Celtics' versatile offense will be difference-maker in NBA playoffs

The Boston Celtics ended the regular season with the NBA's best record. If they can remain healthy throughout the postseason, they are expected to make an NBA Finals appearance, as head coach Joe Mazzulla's team has arguably the deepest roster in the league.

According to an NBA scout who spoke with The Athletic's Jared Weiss and Jay King, the Celtics' depth makes them tough to predict down the stretch of games.

"I give [Mazzulla] a lot of credit, he is able to adapt pretty quickly," the scout said. "If you deny Tatum on offense, everyone else can handle the ball and that’s such a luxury. Pretty much everyone on the floor can drive and shoot it. So late in a game if they want to run a play and you deny Tatum, they’ll say, ‘All right, whoever is bringing it up, we’ll have Tatum just set the ball screen now.’"

Mazzulla has the opulence of having five or six options for the primary ball-handler role. Celtics president Brad Stevens has constructed a roster full of interchangeable talents on a possession-to-possession basis. As such, guarding the Celtics during close-game situations is difficult. Their best players can all operate off the ball or as screen setters in inverted actions. 

With so much versatility available, the Celtics will undoubtedly feel confident about challenging for the NBA championship this season. They are currently facing an injury-ravaged Miami Heat in the opening round. Jimmy Butler's absence due to an MCL injury will give Boston the perfect opportunity to waltz into the Eastern Conference semifinals. 

Teams around the league will likely be watching Boston's games and looking for ways to counter their balanced offense. Whether they can figure it out or not will be a deciding factor on who is named as the NBA champion in June.