Celtics season preview: It's championship or bust for this special group

BOSTON -- As we head into another season of Celtics basketball, one thing is crystal clear this year: It's championship or bust for Boston.

That's the mantra of the players, the coaches, the front office and owners, and especially the fans. There is no "yeah, but" with the Celtics. Anything less than a title will not be acceptable. 

And that is what makes this group potentially special. The Celtics have an absurd amount of talent and the right mindset to go out and dominate the rest of the NBA for the next eight-plus months. The hype surrounding this team is as jacked up as it's been since Kevin Garnett came to town.

There was no KG to be had this offseason, but Brad Stevens did not sit around after last season ended in disappointing fashion with a loss in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on the TD Garden floor. Stevens went out and revamped the Boston roster, surrounding Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown with some legitimate star power. He made massive moves to address some key areas of need, swapping out Marcus Smart for the size and versatility of Kristaps Porzingis. He then found the perfect Smart replacement in Jrue Holiday. Stevens also made sure that Joe Mazzulla has no shortage of viable assistants by his side this year, bulking up the head coach's staff with big-name assistants and (likely) future head coaches. 

Stevens has built these Celtics to win it all, and win it all now. All that's left is for Mazz and his players to go out and actually do it. This group seems like they can get it done -- and be a lot of fun to watch in the process.

Tatum and Brown are entering their prime and seem ready to get over the hump. Porzinigis is now in the best situation of his career. Holiday brings a ring into the locker room. There are no more excuses. Just going to the NBA Finals would be unacceptable. Being sent home earlier than the final stage will be a total failure.

The Celtics have been knocking on the door of a championship for the last few years. It's time they kicked that door down and brought home the bacon.

We're a long ways away from finding out whether or not these Celtics have what it takes to be champions, but they certainly seem fully capable of destroying the rest of the league and bringing the first NBA title to Boston in over 15 years. Here are the storylines we'll be locked into throughout the campaign, which will hopefully end with a parade come mid-June.

Do the Celtics have the best lineup in the NBA?

The argument is certainly there. Just adding Porzingis to Tatum and Brown was a strong push upward in the talent department, and then Holiday fell on the Celtics' laps in late September. Add in Derrick White and Boston has an embarrassment of riches in the starting five, full of gifted offensive players and versatile defenders. 

Tatum and Brown are still the top dogs, but then opposing teams will have to decide if they want to focus their attention on either Porzingis, Holiday, or White. That's pure nightmare fuel for opposing coaches. In what reality should Derrick White be a fifth option? But that is the royal flush that Mazzula can play every night.

As for the rest of the group, Al Horford, now 37, will mostly come off the bench. But he could also log some starts when Mazzulla opts for a double-big lineup against certain matchups. The Sixth Man of the Year is no longer around in Malcolm Brogdon, but Payton Pritchard is now in line for that huge role that he's been begging for. 

The rest of the depth is a bit of a concern, but if Boston's top talent plays as good as they should, the Celtics will have the best roster in the league. The defending champion Nuggets, the Milwaukee Bucks now with Damian Lillard, and the Phoenix Suns have an argument, but the Celtics, right now at least, feel like they have the best collection of the bunch.  

How soon will it all mesh?

It shouldn't take long. At least not offensively. These are all professional scorers and they're all at the height of their game or close to it. Porzingis looked great in his preseason action, enjoying all that open space created by the Jays. It also shouldn't take very long for Holiday to slide right in as the quarterback on offense.

Defensively, the Celtics may be a work in progress for a bit. They lost a lot of grit with the departures of Smart and Grant Williams, so someone is going to have to step up when it comes to taking charges and clogging lanes. Last year's team didn't become a great defensive club until later in the season, and this year's squad may take a similar path. 

But when they get there, look out. If they can develop offensive chemistry early, the Celtics are going to bulldoze teams during the regular season. If their defense whips into shape earlier than last year, the Celtics will be firing on all cylinders when the postseason arrives.

Is Tatum finally ready to be an MVP?

