I see the foundation of a Championship team.
We have 2 top 15 3-level scorers, elite multi-position defenders, with substantial playoff experience including 2 ECFs together, and a part of the current #1 5-player lineup and #4 team defense. Flanked by Williams III, who’s become a dominant defensive presence, Smart as another elite multi-position defender, and Horford as the veteran QB, I see reason to be optimistic.
White will have to play well to replace Richardson’s production, but it won’t take much for him and Theis to get better results than the prior bench. Aside from being solid defenders and fitting in seamlessly, White and Theis will keep the moving, which is very important for the culture shift of this team.
Giannis/Bucks and Curry/Warriors didn’t get past the 2nd round until they were 26, but Tatum and Brown have plateaued? I don’t think so.