Two years after winning it all, the Boston Celtics were expected to flounder. Instead, they are second in the Eastern Conference. How were they able to do that after losing their best player to injury and significantly changing their roster?
Jayson Tatum was the No. 3 pick in the 2017 draft. Seven years later, on June 17, 2024, he was an NBA champion. Nearly one year after that, on May 12, 2025, he was on the ground and in pain on the court of Madison Square Garden. He ruptured his Achilles tendon while playing against the New York Knicks in the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The injury required surgery, resulting in nine months of rehab.
Then, after being eliminated by the Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were traded in hopes of shedding the salary tax. Additionally, the Celtics lost more players to free agency, affecting their roster depth. After all of these changes, the Celtics’ starting lineup during this season would include only two players from the previous season. Due to the big roster changes, there was a worry going into the season that they would flounder.
But, against all odds, the Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 35-19, making them 5.5 games behind the No. 1 seed – the Detroit Pistons. How have they managed to do this?
Well, for starters, it has to do with the fact that Joe Mazzulla is giving playing time to the underdogs. Let’s go back in time for a moment. In 2020, Payton Pritchard was the No. 26 pick in the draft. He stands at only 6’1”, which is short for a basketball player. After years of not getting consistent playing time, he started during the 2023-2024 season, when the Celtics won it all. After that, he won Sixth Man of the Year in 2025 and has started for most of this current season. Now he averages 17.4 points per game (PPG), and averages 36.1% from the 3-point line.
Another successful example of giving an underdog a chance to play would be Jordan Walsh. Walsh, who was drafted with the No. 38 overall pick in the 2023 draft, never saw consistent playing time until this year. He went from averaging 7.8 minutes per game in the 2024-2025 season to now averaging 18.2 minutes. Additionally, he went from averaging less than 2 PPG to 5.5. Then, on the defensive side, Walsh averages over four rebounds a game. On a team that experienced a great loss in their front court due to the exits of three of their centers, having Walsh defending has greatly impacted the Celtics.
Then there is Neemais Queta. Queta, who is constantly plagued by fouls or injury, has made a name for himself as a starting center. In the past two seasons, our starting center was Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis had the rare ability to be over 7 ft tall and score a lot of points. While Queta doesn’t score as many points as Porzingis, he is a better defender than anyone previously gave him credit for. I, among many, had doubts on Queta being our starting center this year, questioning his ability. But, as the season has progressed, I can see the value he brings, making him one of my favorite players on the team.
Additionally, now that we recently added Nikola Vučević to our roster, our front-court depth will only get better. Vučević, who we acquired from the Chicago Bulls, is a center just like Queta, but he consistently averages over 10 PPG (sometimes closer to 20). Vučević is also a good defender, and adding him to the Celtics lineup is going to heavily improve the team for the remainder of the season.
Finally, there are two more players who have stepped up in this time of need. Drafted a year before Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown has been one of the most consistent players on the Celtics. With the No. 3 pick as well, Brown has been an All-Star 5 times and was named NBA Finals MVP for the 2023-2024 season.
When Tatum got injured, lots of pressure got put on Brown to step up and lead the team. Averaging close to 30 PPG, Brown has defined himself as a leader of the Celtics and a player that should not be messed with in the league. Then, Derrick White, who was traded to the Celtics four years ago and played college at the D2 level for most of his collegiate career, is one of those players who is an elite defender and scorer.
This mentality of giving players – especially underdogs – a larger role is exactly what makes the Celtics a winning team this year, making them true playoff contenders.
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