Through 20 games of the 2025-26 NBA season, the Boston Celtics sit at 11-9 - not exactly dominant, but certainly competitive. This isn’t the same Celtics squad that steamrolled opponents in years past.
With Jayson Tatum sidelined and a roster that’s lighter on star power, Boston’s margin for error is razor-thin. But if there’s one thing this team has figured out early, it’s how to protect the basketball.
The Celtics are leading the league in a stat that doesn’t always grab headlines but absolutely wins games: turnovers - or more specifically, the lack of them. Boston is averaging just 11.6 turnovers per game, the lowest mark in the NBA.
Even more impressive? They’ve committed the fewest bad-pass turnovers in the league.
That’s not just clean basketball - that’s surgical precision in possession management.
In a season where offensive firepower is down without Tatum, every possession matters. And when you’re not coughing the ball up, you’re not giving opponents easy transition buckets. That’s been a crucial part of Boston’s game plan - limit mistakes, control tempo, and force teams to score in the halfcourt.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla is still working through some of the team’s more glaring issues. Rebounding has been inconsistent, and the offense tends to stall when Jaylen Brown isn’t on the floor. But this team’s discipline with the ball is keeping them in games they might otherwise lose.
A big part of that success comes from the backcourt. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard have been steady hands running the offense.
Neither is flashy, but both are smart, controlled, and make good decisions with the ball. That’s exactly what this Celtics team needs right now - especially when Brown, who’s averaging 3.6 turnovers per game, is the focal point of the offense.
By rotating White and Pritchard through as primary playmakers, Boston has managed to keep opposing defenses guessing and limit costly mistakes.
This isn’t a team that’s going to out-talent opponents every night. Without Tatum, they’re not built for that.
What they are doing, though, is finding ways to win on the margins. Limiting turnovers is one of the most effective - and underrated - ways to do that.
It’s not sexy, but it works.
That said, Sunday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers was a step back in that department. Boston turned the ball over 16 times - well above their season average - and it showed.
Those extra possessions helped Cleveland control the pace and ultimately take the game. Heading into Tuesday’s matchup with the New York Knicks, the Celtics will be looking to tighten things back up.
So far, this team has shown it can hang with just about anyone. If they keep taking care of the ball the way they have been - and if they can start cleaning up the glass and finding more consistent scoring options - Boston could be a real threat to make noise down the stretch. It might not be the most glamorous brand of basketball, but it’s smart, disciplined, and tough to beat.