It seemed like a way of waving the white flag before this season even started \u2014 and when it did, the Celtics opened with three straight losses.<\/p>\n
The message, whether intentional or not, was this: Let\u2019s get through these 82 games, take some lumps, then regroup over the summer and get hyped for 2026-27.<\/p>\n
The Celtics were forced to make hasty adjustments. Bench players took vacant spots in the rotation and were placed in game situations they either rarely or never saw before. The lead singer\u2019s microphone, which once belonged to Tatum, was given to the No. 2 guy, Jaylen Brown (who, likewise, was unproven in that role).<\/p>\n
And Joe Mazzulla, the coach whose strategies have been long debated within the basketball world \u2013 even as the Celtics were winning and competing for titles \u2013 he suddenly had the challenge of steering a makeshift team stuck in temporary transition.<\/p>\n
The Celtics are in second place, 4 1\/2 games behind the East-leading Detroit Pistons, whom they play Monday (8 p.m. ET, NBC & Peacock<\/a>). The rotation drips with players either overachieving or having career years, and that includes Brown, who finds himself thick in the Kia MVP chase<\/a>. Their defense is keeping them in games, and their ability to limit mistakes is preventing them from beating themselves.<\/p>\n New contributors to Celtics\u2019 success<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n They\u2019re a tea<\/p>\n Neemias Queta is one of several new Celtics shining bright in 2025-26.<\/p>\n m without much margin for error, and that margin, on a nightly basis, doesn\u2019t seem to shrink much if at all, judging from the results. And that\u2019s not only a salute to Mazzulla and his ability to enhance the strengths and mask the weaknesses of his players and put them in position to succeed, it\u2019s also a credit to general manager Brad Stevens, who was patient with his young first-time coach while Mazzulla matured into the role.<\/p>\n You could say Mazzulla, who\u2019ll certainly get Coach of the Year attention, is currently doing what Stevens once did at Butler. This is a team that, aside from Brown and Derrick White \u2014 both accomplished players \u2014 is giving generous minutes to Peyton Pritchard (now a full-time starter), Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser, Luka Garza, Josh Minott and Jordan Walsh \u2026 and still winning.<\/p>\n The Celtics are coming off a convincing 26-point romp in Atlanta with a starting lineup of Brown, White, Hauser, Queta and Baylor Scheierman.<\/p>\n Hugo Gonzalez got 30 minutes off the bench (mostly in blowout time, but still). The Celtics\u2019 first six or seven players are collectively timid on paper, yet making it work on the floor. Does any other team with a winning record have a less-imposing core group?<\/p>\n Most important is Pritchard, formerly a valuable reserve. The Celtics have needed him to be a No. 2 option at times, and he has embraced the challenge. It wasn\u2019t exactly a stretch for Pritchard, who previously had the green light coming off the bench.<\/p>\n Except this time, with the higher volume (14 shots a night), his efficiency hasn\u2019t suffered much (45%) if at all.<\/p>\n Hauser had 30 points against the Hawks, on 10 made 3-pointers<\/a>. After arriving in Portland, Anfernee Simons is giving roughly as much offensively as Holiday. Queta replaced the departed Porzingis and Horford in the middle and is averaging eight rebounds. He has started 39 games after starting just six in his previous four seasons.<\/p>\n Again, these players are reaching their own next level without being reckless. The Celtics average the fewest turnovers in the league while allowing the third-fewest points. Not only is this unexpected, it\u2019s astonishing, all things considered.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the halfway mark is a perfect time to reflect on everything about our season and the amount of growth we\u2019ve had,\u201d said Brown. \u201cI\u2019ve enjoyed being with this group, I\u2019ve enjoyed playing with the young guys, help with their learning curve. It\u2019s been a joy. I\u2019m looking forward to the next part of the season. We still have some work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown\u2019s game grows again<\/p>\n Aside from expanding his leadership, which is considerable on a team with multiple teammates who hadn\u2019t been tested until now, the growth in Brown\u2019s offensive game is what separates this season from his others.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Jaylen Brown’s standout campaign has produced an impressive array of highlights.<\/p>\n Without Tatum around, Brown remains locked in attack mode, realizing that Boston needs him to score, both big and often, to have the best chance of winning.<\/p>\n He had 41 points in 29 minutes against the Hawks and 50 points three weeks ago against the Clippers. Only Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Anthony Edwards have more 40-point games. He\u2019s averaging career-highs in points and assists and doing it efficiently; Brown is making half his shots while taking just over 22 per night.<\/p>\n \u201cI was discouraged from taking mid-range shots at different points in my career,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been literally told not to. Now it\u2019s like `Jaylen you can take whatever shot you want.\u2019 I\u2019m like, sure. I\u2019ve been shooting as many mid-ranges as I can get up. At different points in my career that hasn\u2019t been the case.\u201d<\/p>\n He added:<\/p>\n \u201cWe love analytics in Boston. We\u2019ve added a more analytical approach on how we play. The way I play doesn\u2019t jump off the charts analytically to some degree. I can see why some people might think that me put in this role, we wouldn\u2019t be successful. But there\u2019s more than meets the eye. I\u2019ve just been playing my game. I play off rhythm, I play off feel, I play off what I see. Sometimes that doesn\u2019t show up on analytics.\u201d<\/p>\n It shows up on the court, and that\u2019s all that matters. Brown is the rare player who made a significant jump this late in a career (Brown is in his 10th season). At that stage, most players have already reached their ceiling, their peak. Because of Tatum\u2019s absence, Brown was forced to smash through his ceiling and start beasting.<\/p>\n \u201cI just come out play hard and maximize my team\u2019s potential from a leadership standpoint and be as aggressive as I can every time I touch the ball,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd just be poised and poised and see where that takes me.\u201d<\/p>\n Tatum question looms<\/p>\n All that said, whether the Celtics can maximize this surprising start depends on the obvious: Will Tatum return this season?<\/p>\n There are no heavy indications he will or won\u2019t, just conjecture and, in Boston, hope. If he doesn\u2019t, then the Celtics will be a star shy against most of the better teams in the East, and Boston\u2019s overachieving role players could be exposed in a seven-game series. That\u2019s just basketball logic.<\/p>\n If he does return, then it almost has to be well before the playoffs begin, perhaps in March. Here\u2019s why: Tatum will require a minutes restriction and a chance to ramp up.<\/p>\n Teams don\u2019t throw players, especially superstars, with those injuries into the heat of playoff intensity and ask them to burn 35 minutes a night after missing so much time, essentially going from 0-to-60 miles per hour.<\/p>\n If Tatum returns not only to the season but to form, it would cause an abrupt East shake-up. Because: There\u2019s no super team in the conference; all of the contenders have flaws or else Boston wouldn\u2019t be in such a prime position in the standings right now.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a topic for when and if Tatum suits up. In the meantime, the upcoming schedule is favorable. After Tuesday, the Celtics\u2019 next eight games are against teams with losing records, and five are at home.<\/p>\n Which means Boston has a chance to maintain this pace heading into the All-Star break, or threaten to move into first place, which would be the surprise of the NBA season.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are some things you want to be better at,\u201d said Mazzulla, about being 11 games above .500 after 41 games.<\/p>\n Perhaps, yet at this stage, the Celtics are feeling frisky. They\u2019re clearly defying basketball norms and showing few signs of returning to Earth. Plus, there\u2019s a chance they can go turbo because of Tatum. As good as things are now in Boston, they can get better.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t really have an expectation in terms of us being the first seed or whatever, given all these guys that are no longer with us,\u201d said Brown. \u201cIt was just come out and compete and play hard. And that\u2019s what we\u2019ve been doing.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is where you have to be sharp, be firm with the ball and execute. That can be the difference between you winning and losing games. I\u2019m focused on that. We\u2019re focused on that. We\u2019re the second seed and still have a lot of room to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can email him\u00a0here<\/a>, find\u00a0his archive here\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0follow him on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/queta-rebound.jpg\")
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