What player puts the Cs over the top

[wikkid1]

I believe they are already over the top.

As crazy as it sounds, I'm beginning to lean this way also.

A healthy Rob Williams has been a game changer this year .  He maybe the third piece and I’m leaning that way myself .    Because you subtract him and no amount of Bradley Beals can do what he does . Rob is a player this team has needed for a very very very long time.

Rob’s playing has grown by leaps and bounds (no pun intended).  If he can work on his mid-range jumper he’d be one of the most complete bigs in the league.  And I fully realize he doesn’t take many outside shots because he doesn’t need to but it would put the fear of God into other teams if they had to account for that.

[Goldstar88]

How about Payton Pritchard? Dudes been lights out the last 10 games shooting 53.7% from the field and 51.2% from 3pt. If he can give the C’s another scorer off the bench as a SG and let White run the point with the second unit, that could put the C’s over the top.  Pritchard and Grant are now both over 40% from 3pt this season.

[Atzar]

How about Payton Pritchard? Dudes been lights out the last 10 games shooting 53.7% from the field and 51.2% from 3pt. If he can give the C’s another scorer off the bench as a SG and let White run the point with the second unit, that could put the C’s over the top.  Pritchard and Grant are now both over 40% from 3pt this season.

Yeah, if Pritchard wants to keep hitting literally all of his threes then he's going to make an impact for us, haha. 

[Goldstar88]

How about Payton Pritchard? Dudes been lights out the last 10 games shooting 53.7% from the field and 51.2% from 3pt. If he can give the C’s another scorer off the bench as a SG and let White run the point with the second unit, that could put the C’s over the top.  Pritchard and Grant are now both over 40% from 3pt this season.

Yeah, if Pritchard wants to keep hitting literally all of his threes then he's going to make an impact for us, haha.

Obviously I don’t expect him to keep making them at that clip, but If he can shoot his season average of 40% from 3pt going into the playoffs, that would be huge. Let Grant and Payton space the floor for White and He will find the open man. Pritchards defense has looked much better, too. Seems like things finally clicked for him on both ends and it’s great to see. Now we just need that to happen to Nesmith as well.

[RPGenerate]

A Derrick White that can escape his shooting slump.

[gouki88]

How about Payton Pritchard? Dudes been lights out the last 10 games shooting 53.7% from the field and 51.2% from 3pt. If he can give the C’s another scorer off the bench as a SG and let White run the point with the second unit, that could put the C’s over the top.  Pritchard and Grant are now both over 40% from 3pt this season.

My man!

[Goldstar88]

How about Payton Pritchard? Dudes been lights out the last 10 games shooting 53.7% from the field and 51.2% from 3pt. If he can give the C’s another scorer off the bench as a SG and let White run the point with the second unit, that could put the C’s over the top.  Pritchard and Grant are now both over 40% from 3pt this season.

My man!

*Last 11 games

[tenn_smoothie]

Really good question. Red was always the best in the game at acquiring just the players a team needed to get over the title hump. Havlicek kept the 60's dynasty going, Paul Silas made the 70's group into a title team, Parrish and McHale were brought in to get us past the 76ers who had too much size for us in the 1980's ECF. Then we traded for Dennis Johnson '84 when we needed a little new blood and a big, defensive stopper in the backcourt - plus he had the perfect mentality to be a Celtic.

For me, this team needs three players to start winning titles - a playmaking point guard, a tough power forward who has an inside scoring game and a knock-down shooter. We need more than one addition. Those three coming off the bench to replace the current group that gets minimum minutes are what we need. We are too dependent on the first 8 and Ime is playing the starters into the ground.

Pritchard could develop into the shooter, but he is not at the level of prime Kyle Korver or JJ Reddick.
Horford is our current power forward, but is aging and does not bring the physicality we need to add inside.
A playmaking point guard is a desperate need and could be a starter.
Marcus Smart has 6th Man of the Year written all over him - if he was willing to accept the role.

[SparzWizard]

So, we still waitin' on the Bradley Beal sweepstakes?

[nickagneta]

Really good question. Red was always the best in the game at acquiring just the players a team needed to get over the title hump. Havlicek kept the 60's dynasty going, Paul Silas made the 70's group into a title team, Parrish and McHale were brought in to get us past the 76ers who had too much size for us in the 1980's ECF. Then we traded for Dennis Johnson '84 when we needed a little new blood and a big, defensive stopper in the backcourt - plus he had the perfect mentality to be a Celtic.

For me, this team needs three players to start winning titles - a playmaking point guard, a tough power forward who has an inside scoring game and a knock-down shooter. We need more than one addition. Those three coming off the bench to replace the current group that gets minimum minutes are what we need. We are too dependent on the first 8 and Ime is playing the starters into the ground.

