The Celtics’ opening month has been a fascinating mix of grit, overachievement, and growing pains. Despite losing three key players from their 2024 championship team and missing franchise superstar Jayson Tatum, Boston remains competitive. Most organizations would take a gap year after such turnover. Instead, Joe Mazzulla’s group continues to fight, showing that culture can sometimes outweigh talent. Boston sits at 5-6, 10th in the East, but the record doesn’t tell the full story. The numbers do. Here are five stats that define the Celtics strange but resilientopening month.
Five Stats That Have Defined the Celtics’ Opening Month
A Positive Net Rating Despite a Losing Record
The Celtics are the only sub-.500 team with a positive net rating (+2.5). This stat reveals something important: they’re competing at a playoff level, even if the wins haven’t followed. Boston’s 2-4 record in clutch games suggests a mix of inexperience and bad luck. With Tatum sidelined, execution late in games has suffered, but the effort remains undeniable.
Creating Open Looks Without Tatum
An encouraging number in the Celtics’ opening month is that 63.8% of their field goals are open or wide open. That’s the highest rate in the league. The Celtics are generating clean looks despite missing their offensive anchor. The problem? Converting them. The team’s shooting variance is killing efficiency, but the process is strong—something Mazzulla will surely emphasize as players grow more comfortable in expanded roles.
Living and Dying by the Jumper
Boston continues to lean heavily into Mazzulla-ball. They attempt only 21.4 field goals within five feet of the basket, the fewest in the league. Meanwhile, they lead the NBA in three-point attempts (32.8 per game). Last season, they paired volume with accuracy, ranking top-10 in percentage. This season, they’ve fallen to 24th. They’re staying committed to the philosophy, but the roster’s reduced shooting depth makes it a tougher sell.
A Midrange Revival
Unexpectedly, the Celtics lead the league in both midrange attempts (8.2) and makes. Jaylen Brown has powered this evolution, shooting a blistering 59.6% from 15 to 19 feet on a league-leading 4.3 attempts per game. It’s ironic that Mazzulla’s team—long allergic to midrange shots—is now thriving there. It’s not ideal analytically, but it’s working.
Rebounding and Hustle Define Their Grit
The Celtics rank just 21st in rebounds per game (42.4). Losing Kristaps Porziņģis and Al Horford has gutted their interior presence. Yet Boston compensates with hustle. They rank second in loose balls recovered (72) and third in charges drawn. That’s the identity Mazzulla wants—scrappy, selfless, relentless.
Boston’s record may not scream success, but the underlying metrics show a foundation worth building on. The Celtics’ opening month proves that even with injuries, roster changes, and skepticism, this team refuses to fold. The numbers tell a story of resilience—a team still finding itself but already fighting like it belongs.
Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
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