DraftKings ‘The Sweat’: Can the Boston Celtics go one step further next year?

A month has passed since this year’s NBA Finals, which saw the Golden State Warriors defeat the Boston Celtics 4-2 to sit atop the NBA landscape once again. 

It was a first finals appearance for every player on the Celtics roster but it may be the first of many, as stars Jayson Tatum (24) and Jaylen Brown (25) are heading into the prime of their careers. 

So the question posed on DraftKings latest episode of ‘The Sweat’, who has the best odds to win the NBA championship next season, and one DK sportsbook analyst feels confident it should be the Celtics. 

“They absolutely have to be the favorite to win it all right now,” remarked the DK sportsbook analyst. 

“They have the best roster in the NBA, their starting lineup – which was the best defensive lineup in the league last season, adding a 50-40-90 guy off the bench in Malcolm Brogdon, their running it back and they’ve kept their core intact.”

One criticism of the Celtics last season was the lack of depth options when it came to close playoff games. 

The Celtics helped address this by acquiring point guard Brogdon who can be utilized as a lead playmaker for the second unit, or can become a main ball handler and facilitator for the rest of the starting lineup, another criticism levied against the Celtics as they lacked a natural ball handler last season. 

Veteran shooting power forward Danilo Gallinari was also signed to the 18x champions roster as a useful impact scorer off the bench. The Italian is averaging 15.6 points on 42% FG, 38% 3P, and 88% FT during his 13 year career in the league.