The Boston Celtics didn’t exactly come out swinging to start this season. With a roster that looked drastically different from last year’s championship squad and Jayson Tatum sidelined due to injury, things got rocky in a hurry. They dropped their first three games and five of their first eight, and the early outlook was anything but promising.
But fast forward six weeks, and the Celtics have flipped the script.
Jaylen Brown has taken the reins and then some. In Tatum’s absence, he’s stepped into a full-blown leadership role and is putting up MVP-caliber numbers-averaging just under 30 points per game while carrying the offense night after night. Brown’s not just scoring-he’s setting the tone, playing with purpose, and elevating the guys around him.
And speaking of those guys-this team’s bench has turned into one of the league’s most surprising stories. Neemias Queta, Josh Minott, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh weren’t exactly household names coming into the season, but they’ve become critical pieces of the puzzle. Whether it’s Queta providing toughness in the paint, Walsh bringing perimeter defense, or Minott and Gonzalez injecting energy and hustle, these role players have stepped up in a big way.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla deserves his share of credit too. He’s found combinations that work, leaned into player strengths, and kept the team focused through the early-season turbulence.
The Celtics are now defending with intensity, sharing the ball, and playing with a chip on their shoulder. They’ve become a team that fights for every possession-and that mentality is paying off.
Monday night’s comeback win over the Indiana Pacers was a perfect snapshot of this team’s grit. Down 20 points, Boston clawed its way back to grab the win, pushing their record to 18-11 and climbing to third in the Eastern Conference standings. That kind of resilience doesn’t happen without belief-and this team believes.
After the game, Brown didn’t hold back when asked about how this season stacks up in his career.
“I think this has been my favorite season so far,” he said. “Being able to get an opportunity to lead a group of guys who, some of us, we have some championship experience, but we have five or six new guys who haven’t really played NBA basketball, and now we look like one of the better teams in the league. That’s a credit to our coaching staff and our leadership.”
That’s a strong statement from a player who helped bring a title to Boston just last season. But it speaks to how much this year means to him-not just the numbers, which are career highs across the board in scoring, assists, and player efficiency-but the experience of guiding a new-look roster through adversity and into contention.
Brown is thriving, the young guys are growing up fast, and the Celtics are showing that even without their full arsenal, they’re still a force to be reckoned with. This isn’t just about surviving a tough start-it’s about building something real in the process. And if they keep playing like this, the rest of the East better take notice.