2 reasons Celtics are East favorite over Bucks after Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday trades

These are two reasons why the Celtics deserve to be favorites over the Bucks to make it out of the East after the Lillard and Holiday trades.

After Jrue Holiday left for Portland only to be traded to the Boston Celtics almost immediately, Damian Lillard joined the Milwaukee Bucks, causing a massive reorganization of the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

These two current Eastern powerhouses will now approach the 2023–24 season as significantly different squads from those of the previous year.

There are two reasons why the Celtics should be considered favorites over the Bucks to leave the Conference, despite the fact that both of them are packed and, injury aside, are unquestionably the two teams to beat in the East.

One-court defense
The Bucks acquired one of the league’s best offensive weapons in Damian Lillard, making them very difficult to contain when he teams up with Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, they also lost Jrue Holiday, who is perhaps the best defensive guard in the league; Boston benefits from their loss.

The Celtics’ ability to defend the back court is now a definite advantage. It’s a significant strength for them whereas it’s a notable weakness for the Bucks.

The Celtics will now team Jrue Holiday in the back court with Jaylen Brown, who is a very good defender despite not being on Holiday’s level.

You now have a trifecta with Derrick White coming off the bench.

1. Back court defense

In gaining Damian Lillard, the Bucks got one of the pre-eminent offensive weapons in the league, and with him teaming up with Giannis Antetokounmpo will be incredibly difficult to stop.

But in trading Jrue Holiday, they also lost perhaps the best defensive guard in the game, and their loss is Boston’s gain.

The ability to guard the back court is now a distinct advantage for the Celtics. For them, it’s a major strength; for the Bucks, a notable weakness.

The Celtics will now pair Jrue Holiday in the back court with Jaylen Brown – he’s certainly not at Holiday’s level, but is a very capable defender nonetheless.

Add to the mix Derrick White coming off the bench, and you’ve got a trio capable of keeping the best back courts in the league on their toes.

Contrast that with the Bucks. As happy as they no doubt are and should be with the acquisition of Lillard, it’s certainly not his defense which will have them so excited.

The Trail Blazers’ inability to defend opposing guards has been a significant issue for them throughout Lillard’s tenure, and though he more than makes up for that at the other end of the floor, with him replacing Holiday they’ll clearly suffer at the defensive end of the floor.

And it’s not as though he has a defensive powerhouse alongside him to cover his flaws; he’ll likely start with Malik Beasley, who isn’t exactly renowned for his work at that end of the floor either.

The Bucks don’t have a whole lot of flaws after the Lillard trade and are looking like an extremely well-rounded roster heading into the upcoming season.

But their ability to defend the back court is a clear flaw, and one the Celtics should look to exploit.

Maybe this is drawing a long bow, but we need at least a couple of reasons here and this one is as good as any! There’s every chance that these two will be meeting each other in the Conference Finals, and at least in recent times, it’s the Celtics who have had the edge in their matchups.

1. Back court defense

In gaining Damian Lillard, the Bucks got one of the pre-eminent offensive weapons in the league, and with him teaming up with Giannis Antetokounmpo will be incredibly difficult to stop. But in trading Jrue Holiday, they also lost perhaps the best defensive guard in the game, and their loss is Boston’s gain.

The ability to guard the back court is now a distinct advantage for the Celtics. For them, it’s a major strength; for the Bucks, a notable weakness. The Celtics will now pair Jrue Holiday in the back court with Jaylen Brown – he’s certainly not at Holiday’s level, but is a very capable defender nonetheless. Add to the mix Derrick White coming off the bench, and you’ve got a trio capable of keeping the best back courts in the league on their toes.

Contrast that with the Bucks. As happy as they no doubt are and should be with the acquisition of Lillard, it’s certainly not his defense which will have them so excited. The Trail Blazers’ inability to defend opposing guards has been a significant issue for them throughout Lillard’s tenure, and though he more than makes up for that at the other end of the floor, with him replacing Holiday they’ll clearly suffer at the defensive end of the floor. And it’s not as though he has a defensive powerhouse alongside him to cover his flaws; he’ll likely start with Malik Beasley, who isn’t exactly renowned for his work at that end of the floor either.

The Bucks don’t have a whole lot of flaws after the Lillard trade and are looking like an extremely well-rounded roster heading into the upcoming season. But their ability to defend the back court is a clear flaw, and one the Celtics.

Maybe this is drawing a long bow, but we need at least a couple of reasons here and this one is as good as any! There’s every chance that these two will be meeting each other in the Conference Finals, and at least in recent times, it’s the Celtics who have had the edge in their matchups.

Harking back to their Conference Semifinal matchup in 2022 when the Bucks led 3-2, the Celtics have won four of five against them. They fought back to win that series 4-3, and last year won their three-game season series 2-1, including a dominant 140-99 win – a game in which Tatum and Brown combined for 70 points.

It’s hard to split these two heading into the 2023-24 season, but one thing that we can be confident about is that they’ll both be pretty damn good.

To make their way out of the Eastern Conference for the second time in three years, the Celtics will most likely need to get past the Bucks, but for the above reasons, they can get the job done.