NBA GMs do not see Celtics as favorites to win NBA title

BOSTON -- Most sports books have the Boston Celtics as the favorites to win it all in 2023. But NBA GMs aren't as optimistic about the reigning Eastern Conference champs.

After an incredible second-half turnaround last regular season, the Celtics fell two wins short of a title in the playoffs, falling to the Golden State Warriors in six games in the NBA Finals. The core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Robert Williams -- along with veteran Al Horford -- are all back, and the offseason started off great with Brad Stevens trading for Malcolm Brogdon and signing Danilo Gallinari to bolster the Boston bench.

Things have taken a bit of a turn as of late, however. Gallinari has been lost for the season and it was recently announced that Williams will be sidelined for a few months after undergoing a knee procedure. Then there was the shocking year-long suspension of head coach Ime Udoka, leaving 34-year-old Joe Mazzullla to take over as a first-year head coach.

Still, with Tatum and Brown leading the way, with an improved bench, and with Boston possessing one of the league's best defenses, the Celtics remain the favorite to win it all. It just depends on who you ask.

NBA.com released the results of its annual GM survey on Tuesday, and NBA general managers aren't too high on the C's heading into the new season. When asked "Which team will win the 2023 NBA Finals?," nearly half picked the Milwaukee Bucks, who received 43 percent of the votes.

The Celtics don't even crack the top-3 when it comes to title favorites, with general managers putting the Golden State Warriors (25 percent) and the L.A. Clippers (21 percent) ahead of Boston. The Celtics are fourth on the list at just 11 percent.

It should be noted that NBA GMs were a little off last year, with 72 percent of them picking the Brooklyn Nets to win it all in 2022. After a tumultuous regular season, the Nets were swept in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the Celtics.

But it's easy to understand why so many folks are high on the Bucks. Milwaukee has one of the best players on the planet in Giannis Antetokounmpo, and will be getting Khris Middleton back in the lineup after he missed most of last postseason. Despite not having Middleton, Giannis and the Bucks took the Celtics to seven games in the second round of the playoffs.

The Warriors need no explanation. If Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are all healthy, the defending champs will be a formidable foe for any team once again. The success of the Clippers will rest on health as well, with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both returning from injuries.

If anything, though, this survey will make for some good bulletin board material in Boston. Milwaukee is the resounding favorite to win the East, with 72 percent of general managers picking the Bucks to win the conference. The Celtics are second at 21 percent, while Brooklyn (seven percent) is the only other team to receive votes to win the East.

Individually, the Celtics got a little love at least. Tatum was voted the second-best small forward in the NBA, receiving 24 percent of the votes, behind only Kevin Durant (45 percent). Brogdon was voted the "most underrated player acquisition" while Smart was voted the league's best perimeter defender.

And the Celtics have the NBA's best defense, according general managers, receiving a whopping 69 percent of the votes. The Warriors were second on that front at 10 percent, with the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks both receiving seven percent of the votes.

But that isn't enough to make Boston title favorites, at least when you ask general managers around the league. The Celtics will begin their quest to prove 89 percent of the NBA's GMs wrong on Oct. 18, when they tip off the NBA season against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden.