Earlier than the NBA season tipped off, we outlined a seven-step roadmap for the new-look, Jaylen Brown-led Celtics to exceed expectations in 2025-26.
Precisely midway by way of, they’ve efficiently checked six of these packing containers, with the seventh nonetheless pending.
The end result: Boston entered the week with the second-best file within the Japanese Convention, the fifth-best within the league, and top-three rankings in level differential (third), offensive score (first) and internet score (second). Joe Mazzulla’s membership has been, by nearly any all-encompassing metric, among the best within the NBA by way of 41 video games.
Forward of Monday evening’s marquee matchup towards the Detroit Pistons — No. 1 vs. No. 2 within the East — right here’s a better take a look at how Boston stacks up towards these seven preseason benchmarks:
1. “Jaylen Brown seems like a legit No. 1”
“Boston’s clearest path to competitiveness entails Brown taking part in at an All-NBA degree.”
Brown, who’d mentioned for years that he may thrive as a No. 1 choice if given the possibility, has aced this take a look at so far, taking part in his manner into the NBA MVP dialog whereas Jayson Tatum recovers from Achilles surgical procedure. Proudly owning the NBA’s second-highest utilization fee behind Luka Doncic, he’s the league’s fourth-leading scorer (29.7 factors per sport) and is on tempo for a profession excessive in assists (4.8).
Although the 3-pointer has been the centerpiece of Boston’s offense beneath Mazzulla, Brown has discovered success by changing into one of many premier 2-point maestros, taking extra pictures per sport from contained in the arc than every other NBA participant. He’s additionally averaging a career-best 7.3 free throws per sport — regardless of frequent gripes about what he considers unfair officiating.
Merely put, he’s been precisely what this Celtics staff wants.
2. “A very powerful gamers keep wholesome”
“This present Celtics roster doesn’t have (the) luxurious (of confirmed depth). Dropping a key participant like Brown or White for any vital size of time may tank their season.”
Brown, who failed to achieve the 65-game threshold for postseason awards final 12 months, has appeared in all however three of Boston’s 41 video games, sitting out two on account of sickness and one with again spasms. Starters Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser have missed one sport apiece. Prime middle Neemias Queta has missed two. That’s a complete of eight DNPs for Boston’s present, Tatum-less beginning 5.
The Celtics’ key reserves have been frequently obtainable, too. Sixth man Anfernee Simons has appeared in each sport, and Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, Luka Garza and Baylor Scheierman have been sidelined for a complete of two (not together with their occasional DNP-CDs).
Outdoors of Tatum, the one participant on the roster who’s missed prolonged time is wing Josh Minott, who sat out the final six video games with an ankle sprain. However Minott fell out of Mazzulla’s rotation in late December and wasn’t seeing significant minutes when he suffered his damage.
For context, at this level final season, Brown had missed seven video games, Tatum three, Hauser seven, Jrue Vacation six, Luke Kornet six, Al Horford eight and Kristaps Porzingis 23.
3. “Anfernee Simons turns into a playable defender”
“Simons can rating. Everybody is aware of that. … However can he be a minimum of respectable on the defensive finish? That’s the large query dealing with the 26-year-old guard.”
It was telling that, after Simons scored 39 points off the bench final Thursday in a come-from-behind win over the Miami Warmth, Mazzulla spent a lot of his postgame information convention praising the guard’s improved protection.
Simons has gone from legal responsibility to legitimately impactful at that finish since becoming a member of the Celtics over the summer time, and people enhancements have helped flip him into one in all Boston’s most beneficial contributors. After an uneven begin to the season as he adjusted to his new bench position, the previous Portland Path Blazers starter owns the NBA’s fourth-best plus/minus because the starting of December.
The massive query surrounding Simons now’s whether or not Boston’s entrance workplace views him (and his $27.7 million expiring contract) as a commerce chip or an asset value retaining. We’ll discover out by the Feb. 5 commerce deadline.
4. “The frontcourt exceeds its low expectations”
“The transfer from Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet to Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman is a gigantic downgrade on paper. The Celtics will want profession years from a minimum of one in all these massive males to area even a league-average frontcourt.”
The Celtics basically took a “we’ll see the way it goes and hope for the very best” method on the middle place this previous offseason — and thus far, it’s labored.
Queta has been greater than strong as a first-year starter (10.2 factors, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per sport), and Garza, after being exiled to the top of the bench for a lot of December, has been a constant difference-maker off the bench, excelling as a screener and on the offensive glass whereas taking pictures a team-best 48.9% from three. It hasn’t mattered that Boucher and Tillman — the Celtics’ two most skilled bigs — have hardly performed.
Even Boston’s rebounding — an unsurprising early-season situation for a staff that misplaced its high three massive males and its main rebounder (Tatum) from final 12 months’s squad — has develop into a energy of late. With assist from their crashing wings, the Celtics rank sixth in defensive rebounding fee and fourth in offensive rebounding fee because the begin of December, and seventh in general rebounding fee this season.
Nonetheless, commerce rumors have linked the Celtics to several established big men, so they might make a transfer to bolster this group within the coming weeks.
5. “A number of depth wings develop into dependable rotation gamers”
“Jordan Walsh? Baylor Scheierman? Josh Minott? Hugo Gonzalez? With no confirmed depth on the wing behind Brown and Hauser, the Celtics will want a minimum of half of these inexperienced backups to play actual roles this season.”
How about all 4?
Gonzalez, an prompt contributor as a 19-year-old rookie, boasts the NBA’s second-best particular person internet score. The Celtics went 15-5 with Walsh — who’s having by far the very best season of his three-year profession — of their beginning lineup. Scheierman has develop into an on a regular basis rotation participant, incomes his taking part in time by way of deflections, drawn costs and the occasional well timed 3-pointer. Even Minott has been a internet optimistic, beginning 10 video games and taking part in massive minutes as a small-ball middle earlier than falling down the pecking order. All 4 have swung video games with their chaotic power and hustle performs.
6. “The East is as wide-open as anticipated”
“Any argument for the Celtics remaining aggressive this season ought to begin with the standard of their convention.”
Seven Japanese Convention groups — from the second-ranked Celtics to the No. 8 Warmth — entered the week with between 22 and 26 wins. The New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic have underachieved relative to preseason hype, and the defending convention champion Indiana Pacers have cratered amid a tidal wave of accidents.
The Pistons sit comfortably atop the East standings, carrying a 4 1/2-game cushion into Monday evening’s matchup. However is a franchise that’s gained simply two postseason video games since 2008 an NBA Finals shoo-in? Hardly. The Celtics needs to be considered as actual convention contenders, particularly if…
7. “Jayson Tatum returns for the stretch run (and appears like himself)”
“If Brown and Co. can scrap their manner into the thick of the Japanese Convention playoff race, they couldn’t ask for a extra useful midseason addition than a wholesome Tatum.”
By all accounts, Tatum is on or forward of schedule in his Achilles rehab. The Celtics have insisted they won’t rush him again, however a midseason comeback seems practical. If he returns and appears like Tatum, even in a decreased position, be careful.
