The Boston Celtics have seven players under the NBA's COVID-19 protocol right now, but at full strength, they're built to reach the NBA finals. Without Kimber Walker for the first three weeks of the season, the Celts have gotten off to a seven and three start, have won four straight games, and are tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the first seed in the Eastern Conference. Last playoffs, Boston knocked off their division rival in my Toronto Raptors, with Jason Tatum raising his game throughout that entire playoffs to solidify himself as a superstar in the league. The man absolutely broke out, and it was really fun to see him develop and take that next step into the player we all knew he could become. Tatum raised both his scoring and rebounding from the regular season, like a true number one option would. As he broke out to average 26 points, 10 boards, and five dimes. His co-star, Jalen Brown, pitched in 22 and 8 in the postseason, Kimber struggled with his three-point shot, but was still the team's third 20 point score. Boston came up two in short of taking on the Lakers for the title, with two of their conference finals losses to Miami being within five points. But a loss is a loss regardless of the score, and the 2020 Celts were taken care of by the heat, playing simple. So what's changed since then you might ask? Person L-wise, aside from the addition of Tristan Thompson and the 26th overall pick, Peyton Pritchard, Boston has a fairly similar roster, which isn't a bad thing at all. The mix of Jalen Brown's improvement, the unlimited shock rating this team's going to have once Kimber returns, and the undervalued depth surrounding all of that star power, that all makes this seize a legitimate 2021 title contender. I'll go in depth on all of that and more next, but for breakdowns like this, as well as the occasional ranking video every day around 9pm Eastern, be sure to leave a thumbs up. That's the best way to help this video reach more people. Also subscribe to stay tuned if you haven't already. Jalen Brown stepping up into a superstar so far in his fifth NBA season, sees averaging a career high by far 26 points per game. Additionally, his field goal and three point percentage are at the most efficient level they've ever been at. And when you look at Brown stats throughout the first half decade of his career, you start to ask yourself, what's the cap on his ceiling? Because aside from the 2018-19 season, which Brown seemed to learn a lot from, that was a year where he didn't get along with Kyrie and there was generally a lot of drama surrounding the Celtics. But that year was just a stint in his development. Other than that, he's annually increased his scoring in the NBA. Jalen's gone from a role player taking five shots of game, averaging six points to debatably Boston's best player in 2021. But it's never been about who's better between Brown and Tatum because despite how talented these two wings both are, they've proved throughout their time playing under Brad Stevens that their egos are the opposite of inflated. Jalen Brown's voice off the court has been inspirational and much needed throughout the entirety of the 2020 season. But specifically how Jalen and Jalen address the US capital storming recently, show a lot of compassion and intelligence. I recommend you watch that on your own time. However, the fact that Jalen and Jalen haven't been afraid to express their views just goes to show the natural leaders both these guys are. When you look at the Celtics roster, the non-Seltic viewers going to say, they don't have enough around Brown and Tatum. That's a point I'm about to address. I'll get to the depth of the squad in a second, but with Kemba about to return and be the blatant third option because of Jalen's development, I think Walker's going to shoot much better than 31% from beyond the arc in the 2021 playoffs. And he's going to be a lot more comfortable with less pressure on him, but now on to the Celtics depth, which I think is completely underrated. Marcus Smart is an elite 3-in-D player when he finds his rhythm. And in the 2020 playoffs run, he proved that his shot-making can be the X factor. In the second round against the Raptors, he had three games of scoring at least 19 points, and he consistently hit big-time shots to bail the Celtics out. On the other end, he's one of the best perimeter defenders in the league with both his pesky on-ball defense and quick revitations. When the game comes down to your top players and the playoffs, and with how many generationally great back court players there are in the NBA today, you need defenders who can lock up guards and Marcus Smart's maybe the best option to do that in the league. Smart's presence makes it so Kenba doesn't have to guard point guards, saving Walker's energy, and you can hide Kenba on a shooter. And I know Smart's lateral quickness and peskiness and his general reputation defensively. That does get the respect that deserves, but I think the potential of the offensive player he can be is overlooked. I'll preface my breakdown for the rest of Boston's role players by saying this. To handle the brunt of the scoring and create offense for everyone, Boston has three elite shot creators at the top of their roster, two in which that have become top six players in the Eastern Conference. Brown and Tatum are the perfect scoring combo for the modern ring dominant NBA, two guys who've been natural bucket yet as their entire life, and they're finding their place amongst the NBA's best talent. Point being that 80% of the scoring is already taken care of for Boston, and they just need players to chip in and who are capable of stepping up to the moment. Kenba's backup Jeff T. He has been an all star in his career. And even though he's passed his prime, he does provide the Celtics with another ball handler, and he's a spot-up shooter with a ton of experience. Semi-Ozule shot over 40% from three point range. He can hit momentum swing shots while also being a solid wing defender on the other end. Meanwhile up front, I think that the Celtics big man depth is something that doesn't get brought up enough, doesn't get enough respect. Daniel Tyson is an amazing rotational defender. He's got some solid touch with his finishing. Robert Williams is an up and coming 23 year old with a ton of explosiveness. Tristan Thompson's one of the greatest offensive rebounders in history, and is currently ninth best in that area this season. Of course, there's also the fan favorite Taco Fall. But despite Tristan Thompson's lack of polished offensive weapons, his presence on the glass has already contributed to a championship. So the depth of this roster is overlooked underrated. I think people should bring this up more with the Celtics. Saving the most intriguing Boston role player for last, there's the shocking NBA ready rookie Peyton Pritchard and Rookie's art typically players you can trust to provide much come the pressure of the post season. But Pritchard's early production with Walker missing from the lineup has proved that he's built for the moment. Pritchard's quickness and multifaceted scoring repertoire make him a weapon for the Celts against any type of defense. He's shooting 52% from the field and 42% from three point range. I'll be at averaging only nine points on six shots per game. But right now his shooting line is at 50 40 90, which is unheard of for a first year player. But Pritchard is no ordinary rookie. He's crafty, quick, strong, plus he's got an extremely high IQ. His four year college career in Oregon, Sam become consensus first team all American and his senior season. See averaged over 20 points in his final year with the ducks. All of the pressure that came along with being the best player for such a reputable program at Oregon over the course of four years has already shown to have benefited Pritchard in the pros. Don't be surprised if he keeps his efficiency up and is a big reason for the Celtics success this year. But those are just my thoughts. Let me know your prediction for the Celtics in the comments section below. Am I overhyping them? And what's your prediction for them in the playoffs? If you haven't already hit subscribe, you're the best for sticking around. This was D flow and I'll see you next video.