This article was written prior to the Portland Trail Blazers vs. Boston Celtics match scheduled for January 26th, 2026.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this for the 2025-26 Boston Celtics.
That might be an exaggeration. If a team is well-prepared to confront gathering storm clouds, then one should not be aghast at its relative success. Alas, that is not the world most sports fans exist in, nor is it the habit of the sports-themed media, who jump to conclusions with so many games left on the calendar.
When Jayson Tatum, the club’s 27-year-old star (more on that notion later), went down with an Achilles rupture during the 2024-2025 postseason, an audible gasp could be heard among the fanbase. Not because it virtually annihilated the side’s chances at overcoming what was already a dire series deficit versus the New York Knicks (the latter would vanquish the Celtics in 6 games, 4-2). Nay, it was because anyone who knows anything about professional sports and basketball knows that an Achilles injury is a pain to recover from. There is a lot of running and jumping in basketball. The Achilles is, well, a rather critical component to playing the game effectively.
Then came the summertime off-season. Not only did the heat arrive, but so too did the chickens to the roost. Roster and budget-wise, that is. Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford, each of whom played vital roles during the 2023-2024 championship campaign, were out the door. So, three players who helped capture a ring would play for other teams, and a fourth remained on the roster, but ensconced in the infirmary for lord knows how long. True, the Celtics failed to defend their title in 2024-25, but they finished the regular season with a resplendent 62-21 tally and remained among the finer sides in the Association.
Celtics Defying Expectations
Here we are at the tail end of January 2026, and Boston is somehow, someway, seeded second in the Eastern Conference, only behind the surging Detroit Pistons (in due deference, Detroit supplanted Boston in a recent matchup). At 28-17, coach Joe Mazzulla’s ensemble is looking far superior to what many surely anticipated. As deadly as before? No. As ruthlessly efficient as in previous years? Neither. All the same, Mazzulla, his staff and, most obviously, the players have pulled out all the stops to put in the best season they can with what they possess.
Speaking of players and stars, the Celtics have two. Tatum is out, but Jaylen Brown is doing his utmost to confuse observers about who the best player on the roster is. Some will breathe their dying breath convinced it’s Tatum, and they’ll have a sound case to offer. Even so, Brown has never scored as many points per contest before (29.8), never supplied as many assists per match (4.9), and he’s flirting with his best total rebounds per game numbers (6.8) since 2022-23 (6.9). Yes, he averages 3.7 turnovers a night (his worst numbers), but the ball is in his hands a lot more this season, and he’s always had a slight case of butterfingers.
Not to be overlooked, Derrick White is also besting his career average in points (17.6) whilst putting in his second-best figures for helpers (5.4). Then there is Payton Pritchard who, by way of starting rather than coming off the bench, is also showcasing admirable statistics: 16.7 points per match, 5.4 assists, and 3.4 rebounds, all career highs.
Portuguese-born Neemias Queta is slowly proving there may be life at the center position in Boston after Luke Kornet and the aforementioned Porzingis. The nights are more frequent when it looks as though drafting Hugo Gonzalez in 2025 was a sound decision. Anfernee Simons is making a decent case for sticking around past his one-year deal. As for Sam Hauser, well, he still isn’t a great defender, but when he heats up from beyond the arc, watch out.
It Takes a Whole Team
Boston is accomplishing this without enviable numbers when compared to their 29 rivals. They’re 12th in the league in points per contest (116.9), 8th in two-point shooting efficiency (.560), 8th in three-point firing (.369) – typically their bread and butter – and 13th in total rebounding (44.8). Conversely, Mazzulla and his staff have evidently put more emphasis on defence this season. Boston only concedes 110.3 points per game, good for 3rd. Furthermore, opponents muster no better than 0.447 overall field goal efficiency, which is also good for 3rd.
In essence, the attack has taken a step back (it’s still good, just not great), but the effort on the opposite side of the ball is compensating for it. This is a surefire sign of a club that can adapt. When plan A isn’t working (or, in this case, inoperable due to injuries), execute plan B, or C if one is forced to. A club that goes from one season with Tatum, Holiday, Porzingis, and Horford to one without any of them is probably staring at plan D or E.
Will the Celtics earn the championship this season? That remains to be seen, but even the most hopeful supporter must admit that that is a tall order. The side is certainly performing beyond expectations. Does that mean the roster is better constructed than previously imagined, or is there some special magic at play, a spell that will expire come the first or second round of the playoffs? It’s already been demonstrated that the Pistons pose considerable problems, and to get to the Finals, Detroit is a major obstacle. They frequently defeat the Toronto Raptors, but boy, those games are close.
But as former Celtics player Kevin Garnett once yelled into the rafters at TD Garden as confetti trickled down: anything is possible!
Edgar Chaps 
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