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The Boston Celtics have had an eventful month of July.
Jaylen Brown now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, and Paul George came to Boston in that trade. That's the big headline, but there have been more moves.
Mitchell Robinson was signed in free agency, as was Mike Conley.
The Celtics also will simply benefit in the months ahead from having a healthy Jayson Tatum, rather than a Tatum coming off a torn Achilles.
That all factors into the new NBA power rankings put together by Steph Noh of The Sporting News.
In those rankings, the Celtics slot No. 6 in the NBA.
"It might sting for Celtics fans to not see Jaylen Brown wearing green this season," Noh writes. "But they will still be a regular season juggernaut. Jayson Tatum's return should ensure that Boston doesn't see too much of a drop off, and Paul George fits in perfectly to Joe Mazzulla's system. Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley are also underrated acquisitions. Robinson should help Boston continue to win the math battle, vacuuming up offensive rebounds. And Conley brings some backup ballhandling and depth."
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It feels about right for the Celtics, who probably do take a step back in overall talent by going from Brown to George, but do gain by picking up Robinson.
Noh's top-five, for what it's worth, has the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 1, followed by the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets.
The Raptors are the biggest surprise, but with Kawhi Leonard, their defense will be incredible.
Boston should be a strong regular season team, as usual.
Will they win in the playoffs with one Jay instead of two? That's the question everyone will have to wait and see.