Pritchard could develop into the shooter, but he is not at the level of prime Kyle Korver or JJ Reddick.
Horford is our current power forward, but is aging and does not bring the physicality we need to add inside.
A playmaking point guard is a desperate need and could be a starter.
Marcus Smart has 6th Man of the Year written all over him - if he was willing to accept the role.

The idea that people think this team is 3 players away from being able to win titles is hard to imagine given the absolute dominance this team has show for the last 30% of the season.

The Celtics as currently constructed can win it all. They are the best team in the league RIGHT NOW!

[gouki88]

Really good question. Red was always the best in the game at acquiring just the players a team needed to get over the title hump. Havlicek kept the 60's dynasty going, Paul Silas made the 70's group into a title team, Parrish and McHale were brought in to get us past the 76ers who had too much size for us in the 1980's ECF. Then we traded for Dennis Johnson '84 when we needed a little new blood and a big, defensive stopper in the backcourt - plus he had the perfect mentality to be a Celtic.

For me, this team needs three players to start winning titles - a playmaking point guard, a tough power forward who has an inside scoring game and a knock-down shooter. We need more than one addition. Those three coming off the bench to replace the current group that gets minimum minutes are what we need. We are too dependent on the first 8 and Ime is playing the starters into the ground.

Pritchard could develop into the shooter, but he is not at the level of prime Kyle Korver or JJ Reddick.
Horford is our current power forward, but is aging and does not bring the physicality we need to add inside.
A playmaking point guard is a desperate need and could be a starter.
Marcus Smart has 6th Man of the Year written all over him - if he was willing to accept the role.

I can't believe someone thinks the best team in the NBA is 3 players away from winning a title. Let alone a Celtics fan talking about the Celitcs!

For the last time, we do not need a playmaking point guard. Smart since Feb has been elite as our point guard - efficient, good shooting, DPOY calibre defence and good playmaking. Tatum is averaging 5 assists since Feb, and all of Horford, Brown and Williams III provide above average positional passing. Our passing is not at all an issue.

Since the trade deadline Payton Pritchard has been shooting around 45% (which is right about what JJ and Korver were doing at their best), and is essentially our Patty Mills.

To imply our team needs more physicality just plain confuses me. We are currently dominating teams physically on both ends of the floor, and Horford's defensive versatility is a crucial element of that - trying to replace him with some bruiser PF (who do you have in mind?) would completely take away from that and make the team worse.

[Atzar]

What tough interior PFs even exist in the league at this point?  I feel like that's largely a dead player archetype outside of perhaps a half-dozen players.  Not sure why you would consider that to be one of your major team needs. 

I would argue that with Horford and Grant (or Robert and Grant, depending on your view of our starters' positional roles - I don't care to argue the semantics), our physicality at the 4 is better than the vast majority of NBA teams as it currently stands.

[nickagneta]

What tough interior PFs even exist in the league at this point?  I feel like that's largely a dead player archetype outside of perhaps a half-dozen players.  Not sure why you would consider that to be one of your major team needs. 

I would argue that with Horford and Grant (or Robert and Grant, depending on your view of our starters' positional roles - I don't care to argue the semantics), our physicality at the 4 is better than the vast majority of NBA teams as it currently stands.

Well there's Giannis. Then there's .....ummmm....there's.......ummmm.....well.....well there's Giannis!

[pokeKingCurtis]

What tough interior PFs even exist in the league at this point?  I feel like that's largely a dead player archetype outside of perhaps a half-dozen players.  Not sure why you would consider that to be one of your major team needs. 

I would argue that with Horford and Grant (or Robert and Grant, depending on your view of our starters' positional roles - I don't care to argue the semantics), our physicality at the 4 is better than the vast majority of NBA teams as it currently stands.

Well there's Giannis. Then there's .....ummmm....there's.......ummmm.....well.....well there's Giannis!

Maybe all the crappy ones the Knicks have. Taj Gibson and Bobby Portis and Obi Toppin. And Julius Randle, the only good one.

[gouki88]

What tough interior PFs even exist in the league at this point?  I feel like that's largely a dead player archetype outside of perhaps a half-dozen players.  Not sure why you would consider that to be one of your major team needs. 

I would argue that with Horford and Grant (or Robert and Grant, depending on your view of our starters' positional roles - I don't care to argue the semantics), our physicality at the 4 is better than the vast majority of NBA teams as it currently stands.

Well there's Giannis. Then there's .....ummmm....there's.......ummmm.....well.....well there's Giannis!

Maybe all the crappy ones the Knicks have. Taj Gibson and Bobby Portis and Obi Toppin. And Julius Randle, the only good one.

Bobby Portis a) plays for Milwaukee and b) shoots over 40% from 3. He's been awesome for Milwaukee this season in Lopez's absence