Yes, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown finally broke through to their first NBA championship, leading the Celtics to a league-record 18th Banner. But the franchise has already turned the page to their upcoming title defense.
"You get more motivation to follow it," Jaylen Brown told this author at Summer League. "So, for me, it's back to ground one. So, my mindset is, championship, it's over now, and now we've got to get back to work."
The three-time All-Star also shared during that mid-July night in Las Vegas, "I've already talked to Al (Horford) and talked to some of the guys to see when to get back in the gym," adding, "Just continue to do what we've always been doing: build a great culture, a great energy, (and) great chemistry amongst our group. We've got a special amount of guys, and we're running it back next year."
The continuity that comes with 15 of the 17 players from last season's title team, including those on two-way deals, returning for the 2024-25 campaign is an advantage that boosts the prospects of Boston becoming the first franchise since the 2017 and 2018 Warriors to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy in consecutive years.
And with the Celtics still boasting the most talented top eight in the Association, FanDuel Sportsbook lists the reigning NBA champions as the team with the highest projected regular season win total.
Here are their top eight over/under win totals for next season.
Boston Celtics: 58.5
Oklahoma City Thunder: 56.5
New York Knicks: 53.5
Minnesota Timberwolves: 52.5
Philadelphia 76ers: 52.5
Denver Nuggets: 51.5
Milwaukee Bucks: 50.5
Dallas Mavericks: 50.5
