The Boston Celtics are among the few teams in the NBA with legitimate championship aspirations heading into the 2023-24 season. They have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals two straight years, going 1-1. This season, they hope to get over the hump and bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to Beantown for the first time since 2008.
General manager Brad Stevens made some bold moves this offseason, shaking up the roster’s core. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown remain centerpieces, but the supporting cast has changed drastically.
Gone are Marcus Smart, Grant Williams, Robert Williams III, and Malcolm Brogdon. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday are replacing them, who were acquired in trades from the Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers.
While an argument can certainly be made that Holiday and Porzingis are the two best players of that bunch, the Celtics moved a lot of depth to acquire them. While the duo may be capable of replicating the production those four provided, they cannot replace that number of minutes.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Oshae Brissett & Boston Celtics Updates
Boston will need other players to step up and round out the rotation, along with Derrick White and Al Horford. In the opinion of John Schuhmann in the NBA.com season preview, the one player who must take a leap this season and help that group is Oshae Brissett.
Brissett has shown he can play rotation minutes in a previous stop with the Indiana Pacers. But his production hasn’t been near as good as it was during the 2020-21 season when he had career highs in points, rebounds, blocks, steals, and minutes played.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Oshae Brissett & Boston Celtics Updates
He remained a fixture in the Pacers’ rotation the following two seasons, but his production fell off a cliff. The Celtics need him to regain the form he showed during his second season in the NBA, as he will be an integral part of their rotation this upcoming season.
Counting on Al Horford and Porzingis to remain healthy for the entire campaign is a big ask. With such little depth in the frontcourt, Brissett could end up starting in games either one of those players misses.
