Star players were shipped out and new ones brought in. Role players were let go, some talented ones retained, and a team rounded into shape. All with the goal of locking down banner 18 for the franchise.
Forty-one games are in the books and life is rosy for the Boston Celtics.
Boston, after a 117-98 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, improved to a league-best 32-9. That's 2.5 games better than the Minnesota Timberwolves for tops in the NBA. And four ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference and five in front of the Philadelphia 76ers in the Atlantic Division.
A perfect blend of All-Stars, talented veterans, and bench players have combined to form the best team in the NBA so far this season.
Boston Celtics: Talented group
A well-rounded game and Jayson Tatum have gone hand-in-hand in the '23-24 season. It's this balance, and importance to the Celtics, that makes Tatum a bona fide MVP candidate.
Nothing new but simply Tatum taking his game to another level.
Scoring is down for the seventh-year player out of Duke. This is not a concern because of the players around Tatum and he is also averaging less minutes per game than a season ago.
Tatum has played in 38 games this season, leading the team in scoring with 27.1 points per game. Toss in 8.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists, and it's easily seen why Tatum is an MVP candidate. This isn't touching upon Tatum's importance on defense, and the simple fact teams place a heavy focus in game-planning for him.
Even if down slightly in some categories, most stats are similar to last season's numbers. One that is not, however, is field goal percentage, where Tatum is currently shooting a career-best 47.5 percent. He also has 14 games with a double-double this season, one of which was with points and assists.
The other half of the dynamic duo, Jaylen Brown, is also enjoying a stellar season. Brown, too, has played in 38 games, averaging 23.3 per contest. That output jumped to 24.6 in January, when Brown had 40 points in a loss to the Indiana Pacers. This was part of a three-game stretch where Brown averaged 35.3 points.
Three others, usually spotted in the starting lineup, are all averaging double digits in points. Topping the list is newcomer Kristaps Porzingis with 19.1. Porzingis has stayed mostly healthy, playing 30 games and getting rest as needed. He averages nearly two blocked shots per game, giving Boston interior presence, and is pulling down 6.8 rebounds.
Derrick White (15.9 points, 4.9 assists) has been a revelation, not that his play should be surprising. Taking over as starting point guard, White is expanding on what was already seen from him the last couple of seasons. His defense is on par with the best in the league while averaging 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. And White is a perfect complement to new arrival Jrue Holiday (13.3 ppg), whose defense has helped the Celtics tremendously.
There has been great balance among these five, especially when one has an off night or is given a game to rest. The deep bench has helped in this regard, too. Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard are both playing well. Pritchard is averaging eight points per game and is the only Celtic to play in every game this season (only seven less than he played all last season).
With Al Horford his usual solid self, and role players like Luke Kornet stepping up when needed, this isn't a lot of concern for making a big trade. Barring an injury in the coming weeks, the Celtics don't need to make a big splash. The team is gelling and know their roles, so why mess with that?
Upcoming schedule for Celtics
The coming week does present a challenge for Boston, starting with a Friday night (1/19) home game with the Denver Nuggets (28-14). The defending champs are hanging out near the top of the Western Conference and this will be the first meeting in '23-24 between the teams.
Boston hits the road for the three following games. First is on 1/21 against the Houston Rockets. Boston defeated Houston 145-113 just a week ago with six players scoring in double figures. Brown had 32, Tatum had 27 points (with 8 rebounds and 5 assists), and Pritchard scored 19 off the bench.
A night later (1/22), the Celtics face the Dallas Mavericks for the first time this season. And Boston closes out the road trip in Miami against the Heat. The teams met back in October, where the Celtics picked up an eight-point win.
It's a tough stretch and one, in previous seasons, where they'd be some worry about the Celtics faring better than 2-2. This team is built differently and has more focus, especially in closing out games. Through 41 games, they've proven to be a team worthy of title hopes. Now, it's time to take the first steps in a second half journey towards greatness.
photo credit: Flickr
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