The Athletic’s annual anonymous player survey offers insight into how players around the league truly feel. The survey asked 158 players a wide range of questions, including who’s the MVP, what team will win the title, who’s underrated/overrated, potential rule changes, and more. Notably, the Boston Celtics are heavy title favorites according to the players, and guard Derrick White is among the most underrated players. Let’s dive into the Celtics’ presence on this survey.
Players Predict Celtics to Win the Title and Hail Derrick White as Underrated
The Celtics Are Overwhelming Favorites According to the Players
According to FanDuel, the Oklahoma City Thunder are slight title favorites at +170 while the Celtics are just behind them at +185. However, 57.7 percent of the players surveyed picked the defending champs to win it all, with the Thunder getting the second most votes, at 17.5 percent. Notably, players aren’t allowed to vote for their own team. Of the open-ended questions, the Celtics winning the title was the largest percentage of votes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s 56.1 percent of MVP votes was slightly behind the percentage of players picking Boston to win the title.
This result highlights the players’ respect for the champs. Undoubtedly, Boston’s experience and two-way dominance set them up well to win back-to-back titles. After winning 61 games while cruising through the regular season, the Celtics clearly have what it takes to repeat as champions. The Celtics’ star wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, paired with a complete core in Derrick White, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Jrue Holiday, makes the Celtics impossible to match up with. Boston has a plethora of scoring options and nobody to pick on defensively. Considering their perfectly constructed roster and incredible playoff experience, it’s easy to see why the players pick the Celtics to win another championship.
Similarly, players voted the Celtics organization as the league’s third best with 15.3 percent of the votes. The Thunder (17.5 percent) and Golden State Warriors (21.9 percent) edged out the Celtics. Joe Mazzulla finished fourth for best coach with 12.2 percent of the votes. Mark Daigneault (21.8 percent), Kenny Atkinson, and Erik Spoelstra (13.6 percent) were slightly ahead of Mazzulla. Regardless, it shows how well-respected the 36-year-old guru is among players.
Players Believe Derrick White is Underrated
Derrick White’s contributions and importance to the Celtics can’t be discussed enough. As a three-point shooter, connective playmaker, and versatile defender, he truly does it all for the Celtics. White averaged a career high of 16.4 points and was one of Boston’s most consistent players. Clearly, other players around the league recognize White’s value as he finished second in the most underrated player voting with 7.4 percent of the votes. Cade Cunningham was first receiving 8.8 percent of the votes.
Questions like most underrated player will inherently yield a wide range of results. Nevertheless, it’s clear how highly White is thought of among his peers. Players understand how valuable White’s all-around impact is, and it’s great to see it being recognized. Payton Pritchard, Tatum, Brown, and Holiday also received votes for the most underrated player. Ultimately, it’s clear how respected the Celtics and their players are around the league.
Photo credit: © Peter Casey-Imagn Images
The post Players Predict Celtics to Win the Title and Hail Derrick White as Underrated appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.