It's at this point every year that we point out that Tatum gets better every season. Because he does get better every season. And with the 25-year-old putting in a lot of work to get better in the post with new assistant Sam Cassell, Tatum could be ready to unlock a whole new element of his game. 

He was a stud last year, averaging over 30 points off 47/35 shooting splits, and should be an even bigger stud in his seventh NBA season. He'll have less pressure with all the talent around him, and with defenses having to lock onto others, it could open things up even more for Tatum. Another leap in his game could follow.  

Tatum finished fourth in MVP voting last season and enters this year with the fourth-highest odds to win the award. It's hard to beat out the likes of Jokic, Giannis, and Embiid, but Tatum will be right in the mix if he continues his career ascension.  

What won't Porzingis be able to do for this team?

(Don't say play a full season, you wisenheimers.) 

The Unicorn is going to do a lot of everything for the Celtics. For starters, he's going to get a ton of open looks. He's going to hit a lot of those open looks. He's going to make the defense pay for those open looks, and soon enough, those open looks will move to others on the floor.

Porzingis is going to create a ridiculous amount of space for the Celtics on the offensive end. He's going to find himself open at all levels, and he's fully capable of hitting those open shots. He's also a pretty solid passer and a smart screen-setter. He's basically going to make life a lot easier on Tatum and Brown.

Defensively, Porzinigis is also a pretty solid rebounder and good rim protector. He's no Rob Williams, but Porzingis is good for a block or two per game, especially as a weak-side defender.

It will be fun to see the many different ways that Mazzulla utilizes Porzingisis' multi-faceted skillset.

Can they handle the hype?

Boston is either favored or the co-favorite to win it all in most sports books, and is being pegged to win anywhere from 55-60 games during the regular season. Those are some lofty expectations to live up to, and don't be surprised if the C's fall short in the wins department.

They'll still compete for the 1-seed in the East, but that probably won't be their focus. Building chemistry is key early on, and it may take some time for the defense to get to its best level. 

Winning it all is the goal, period. And that will matter more than whether or not the Celtics win 60 games during the regular season and finish as the 1-seed. Having everyone healthy and rested for the playoffs will be more important.

Can they win when they're not hitting 3s?

We all know that Mazzulla loves the three-ball. It's at an almost unhealthy level. And today's NBA players don't mind hoisting up a bunch of threes.

Last year's Celtics almost felt like two different teams. There were the Celtics who hit their threes, winning 31 of the 32 games that they hit 40 percent from downtown, and nearly set a new NBA record for offensive rating. And then there were the Celtics who didn't hit their threes, and went just 26-24 when shooting under 40 percent from three.

Mazzulla admitted after Boston was eliminated that the Celtics had to become more multifaceted and not just reliant on the longball falling. They should have a much better presence inside this season, but they're still going to shoot a lot of threes. Hopefully this year's squad can figure out ways to win when those three-point bids don't fall.

Can they finally clean up the offensive glass?

The Celtics have a seasonal allergy for offensive rebounding. They ranked 27th in the NBA on the offensive glass last season. 

Maybe Porzingis can help in that department (he's averaged nearly two offensive board per game for his career), and if not directly then indirectly. If he's boxing out or being boxed out, it could leave the juicy offensive rebounds for someone else. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday seem like the prime candidates to benefit the most from this.

Injuries remain the biggest concern

It seems like only injuries could stop this team. Porzingis' injury history is well-documented, and the Celtics are counting on him to play a full regular season (or close to it) and make a deep playoff run for the first time in his 10-year career. Age (and mileage) is a concern for both Horford and Holiday (33). And we don't want to jinx anything when it comes to the healthy careers of Tatum and Brown.

The Celtics could maybe -- maybe -- overcome an injury here and there. But the depth is a big concern, so anything long term to one of their stars (any of the five of them) could really put a damper on all the good feelings surrounding this team.

Will the C's stop turning the ball over in the biggest moments? 

