Joe Mazzulla has never been shy about chasing the little edges, and this Celtics team is leaning into that obsession in a new way. For years, Boston’s formula has revolved around the math game: more threes, more possessions, fewer wasted trips.
That part is still there. But the latest wrinkle is about creating chaos on the other end, and the Celtics are already flashing it in preseason.
That shift matters because Boston has long been a disciplined team, just not one that lived off takeaways. Last season, the Celtics finished with the NBA’s fourth-ranked defense, but they were also bottom five in turnovers forced. Now, with new scheme and new personnel, that weakness is starting to look like a strength in the making.
Wednesday night was the clearest example yet. The Celtics rolled past the Hornets, 114-93, even though they lost the three-point battle and the rebounding battle.
The difference was the turnover margin. Boston coughed it up just 11 times on offense and forced 30 turnovers on defense.
That kind of number is too high to expect every night, but it tells you exactly what the Celtics are trying to become.
What they’re doing looks different on the floor, too. They’re swarming passing lanes, getting hands on balls, creating deflections and turning possessions into headaches for opposing offenses.
It’s not just active defense; it’s controlled aggression. And because this roster is loaded with switchable defenders, the Celtics can press forward without constantly worrying about someone getting exposed.
The preseason numbers back up the eye test. Through three games, Boston is forcing 21.3 turnovers per game.
That’s a massive jump from last season, when the Celtics ranked 29th in the league at 12.4 forced turnovers per game. The Detroit Pistons led the NBA at 16.9.
Boston is nowhere near that over a full season yet, but even a step toward the top of the league would change the ceiling of this defense.
The individual playmaking has jumped out, too. Paul George has 7 steals in two games, across 48 minutes.
Derrick White has 5. Baylor Scheierman has 5.
Hugo Gonzalez has 9 in three games. Jayson Tatum has 3.
Add it all together, and the Celtics are starting to look like a team that can win games not just by defending, but by stealing possessions outright.
Boston already had the pieces to be a strong defense. If this level of disruption sticks, it starts to look like something even more dangerous.
In Other News...
Mitchell Robinson Added More Drama To Celtics Win Over Knicks
Mitchell Robinsons first game against the Knicks since landing in Boston already had a little extra bite, and the setting only made it louder. The Celtics came away with a 107-103 win, giving Robinson a chance to see his old team from the other side while settling into a role that had him on the floor for 22 minutes.
Robinson chipped in a quiet but useful line with four points, four rebounds, two assists and a block, helping Boston get through a tight finish against a familiar opponent. Off the court, though, he stirred the pot in his own way when he took to Instagram to mock a fan who apparently still thought he was wearing Knicks colors, adding a little more drama to a night that was already wrapped around the rivalry. [Read more 🡒]
Jayson Tatum Delivered The Response Celtics Fans Needed
Jayson Tatum spent much of the night easing into the game, but once the Celtics needed him most, he took over. The Boston forward finished with 36 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a 107-103 win over the Knicks at TD Garden, giving the home crowd the kind of closing stretch it had been waiting for after a slow start.
Boston needed every bit of that second-half surge, especially with New York making it uncomfortable late. Tatum kept answering when the Knicks threatened to flip the game, and Paul George and Neemias Queta chipped in with 15 points apiece to help Boston survive the finish and leave the building with a needed win. [Read more 🡒]
Tatum Just Raised The Stakes In Bostons Jaylen Brown Debate
Jayson Tatum spent part of the conversation trying to cool off the noise around Jaylen Brown, saying he holds no animosity toward his former teammate and pointing to what they accomplished together in Boston. The backdrop is already awkward enough after Brown was moved from the Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers, and Tatums comments on his YouTube video only added another layer to a storyline that has followed both players into this season.
Browns response on social media, though, suggested he did not exactly buy the framing. Tatum also pushed back on the media narrative surrounding their relationship and the idea that every meeting between their teams has to be read as something bigger, which only makes the next chapter between them more interesting once the schedule brings them together again. [Read more 🡒]