Celtics
“You got Jayson (Tatum) and Jaylen (Brown), they’re two of the 10 best players in the world. They’re young.”
Oddsmakers have already tabbed the Celtics as overwhelming favorites to repeat as NBA champions during the 2024-25 season.
But even before Boston validated that sentiment by blowing out the Knicks, 132-109, in its anticipated season opener on Tuesday, Charles Barkley had an even bolder proclamation about the Celtics.
The NBA Hall of Famer and TNT analyst doesn’t just believe that the Celtics are primed to become the first team to go back-to-back since the Golden State Warriors (2017-18). Rather, he believes that the construction of Boston’s roster should have them poised to contend for titles over the next decade.
“They’re gonna be favored, probably, the next five to seven years,” Barkley said on TNT’s “Inside The NBA” ahead of Tuesday’s season opener. “They are going to be favored to win the championship.
“You got Jayson (Tatum) and Jaylen (Brown), they’re two of the 10 best players in the world. They’re young. Derrick White’s young, (Kristaps) Porzingis is young. They’re gonna be the favorites.”
After securing their sought-after 18th championship in June, the Celtics could be even better in 2024-25. Even though both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have already established themselves as superstars in the NBA, both have room to grow at just 27 and 26 years old, respectively.
White just turned 30 years old in July, while Porzingis turned 29 in August. Of course, the Celtics will have to wrestle with the NBA’s salary cap and especially the repeater tax penalties looming on the horizon after doling out multiple hefty contract extensions over the last two summers.
But even if Boston’s roster might be in line for some cap-related retooling next summer, the Celtics should remain a title contender for however long both Tatum and Brown are leading the way on the court.
And even before Boston closed out its lopsided win over New York, Barkley was impressed with what he saw from the Celtics’ motivated superstars on the parquet floor.
“This is what I like seeing from the Celtics,” Barkley said during TNT’s halftime show. “If I’m Jayson Tatum, I am pissed off at what happened during the Olympics. And I am coming in like, ‘Oh, y’all think I ain’t good enough to play in the Olympics? We just won a championship.’ Same thing with Jaylen Brown. … He should have been (on the Olympic team)”.
Following Boston’s win, Barkley once again praised the Celtics and their ability to dominate the Knicks without a key cog on the court in Porzingis.
“The Celtics didn’t even have Porzingis tonight,” Barkley noted. “The two biggest questions in the East is, ‘Can the Knicks rise up?’ [and] ‘Can the Sixers rise up?’ … The Celtics are not going to ever play bad, most of the time.
“They might go a night where they don’t shoot the ball well. You’re going to have to get better if you’re Philadelphia or New York … You’re gonna have to raise your level if you’re going to beat the Celtics.”
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