exposed by the Miami Heat. Some of the glaring ones were the lack of effort and grit in Game 7, and the inability to execute their offense during clutch situations.
It is the same old issues with the Celtics, and they will need to rectify those holes in the offseason. With Chris Paul likely to leave the Phoenix Suns in the next couple of weeks, the Celtics may consider acquiring him to have a veteran floor general complement the star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Paul will bring the much needed leadership and stability to the organization that has been struggling to find the perfect point guard for their roster.
When it is finalized that Paul will be waived by the Suns, the Celtics must not think twice and recruit Paul to Boston.
Chris Paul: Stabilizer & proven leader
The Celtics had three talented point guards in their disposal this year, namely Marcus Smart, Derrick White, and Malcolm Brogdon. All three individuals had fantastic years, but some of them were missing at key stretches in the postseason. Brogdon had an elbow injury bothering him in the Heat series, while Smart was a non-factor in several games of the series.
With Tatum and Brown as the head of the snake, they need someone like CP3 who does not need to score to be a massive force on the court. Even at 38-years old, Paul might be the missing piece to the championship puzzle of the Celtics. Since he is in the final stretch of his career, he may decide to opt for a lower salary but a better chance of winning the chip.
Even if Paul has a plethora of doubters because of his disastrous playoff losses, the tide will change in a city known for championships. Unlike Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, the duo of Tatum and Brown lack the connector that will make them complement each other, so Chris Paul is the key to the door.
Celtics rely on outside shooting
With new head coach Joe Mazzulla, he relies a ton on his offensive schemes compared to previous coach Ime Udoka. It can come back to bite them like how they lost Game 7 and failed to score past 90 points in 48 minutes. Since Tatum got injured and Brown was coughing up the rock, they did not have a shot creator who can relax the offense and guarantee a couple of buckets despite the major lulls in their offense.
The shots were not falling, but it was also the quality of shots that were difficult to muster for the Celtics fanbase. Chris Paul's incredible basketball IQ and impeccable court awareness will mitigate that issue because he always puts his teammates in the best position to score. Taking into account his stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder, they were not the most talented squad, but they advanced to the playoffs because of Paul's unselfishness and playmaking prowess.
As Paul starts to unlock the tendencies and habits of the Celtics' guys, they will be more confident in nailing their outside shots and finding the open spots on the floor. Moreover, the enormous space Paul will create for his teammates means it will consistently expand the driving lane of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
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