Unwrapping 12 Celtics stocking-stuffers on a uncommon quiet Christmas for Joe Mazzulla’s membership:
1. Christmas Day is the marquee date on the NBA’s regular-season calendar, and for the primary time since 2015, the Celtics will not be among the many 10 groups collaborating within the vacation quintuple-header.
The league’s determination to not give Boston a Christmas sport was the clearest signal of how low exterior expectations have been for the C’s this season. The chance of them being noncompetitive and/or uninteresting after dropping Jayson Tatum to an Achilles harm and Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Jrue Vacation and Luke Kornet to the second-apron buzzsaw was, it appeared, too excessive for the schedule-makers’ liking.
That proved to be a miscalculation. The brand new-look Celtics have, as Jaylen Brown put it after Monday’s win over the Indiana Pacers, “seemed like one of many higher groups within the league.” The NBA possible needs it have been tipping off its Christmas slate with Celtics-Knicks as an alternative of Cavaliers-Knicks, contemplating Cleveland sits seventh within the East and has been one of many largest disappointments to this point.
At 18-11, Boston trails solely Detroit and New York within the Japanese Convention standings. League-wide, it ranks seventh or higher in level differential, web score, offensive score, offensive rebounding charge, turnover charge, assist-to-turnover ratio, blocks per sport and opponent efficient field-goal share.
2. Any questions on how Brown would fare as Boston’s No. 1 choice have been answered. He’s taking part in at an All-NBA stage in Tatum’s absence, averaging 29.4 factors (fifth-most within the NBA), 6.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists per sport whereas taking pictures simply shy of fifty% from the sector.
Brown has scored no less than 30 factors in 10 of his final 11 video games, and the lone outlier was a 19-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist triple-double. He’s simply the third Celtic ever to place up 30-plus in seven straight video games, becoming a member of Larry Chook and Paul Pierce. First rate firm.
3. The 2 most necessary developments of this Celtics season up to now: Neemias Queta rising as a reputable starting-caliber middle, and Jordan Walsh reworking from an end-of-the-bench afterthought into an on a regular basis starter with elite defensive upside and a much-improved offensive sport.
Unable to spend this previous summer season with out compromising their luxurious tax flexibility, the Celtics wanted a few of their younger, low cost function gamers to hit in the event that they hoped to be aggressive. Test and test for Walsh and Queta, who’ve the bottom and third-lowest salaries on Boston’s 2025-26 payroll, respectively.
Queta ranks within the high 10 within the NBA in web score, and the Celtics are 12-4 with Walsh within the beginning lineup.
4. Honorable mentions: Josh Minott rapidly changing into a flexible rotation participant after signing for the veteran minimal, and Hugo Gonzalez wanting like a long-term constructing block as a 19-year-old rookie.
These 4 gamers’ mixed wage is $9.7 million, lower than the Celtics are paying Sam Hauser this season ($10 million).
5. Gonzalez’s taking part in time has fluctuated over the primary two months of his NBA profession, however the Celtics have trusted him with some large workloads currently.
The primary-round draft decide performed the ultimate 18:50 in final Friday’s win over Miami, the ultimate 17:20 on Saturday in Toronto and all however 11 seconds of the second half Monday towards Indiana. His stats over these three video games: 26 factors, 29 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 blocks, with Boston outscoring its opponents by 80 factors (!!) with him on the ground.
He turned simply the third rookie within the play-by-play period (since 1996-97) to be a plus-80 over a three-game span, becoming a member of Donovan Mitchell and Ben Simmons.
After Gonzalez, who leads all rookies in complete plus/minus this season, helped lead the Celtics again from a 20-point third-quarter deficit towards the Pacers, Tatum known as him a “unhealthy mom—-.”
6. The Celtics have benefited from being one of many NBA’s healthiest groups so far. Their starters have missed a complete of simply six video games: two by Brown, two by Queta, one by Walsh and one by Derrick White.
That stated, they’ve additionally proven resilience once they have been pressured to play at lower than full energy. The Celtics are 5-0 when no less than one starter sits out.
7. Mazzulla, who this week turned the third-fastest NBA head coach to achieve 200 wins, deserves quite a lot of credit score for Boston’s success. That is simply the least proficient roster of his tenure, and he has it on a 51-win tempo.
8. The Celtics spent coaching camp hyping up their plan to play a lot sooner this season. That … hasn’t actually occurred. Boston nonetheless ranks final within the NBA in tempo, and solely the Clippers and Rockets have longer possessions on common.
Regardless of that, the Celtics have tried the ninth-most subject objectives per sport, primarily as a result of most of their possessions finish in a shot. They commit the fewest turnovers per sport and have the second-lowest turnover charge, trailing solely Oklahoma Metropolis.
9. Anfernee Simons would be the title to look at for the Celtics because the Feb. 5 commerce deadline approaches. He’s on a $27.7 million expiring contract that Boston might look to dump for tax aid or use to amass assist at one other place (frontcourt depth is one lingering concern).
Simons’ scoring has been streaky – during the last month, he has extra video games with fewer than 10 factors (5) than ones with 15-plus (three) – however he’s been quietly efficient because the quarterback of the Celtics’ second unit in the course of the staff’s present three-game win streak. Mazzulla gave him an unprompted shoutout after the Pacers sport.
President of basketball operations Brad Stevens lately stated Simons, a starter in Portland earlier than his offseason commerce to Boston, is “actually making an attempt” and has “made nice strides” as a defender. “I’m an enormous fan,” Stevens stated.
10. The Celtics lately launched an NBA All-Star marketing campaign for Brown, White and Payton Pritchard. Brown is a no brainer; he’ll be an All-Star for the fifth time. White has an fascinating case, although the brutal taking pictures droop that consumed his first three weeks of the season possible sank his candidacy. The veteran guard has shot the ball a lot better of late and is one among simply two NBA gamers with 35-plus blocks and steals this season (together with Toronto’s Scottie Barnes).
Two opposing head coaches lately known as White probably the most underrated participant within the NBA, with one other, Indiana’s Rick Carlisle, saying he’s “definitely one of the crucial underrated gamers in recent times.”
11. Of the Celtics’ 4 offseason departures, Kornet has loved by far probably the most success in his new dwelling, becoming in nicely as Victor Wembanyama’s backup/sidekick in San Antonio. Boston will host the Spurs, homeowners of the NBA’s third-best report, on Jan. 10.
It’s been a rockier street for the opposite three ex-C’s. Porzingis (sickness) hasn’t performed since Dec. 5, Horford (sciatica) has been out since Dec. 4 and Vacation (calf) final took the ground on Nov. 14.
12. Tatum, by all accounts, is progressing nicely in his Achilles rehab. When will he return to sport motion? Except the Celtics crash out of the playoff image earlier than then, our cash is on the primary week of March.
