Early Vibe Check, Plus Harden Trade Thoughts
Being 3-0 is obviously better than the alternative. Obviously. Usually though, there are things to nitpick, things that even in a win I really don't like, that give me bad vibes. Things that I'm watching heading into the next game. After these first three games, I don't really have any such concerns. This Celtics team not only is terrifying on paper, but they are already meshing super well.
Before the Jrue Holiday trade, I was convinced this was a 60-win team. I remain even more convinced of that after the first three games. In the first game, they survived a late Knicks rally where Immanuel Quickley went nuclear. That happened last year, and they didn't survive it. Then they overcame a hot start by the Heat, maintained their composure, and got back in the game before things spiraled.
Most important to me is that they came out and absolutely throttled Washington last night. A hallmark of recent Celtics teams has been playing down to the competition. No team goes 82-0, but the C's have a habit of making things harder on themselves. See the March 13th loss in Houston, or the March 28th loss in Washington. Even in the games the C's would win against clearly inferior competition, they often made it harder on themselves. Not last night. They got a huge lead and held it through three quarters to get their starters an early rest.
The only major worry after the first game was how would Jaylen Brown fit in, as he forced things against the Knicks and made the game harder than it needed to be. But by the end of the third game, you could see that he is going to fit just fine.
What gives me even more confidence is seeing how the team is starting to show different looks offensively. The back door cuts and dribble handoffs and pick and rolls from last year are all still there, but the first few games also saw plenty of post work with Kristaps Porzingis and Jayson Tatum. And then toward the end of the third quarter last night, Porzingis and Tatum worked together on a set play where Tatum cut to the middle of the floor and got a lightly contested that turned into a three-point play.
All of these offensive wrinkles tell me that the coaching is ready to level up along with the personnel. You know what else tells me that? Joe Mazzulla is no longer afraid to call time outs. Last night, in the second quarter, the Wizards put together two consecutive buckets to knock a 31-point Celtics lead down to 26, at 65-39. Last season, Mazzulla probably lets it slide, let the team play through a run. When he did that, often things got worse. Last night? Mazzulla nipped it in the bud, called time out, and the C's came back and ran off a quick eight-point run to get the lead back to 34 points. These are the adjustments and advances we need to see from Mazzulla. That he's making them already is very encouraging.
Thoughts on the James Harden Trade
On the one hand, the Philadelphia 76ers did about as well as they could have possibly done once the situation with James Harden deteriorated. They got four guys who are capable of playing real NBA minutes, plus draft capital. That's not too shabby for a guy who didn't want to play for you, and was likely to make things difficult for the team. Getting out from under him and turning the page will be beneficial in and of itself.
On the other hand, the Sixers basically gave away their chance to compete for a title this season. One of the touted big benefits is being lauded that in trading PJ Tucker, they now have more money coming off the books this summer. But that was never really going to be an issue. Tucker is one of the toughest dudes to ever lace them up, and a guy who's smart, tenacious play has helped swing multiple playoff games. Even in a diminished state, someone would have traded for him. I don't think that's even a question.
A second touted benefit of the deal is the draft picks. There are many who are saying the 2026 LA Clippers first-round pick acquired in the deal could be valuable, because the Clippers will likely be bad then. But that supposes a future where Clippers owner Steve Ballmer decides to tank. Why would anyone think that's coming? The Clippers haven't been a sub-.500 team since Ballmer bought the team, he's opening up a new arena, and is reportedly the fifth-richest person alive. I have sincere doubts about any of his Clippers teams tanking and being so bad as to make their draft picks valuable.
A third touted benefit is that it gives the Sixers the chance to make a deal for a third star this season or in the offseason. Maybe in the offseason, sure. A lot of things open up after each season. At this time last season, there was little suggestion that Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard, or Chris Paul would be on the move. But during the season? Why are the Bulls trading Zach LaVine for expiring contracts? Yes, the Sixers retained a couple of first-round picks. But if that's the only value, the Sixers' stockpile pales in comparison to that of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz, to say nothing of the New York Knicks and other teams that have all of their own first-round picks. The same is true of Pascal Siakam or DeMar DeRozan. They're already expiring contracts. Teams dealing away other star players inevitably want a young player with star upside in return, not expiring contracts. While it's unwise to bet against Daryl Morey, the Sixers really don't have that guy to dangle, at least not as currently constructed. Other than Tyrese Maxey of course.
In terms of the players the Sixers did acquire – Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, Kenyon Martin Jr., and Marcus Morris Sr. – none of them move the needle when it really counts. Getting these guys deepens the Sixers rotation and will raise their floor in the regular season. The Sixers now have the tools to finish in the top six (my early pick to drop out of the top six would be Cleveland, as the Cavs look dreadful so far). But when the chips are down, none of these guys can go get their own bucket, none of them are going to go out and win you a playoff game. James Harden, for all of his plentiful warts, led the NBA in assists last season, helped put Joel Embiid in position to win an MVP, and won the Sixers two games against the C's in the spring essentially all on his own. The Sixers failed because Embiid wasn't capable of getting the other two himself. With this new group of guys, he's no closer to being able to do so.