Previewing a Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics series that could decide the Eastern Conference
Raptors defense vs. Celtics offense
Last season, both the Celtics offense and the Raptors defense had their respective struggles. This year, each team is hoping the improvements they made in the offseason will have a considerable impact.
At the end of last season, the Boston Celtics ranked just 18th in offensive efficiency. A large part of their struggles came generating offense whenever Kyrie Irving wasn’t on the court.
When Irving was on the court, the Celtics averaged 109.6 points per 100 possession which would have ranked 8th in the NBA. When he was on the bench the team averaged just 100.8 points per 100 possessions, that would rank last in the entire NBA by a healthy margin.
The difference won’t be quite as drastic this season. Terry Rozier has become a legitimate offensive weapon, Jayson Tatum is a far better player than when he first entered the league, and most importantly, Gordon Hayward provides the offense with a legitimate first option to run through.
Without a stark drop-off and a likely improved offense when Irving is on the court, expect Boston to rank in the top-10 offensively.
Meanwhile, the Raptors finished with a top-five defense during the regular season last year, however, during the playoffs Toronto’s flaws were exposed.
During the regular season, Toronto was able to beat opponents by guarding the pick-and-roll with only two defenders and providing very little help from the weakside. In the playoffs, when teams had more time to gameplan offensively, those principles killed Toronto.
This year, under new head coach Nick Nurse, Toronto is expected to play a more aggressive scheme. How that scheme impacts the defense as a whole is yet to be seen.
Nurse will be given better personnel as the additions of Kawhi Leonard, and Danny Green give Toronto two more top-tier perimeter defenders to pair alongside OG Anunoby and Delon Wright.
It’s a good thing the Raptors added two more perimeter defenders because they will need them against the Celtics. With Irivng, Hayward, Tatum, and Jaylen Brown all starting on the perimeter, Boston can overwhelm most opponents with versatile, capable scorers.
They can overwhelm most opponents. However, there is no team in the NBA is more capable of covering all the Celtics different wing scorers than the Toronto Raptors. With Green, Leonard, and Anunoby on the court, Toronto doesn’t have a weak link to attack.
Perhaps the most interesting decision will be where Nick Nurse decides to place Kawhi Leonard. Anunoby and Green are solid, but Leonard is one of the greatest perimeter defenders of all-time. His presence can completely shut-down an opponent.
I’d expect Leonard to start on Hayward and quickly switch to whatever hot-hand develops early in the game. If needed, Leonard could* guard Irving for different stretches, although that feels more like an emergency adjustment rather than a gameplan.
How the Raptors matchup on the perimeter will be important, but the most significant deciding factor is how the team defends Al Horford. Horford matches the profile of a center JV tends to struggle with, and that is why he is our matchup to watch.