The Celtics rolled to one of the best points per seasons offensive tackle in NBA history this year. Jason Tatum averaged 30 points per game for the first time in team history. Jaylen Brown took steps. Their depth surpassed any opposing team in the league, winning many games without multiple players and pushing the healthiest teams in others. They have won 57 matches and grabbed the second seed and may chart the most favorable path to winning the league title.
Can’t you love him?
As Boston begins its push toward the Banner 18 this spring, perhaps the stunning result that ended the postseason last after that team emerged as the best in the NBA. Perhaps the drought has been going on since 2008. It’s likely that late-year mistakes and losses to Washington, Houston, Utah and others that cost them the top seed left an uncomfortable feeling behind all the evidence this team deserves an unwavering confidence in its ability to win it all. something. Here’s what I feel good about and what’s keeping me going into the playoffs this year.
1. Jaylen Brown is rolling
Brown finished with a season deserving of all the prestige of the NBA. He hit 47.1% of his mid-range shots and broke opposing edge guards with 70.8% efficiency at the edge backed by his almost unparalleled transitional game. Joe Mazzola converted the Browns from point offense to the final round off pressure from Jason Tatum and the teams couldn’t resolve it. A cut in his right hand slowed his momentum to enter the playoffs and he preferred his left to practice on Thursdays and Fridays. It’s something to watch as he prepares for Game 1.
2. Made a shot by Malcolm Brogdon
Brogdon has made 44.4% of his three fortunes this season, many of them in withdrawals that acted as a release valve for the offense when it became stagnant. He addressed finishing concerns that continued into the middle of the season, when he finished 54.7% within five feet. The extra minutes should increase the number of three he can go down, while Brogdon and Brown’s mid-range abilities allow for a late-game change of pace. He drives 11.3 times per game. Brogdon is the player this team missed during last year’s playoff run, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he turned it up like Al Horford who often came into play in April and May.
3. Derek White Finds His Role
White’s transition from an ice-cold playoff run as he admitted discomfort with moving to Boston mid-season affected his play. He’s defended at the All-Defensive level this year, giving the Celtics a showdown with dynamic guards in the east like Trae Young, James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, and Jrue Holiday. Offensively, jockey Robert Williams became third due to injuries, shooting 38% from three, driving hard and nullifying a catch when the teams attacked Jason Tatum. He turned the ball over just 1.2 times per game. White looks like a measure of team success. When they accumulate, they rarely lose.
4. Play the Big Guy and Health
Robert Williams III enters the playoffs healthy, something the Celtics couldn’t boast of last year, and increased his participation in the final week of the playoffs. Boston wants the best 20-25 minutes they can spare, and those shorter bench hikes can be more impactful and key to keeping a roof-raising team available for the entirety of the playoffs. It’s hard to imagine the Celtics not winning the championship if Williams III remains healthy. Al Horford couldn’t have been unmentioned in allowing the Celtics to play Williams III off the bench. He had an impressive season, adhering to a floor spacing role that gave Tatum and Brown room to score inside each night, as Horford finished with a 44.6% mark from three. He’s still guarding the catch, turning to the perimeter and competing for shots like he’s never left. It will be interesting to watch the Celtics plan it more aggressively after being dropped for most of the regular season.
5. The explosive upward attack
Their three-point size, turnover management, and ability to rebound and win free-throw battles give the Celtics an athletic edge that puts most teams’ backs at a disadvantage. Mazzulla’s meticulous attention to analytics, ability to carry it out and impart it to the team, and shooting personnel that is unparalleled in Boston allows this group to chase 120-130 points on multiple nights. This contrasts with last year’s Celtics offense that fell off a cliff in the playoffs, scoring 110.3 points per 100 possessions compared to 117.3 for this group that trailed only the Kings. They run, move off the ball, rely on a combination of ballplayers, and at their best make multiple efforts to generate great shots. They also finished 13-19 when shooting below the league average of three (36%), and won two games against the Raptors while shooting poorly at the end of the year, a sign that they may not live or simply die by the three.
Of course, there are some concerns.
6. The play by Grant Williams
Grant Williams, a fixture in last year’s playoff tournament and the lead in the Celtics’ Game 7 win over the Bucks, fell out of favor late in the season, earning DNP-CDs for the first time since 2021 and pulling off limited minutes elsewhere. He played six minutes at the end of the season and spun a lead float at one point and sat unhappy about not having a call at one point while the Hawks drove in transition. A big Atlanta front court immediately presents a competitive challenge for him as he tries to regain his spot in the postseason. His rivals, Blake Griffin, Mike Muscala and Sam Hauser, aren’t sure about being phased out and the Celtics have ways they can rely less on Williams if they struggle, but Williams’ defensive versatility seems essential given potential opponents later in the playoffs. He can’t miss as he often did late in the regular season – he finished 41.8% FG and 34.2% from three since the All-Star break.
7. Lack of strength in defense
Look up and the Celtics finished in second place defensively. Horford finally acknowledged what seemed obvious for most of the regular season: Boston enters the playoffs with a lot to improve in that end.
“Although the numbers say we finished second (in defence), I really think there is a lot of room for improvement for our group,” he said. “I think we’ll do it. It’s a challenge for us, but we definitely want to be better.”
The two numbers falling short of last year’s historic unity were defenses of isolation, as the Celtics ranked 23rd (0.97 PPP) compared to last year’s first. They also forced 12.7 turnovers per game (26th overall), down from 13.8 last year. Those represent the visual difference compared to the defensive turmoil that led Boston last year. The return of Williams III should fill some of that gap, but individual efforts need improvement.
8. Some Lingering Questions Joe Mazzola
Many doubts proved wrong during the regular season. The three-point approach worked, adjusting timeout use and adapting it to rotational needs, injuries, and a slow defensive start to make this the best two-way team in the league. However, qualifiers can be different. His balanced approach allowed, publicly at least, to pull off bad losses during the regular season. It would become difficult to point out the good things Boston did in major game losses. Brad Stephens said that choosing a new coach became an easy sticking point during the year, and he’s right. Players will determine the outcome of the season.
9. Jason Tatum starts slow
Tatum shot 46.2% from the field, 32.4% from three and attempted 5.7 shots per game in the first quarters, numbers that need improvement in the postseason. While Jaylen Brown set the tone on many nights to start games, Tatum often started slowly and set an energy tone as the team struggled to escape some of their bad losses. 538’s RAPTOR considered Tatum’s minutes to be a slight negative on the defensive end this year — how much indifference is that in the regular season and how many nights has he struggled outside the arc? This team is going to go a lot the way Tatum goes this postseason, slow starts, along with nights he shot amazingly many times in the fourth quarter like a loss at Utah needing to drop in the playoffs.
10. Watch rotation
Mazzola addressed the roles of Marcus Smart, Derek White and Malcolm Brogdon by balancing their minutes late in the season, giving the advantage of doubt to taller Celtic with 31 minutes per game after the All-Star break. White and Brogdon have had better seasons than Smart, who has dealt with injuries all year, but said he’s entering the postseason near 100% of what he’s felt in years. All three have only been on the floor for 25 minutes this year and only the two can play in primetime. While Smart has said she’s willing to sit down if necessary, Mazzola has to make those difficult decisions now.