The Boston Celtics didn’t get much respect in this year’s NBA App GM Survey. The league’s 30 CEOs have voiced their thoughts on the upcoming season, answering 50 questions related to individual and team honors, off-season moves and various other predictions.
It’s a fun way to kick off the 2022-23 season, which kicks off on October 18th. The Celtics, fresh from their first final appearance since 2010, have high expectations, but it doesn’t seem like many of the CEOs feel the same way.
The NBA GMs believe the Boston Celtics will not win the championship
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Celtics are the betting favorites to win the 2023 NBA title at +600. NBA CEOs don’t see it that way.
In the poll, 43% of GMs have the Milwaukee Bucks win the championship. They don’t even have the Celtics second or third. The Golden State Warriors garnered 25% of the vote, while the Los Angeles Clippers received 21%. The Celtics received the fourth highest percentage of votes with 11%.
The Bucks also got 72% of the vote for winning the Eastern Conference. Boston got 21%, while the Brooklyn Nets had 7%.
Jayson Tatum was not in contention when it came to predicting the championship MVP. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was the favorite with 48% of the vote. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo got 34%. Philadelphia 76ers great man Joel Embiid had 14% of the vote and Stephen Curry of the Warriors 3%.
Tatum, however, came second behind Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets when he came to the league’s best small forward. Durant got 45% of the votes. Tatum had 24%.
When it came to the player most likely to have a successful season, no Celtics player was in the running. Thirteen players received votes, with Cleveland’s Evan Mobley leading with 21%.
Things have gotten weird for the Celtics on the defensive side of the ball
It’s understandable why the GMs would have had questions about the Celtics, despite their great result last season. Center Robert Williams will miss the first two months or so after undergoing knee surgery. Newcomer Danilo Gallinari, called to help a wobbly bench, tore up the ACL in Italy this summer. The biggest news, however, is the loss of manager Ime Udoka.
The Celtics suspended Udoka for the entire season for violating the team’s guidelines. The suspension stems from a relationship he had with a staff member. Last year, the Celtics struggled early under Udoka, going 25-25 in their first 50 games. They ended the regular season by winning 26 of the 32 games.
One of the main reasons for the turnaround was their defensive effort. The Celtics were one of the best defensive teams in the league, with veteran guard Marcus Smart taking the title of Defender of the Year.
In the poll, eight players got votes for the best defender in the NBA. None of them went to a Celtics player. Antetokounmpo (48%), Draymond Green (24%) and Rudy Gobert (10%) were the most voted. Others who received votes were Ben Simmons, Bam Adebayo, Jrue Holiday, Kawhi Leonard and Andrew Wiggins. Smart and Williams, one of the best blockers in the league, were left out.
Despite not having any DPOY votes, the poll saw the Celtics as the best defensive team, garnering 69% of the vote. Golden State was second with 10%. Smart was also named the league’s best perimeter defender.
The Celtics only made noise in two other categories. Malcolm Brogdon was the most underrated player acquisition (28%) and the Celtics finished second to the Toronto Raptors when it came to the team with the biggest home field advantage.
The Celtics didn’t get much love in the 50-question poll. While Las Vegas may have a very good opinion of Boston, it seems most GMs disagree.
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