The Celtics have already offered a pretty clear preview of life without Jaylen Brown, and it came in a surprisingly sturdy 12-game stretch that gave Boston plenty to think about before making the trade.
The headline number is the one that jumps out first: the Celtics went 9-2 in the 11 games they played without Brown last season, according to StatMuse. That’s the kind of record that makes a front office pause. It also helps explain why Boston felt comfortable betting on what it can build with the rest of the roster.
That said, the sample deserves some context. Four of those games came against teams with some of the league’s worst records: Washington, Indiana, Sacramento and Milwaukee.
Boston did lose to Indiana, so the run wasn’t spotless. The other seven matchups came against playoff teams - Toronto, Houston, Phoenix, Atlanta, Charlotte, New York and Orlando - and five of those games included Jayson Tatum.
Even with Brown out, Boston found ways to keep winning because the depth showed up. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard did what they usually do, but the bigger story was the support from players who might not have been expected to carry much of the load. That kind of collective response is exactly what makes the Celtics believe they can replace Brown’s impact in the aggregate, even if no single player matches his talent.
There was also another game that belongs in the conversation, even if Brown technically appeared in it. In Boston’s second meeting with San Antonio, Brown was ejected on a call many would consider highly questionable just before halftime, picking up his second career ejection. The Celtics still pushed the eventual Western Conference champions hard, and much of that came from players like Harper stepping into Brown’s place.
Payton Pritchard didn’t play in that one, either, which only makes Boston’s showing more notable. The Celtics also battled the Knicks all the way to the final buzzer in one of their two losses with Brown.
The trade now puts all of that under a brighter spotlight. Boston’s record without Brown, plus the way those games played out on film, is the strongest evidence yet that the Celtics believe this move can work.
In Other News...
Celtics Fans Are Still Processing What This Offseason Just Changed
Ron Harper Jr. is already settling into his next chapter in Boston, and even the small details are carrying meaning. After signing a four-year contract with the Celtics, Harper said he will switch from No. 13 to No. 8 as a tribute to Kobe Bryant, a move that also opens the door for new teammate Paul George to take 13. It is the kind of roster housekeeping that can get overlooked in a busy offseason, but it says something about how quickly the Celtics are trying to stitch together a new look.
Harper also spoke about how much the long-term deal means to him, which gives this addition a little more weight than a standard end-of-summer signing. Around the same time, the broader picture in Boston is still being shaped by the Jaylen Brown trade, with Sixers president Mike Gansey weighing in on the deal and Brown set to host a public going-away party in the city. Even with the new arrivals, this is still an offseason the Celtics and their fans are sorting through in real time. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Depth Is Becoming Joe Mazzullas Biggest Edge
Bostons success this season has not just come from talent, but from how clearly Joe Mazzulla has organized it. Even with injuries and roster changes, the Celtics have kept leaning into a system that gives players defined jobs and asks them to thrive in those lanes, rather than forcing everyone into the same kind of offensive mold. That structure has helped the team stay productive when the lineup shifts, because the roles remain familiar even when the faces do not.
The numbers back up the idea too. Analysis from SportsRadar and Synergy identified four Celtics players who have delivered strong impact in specific offensive roles, which is exactly the kind of depth Mazzulla has tried to maximize. For Boston, the bigger story may be that the team is not depending on traditional star positions to carry the load, but on a lineup built to exploit each players strengths in the right moments. [Read more 🡒]
Luka Garza Is Fighting For His Celtics Role This Summer
Luka Garza spent last season trying to carve out space in a crowded Celtics frontcourt, and the picture only got more complicated once Boston added Mitchell Robinson at center. Even so, Garza said he sees progress in how he handled his first season with the team, acknowledging both the adjustment period and the challenge of earning more consistent minutes in a rotation that kept him on the fringe.
This summer, Garza is putting in work at the new NBPA player-owned performance center in Los Angeles as he prepares for the next season. The message from his end is simple enough: keep improving, stay ready, and make it harder for Boston to leave him out of the mix when the games start counting again. [Read more 🡒]