Tatum and Brown were handling the ball a lot in the high-pressure moments, and it didn't always work out well for Boston. It usually ended with Tatum getting swarmed and turning the ball over or Brown dribbling it out of bounds or right to a defender. Boston also traded its best passer in Smart. 

The Celtics weren't great in close games and quite often dribbled potential wins right off their foot. Holiday should help in this department and create shots for others, and White could also potentially dish out the ball in late-game situations. 

But it's going to end up in Tatum or Brown's hands one way or another, and those two have to really make sure it goes into the hoop or to the open man. Until the Celtics prove otherwise, we're still going to have big questions about their execution in gotta-have-it moments.

Who will play the biggest role off the bench?

Chances are the Celtics won't have the Sixth Man of the Year this season, but Payton Pritchard is primed for a breakout campaign. He'll be the first guard off the bench and get to run the show for large stretches, and continue to let them fly from downtown.

Sam Hauser is also in line for a much bigger role off the pine. He'll have to provide a ton of energy and also hit open shots. 

Rookie Jordan Walsh will also bring a lot of energy on the wing, but he's super raw and will need time to develop. Oshae Brissett will likely be the wing off the bench early in the season, and will have a chance to really carve out a nice role.

Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta will get big minutes as the bigs off the pine, but don't be surprised at an early than usual trade to address this area if needed.

Mazzulla in Year 2 -- with a real staff!

Mazzulla not only had the head coaching job thrown at him a few days before the season, he also had to navigate his first year as head honcho on the bench without much of a supporting staff. Then he lost his top assistant midseason when Damon Stoudamire left for Georgia Tech. 

Mazzulla clearly needed some help, so Stevens went out and added some huge names to the staff. Sam Cassell and Charles Lee will be running their own teams sometime in the near future. Amile Jefferson spent the last two seasons at Duke and is a good buddy of Tatum's. And Jeff Van Gundy is bringing his decades worth of knowledge as a senior consultant to both Boston and the Maine Celtics.

There may be a lot of cooks in the kitchen, but everyone is (seemingly) working toward the same goal. After Mazzulla was left to swim on his own last season, it should be a much better operation -- and Mazzulla should be a little nicer in his postgame press conferences -- this year. 

The rest of the best in the East

The Bucks with Dame next to Giannis is scary. (But so is Khris Middleton's injury potential.)  After the C's and the Bucks, it's a jumble in the East. 

The Cavaliers should be better with a year of experience together and will be a tough out in the playoffs. They could take advantage and climb to the 2-seed if either the C's or the Bucks focus on health more than regular-season wins. The Knicks are also better, and while the Sixers are an absolute dumpster fire, they still have high-end talent. (For now, barring an Embiid trade.) And the Miami Heat seem destined to take a step back, but they always find a way to muscle their way into the conversation. Jimmy Butler simply will not let that team's title hopes die.

The West is all about the Nuggets, the Suns, and the Lakers. Bring 'em on, we say.

In-Season Tournament and other awards

What if the Celtics win two titles this season? Yes, TWO titles.

Boston has a very favorable group in the first-ever in-season tournament, drawing Brooklyn, Toronto, Chicago, and Orlando, and shouldn't have a problem earning a trip out to Vegas. And winning the in-season tournament would send a nice message to the rest of the league, on top of the $500,000 it would put in everyone's pocket. 

In terms of individual awards, the Celtics have the potential to send three players -- Tatum, Brown, and Porzingis -- to the All-Star Game. If all goes well by season's end, Stevens is a shoo-in for for Executive of the Year. Tatum will garner MVP attention, and White should get plenty of All-Defensive love as well.

Again, none of that will matter if the Celtics don't bring home a title. But there is a plethora of talent on the roster, and that will earn the C's a lot of attention and accolades throughout the season.

Prediction time

Banner 18 incoming! 

The Celtics win the in-season tournament and finish the regular season with 58 wins to claim the 1-seed in the East. They'll match up with the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals and send them home in six games, before sealing the deal against the Suns in the NBA Finals.

Now let's just enjoy the ride. We're going to need something great to get us through another winter.