After an abysmal 4-for-21 game against the Lakers on Dec. 7, though, Embiid has found a new gear. His next game, a 10-point win against the Pacers, saw him hit his season high of 39 points in a season-high 32 minutes. Since then, he\u2019s averaged 29 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Most importantly, they\u2019ve won three out of their last four with Embiid, Maxey and Paul George all in the lineup. (It should have been four in a row if not for Monday\u2019s loss to the Denver Nuggets\u2019 bench).<\/p>\n
Verdict: Cap<\/p>\n
Look, we all know the East is wide open, but I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s open enough for me to believe Embiid will lead the 76ers to a deep run. I\u2019m not even sure what he\u2019s doing is sustainable. We\u2019ve had too much of a sample size of Embiid\u2019s health issues to believe the past seven games are what we\u2019ll get for the rest of the year.<\/p>\n
The Celtics are legitimate contenders\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Jaylen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Bulls-Celtics-Basketball_135146434.jpg\")
Guard Jaylen Brown (left) and the Boston Celtics once again find themselves near the top of the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n
AP Photo\/Charles Krupa<\/p>\n
Ever since Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles last May in the playoffs and the Celtics<\/a> followed up by gutting much of their championship roster, there was a belief that this season would just be a gap year. Yet here they are near the top of the East. They\u2019re second in 3-pointers made per game, second in offensive rating, third in net rating, and have put up multiple 140-point games.<\/p>\n A lot of this is due to the leap from one Jaylen Brown<\/a>, who is just coming off of an historic feat of being the first player ever to conduct a campaign where he complained about being snubbed for player of the month. Yes, it was nonsensical to care that much about an award that not many people care about, but it did motivate him to have his best game of the season \u2013 a 50-point domination of the Clippers, where he also locked up Kawhi Leonard. But can Brown carry the Celtics to the Finals?<\/p>\n Verdict: No cap <\/p>\n OK, this is a bit of a copout because I actually don\u2019t think Brown is enough. First of all, he\u2019s shooting out of his mind right now, nailing nearly 60% of his long 2s. Eventually, that\u2019ll come back to earth. Second, the Celtics are cobbling together young bigs who are playing well, but I\u2019d be concerned with team rebounding come playoff time. <\/p>\n So why don\u2019t I think it\u2019s cap? Easy: Tatum. If Tatum can return and be somewhat what he was at this point last year, that gives the Celtics a real shot. I still think the Knicks and Pistons are at the top of the conference. But if Tatum makes a miraculous return, that changes everything. <\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2243702008-e1762283516163.jpg\"\/)
NBA overreactions Vol. 1: An absurdly early look at the MVP race \u2013 AndscapeRead now<\/a><\/p>\n