How Jazz can Copycat Celtics' Success in 2022-23

It’s a copycat league.

The cliché that we always hear this time of the year. With the Boston Celtics in position to win an NBA title, one has to wonder whether the Utah Jazz have the pieces that can emulate their success.

As we all wait on pins and needles to see what Danny Ainge’s first big move is, let’s examine what the Jazz can do this summer and whether they have it in the cards to copy a Celtic championship run.

Point Guard Priorities

The biggest change the Celtics made was at the point guard position. Out with the smaller sized, offensive-minded point guard (Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker) and in with the bigger sized defensive-oriented guy that can guard 1-5 (Marcus Smart).

This allowed the Celtics to get bigger across the board, with Jayson Tatum moving to the 3 and Jalyn Brown moving to the 2. Now we have a team with increased positional size, but just as important, players that have bought into a 'defense-first' mentality. The Celtics had an astonishing four players that ranked in the top-15 in defensive rating.

What it Means for Jazz

So how does this translate to the Jazz? First and foremost, Mike Conley would have to move to the bench.

This would allow Donovan Mitchell to start at the 1, Royce O’neale/Danuel House at the 2, and Bojan Bogdanovich at the 3. Who the Jazz would start at the 4 gets a little tricky.

I don’t see a player currently on the roster filling that need. The Jazz would have to either reshuffle the deck with a trade or sign a free agent.

Keep in mind, the salary-cap-strapped Jazz wouldn’t exactly have the pick of the litter when it comes to bringing a player in. Also, can the Jazz get back to being a 'defense-first' team?

That’s a big question.

It would have to start with Mitchell, who's developing the reputation for being a lazy defender. We know he can score at an elite level. But we have to ask ourselves, is he going down a path that mirrors the career of Carmelo Anthony, or can he flip the script and truly be the next Dwyane Wade?

The big advantage the Celtics have right now is how their salaries are being distributed. Getting production out of players like Grant Williams ($2.6 million) and Robert Williams ($3.6M), is something the Jazz don’t have in the cards right now.

The Celtics don’t have a bad deal on the books.

Bottom Line

If we’re truly being honest with ourselves, the Jazz are a couple years of way from putting something together that looks like the 2021-22 Celtics. A good trade by Ainge, and couple bad contracts off the books, could go a long way.

But those things don’t happen overnight. So will the Jazz run it back one more year with a couple tweaks, or will this be the summer of change? Only time will tell.

Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnes_patrick.