The Celtics‘ recent hot streak has changed expectations for the team, which now appears more qualified for a top-four finish in the East than a spot in the play-in tournament, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. They’ve won nine of their last 11 games after blitzing the rival Lakers Friday night, and Washburn sees them as legitimate challengers amid an ordinary-looking group of Eastern contenders.
This was expected to be a “gap year” in Boston after two starters were traded over the summer and two other rotation players left in free agency as the team focused on moving below the second apron. However, the roster newcomers have meshed quickly with the remaining talent, and the Celtics have notched several impressive wins over the past two weeks.
“We have a bunch of guys figuring it out for the first time,” Jaylen Brown said. “Of course you all expected it to sink right away, but we had five or six new players and we were all figuring it out. I know you guys don’t care about that. We’ve been getting better every single day and it’s coming together a little bit now, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
There was speculation coming into the season that the front office would try to move below the tax threshold, likely by trading Anfernee Simons or Sam Hauser. However, Washburn claims it would now be “negligent” if president of basketball operations Brad Stevens doesn’t try to upgrade the roster by the trade deadline.
There’s more from Boston:
- The Celtics’ offense has been surprisingly successful, posting the second-best rating in the league, notes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Payton Pritchard believes there’s still room for improvement and said it’s “exciting” to be a part of. “If everybody’s just focused on, ‘How can I just get a little bit better each day, each game, no matter win or loss?’” Pritchard said, “then eventually we’ll become the team we want to become.”
- Jordan Walsh has provided a strong defensive presence since moving into the starting lineup, and he made an impression on Lakers star Austin Reaves Friday night, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Walsh has also been scoring lately, posting 17 points in 26 minutes against L.A. after a career-high 22-point night Thursday at Washington. “He just plays hard as crap every single possession,” Reaves said. “You don’t take a possession off. His ability, his length, his athleticism. He’s physically gifted. Moves really well. I could see him being one of the best defenders in the league for many years to come. He made shots tonight. Good player.”
- Xavier Tillman has barely played over the past month because coach Joe Mazzulla has been using Josh Minott as his backup center instead of a traditional big man, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Robb endorses the move because it creates more playing time for young wings Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman.