The Boston Celtics are turning heads this season-and not just because of who's missing from the lineup. With Jayson Tatum sidelined due to an Achilles injury and key veterans like Al Horford, Luke Kornet, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday now wearing different jerseys, you’d expect Boston to be in a bit of a transitional phase. Instead, they’re thriving.
That surge has a lot to do with Jaylen Brown, who’s playing at an MVP-caliber level and should be in every serious conversation about the league’s elite this year. But it’s not just Brown carrying the load.
The Celtics are getting meaningful contributions from a group of young, hungry players-Neemias Queta, Josh Minott, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh, in particular, have all taken noticeable steps forward. Walsh, especially, is starting to look like a real two-way difference-maker.
Still, the engine behind Boston’s gritty identity might just be head coach Joe Mazzulla. In a league where finesse often gets the headlines, Mazzulla is leaning into toughness. He’s got his team playing a brand of basketball that’s physical, relentless, and built for winning.
“It’s a non-negotiable,” Mazzulla said after a recent practice. “We have to be physical.
That’s just what winning requires. It’s not about our team or anything.
It’s just what winning requires-a level of physicality.”
That message has clearly landed. The Celtics are embracing contact, fighting through screens, contesting everything, and making opponents earn every inch. It’s not just about throwing bodies around-it’s about combining that edge with execution and situational awareness, something Mazzulla emphasized.
“I thought there were some moments that we had great physicality in the game,” he said. “And now we’ve got to take it and apply physicality, apply execution, apply situational basketball-all those things that go into playing good basketball.”
It’s that blend of toughness and precision that’s starting to define this Celtics squad. They’re not just surviving without their stars-they’re competing like a team that believes it belongs in the playoff picture, even as the roster continues to evolve.
Mazzulla summed it up best: “We’ve had moments where we had to work to be as consistent as possible in them, but physicality is a non-negotiable if you want to have a chance at winning.”
In Boston, the message is clear: no matter who's on the floor, the fight comes first.