Did the Boston Celtics actually improve by adding Brogdon and Gallinari?

G Malcolm Brogdon drives against Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

The Boston Celtics are currently one of the elite teams in the NBA. They came within two games of winning a championship last season, and in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, they have two All-Star players who only figure to get better.

They are both big wings—the most important position in the league right now—and between the creative brilliance of Tatum and the defensive intensity of Brown, there is no reason why they can’t make the Finals again next year. Throw in reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart and their foundation is strong.

Have the Boston Celtics helped their cause this offseason?

Boston is close—there is no doubt about it. They have reached maybe the hardest point in winning a championship. Now they are tinkering with a group that is close to winning it all but hasn’t gotten over the top. They must try not to move on from the wrong players and fall back down the long and arduous ladder of contention.

The two key additions for the Celtics this summer have been Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari: Absolute no-brainers in a vacuum. They should each take the pressure off the younger players during the regular season and move to the fringes of the rotation once the postseason begins.