After thirty days of regular season play, the Boston Celtics are sitting just above .500 in the standings. This places them as the holder of the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics are sitting at a smooth 9-8 record, having played without their star player, Jayson Tatum, and are being led by veterans Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. Both of whom are playing an exceptional opening month of NBA basketball to keep the Celtics afloat.
Boston Celtics Above .500 After One Month of Basketball
Unquestionably, the Boston Celtics had an arduous NBA offseason. They lost veterans in Al Horford and Luke Kornet, traded away veteran guard Jrue Holiday, and had to factor in the Tatum injury. These adjustments made for a challenging summer. All the while, hoping to avoid penalties from overpaying on the salary cap. Fortunately, the contracted player received in the Holiday trade was substantially less. Not only that, but the free agents to sign with Boston were of minimal cost to the cap.
Off-season acquisitions of Anfernee Simons, Josh Minott, and Luka Garza have given Boston a chance to compete throughout the regular season. They have all shown their abilities in different ways coming off the bench. Simons has contributed through his shooting and playmaking. Minott has given his heart, tenacity, and defensive versatility to the team. As for Garza, his rebounding and ability to stretch the floor as an adequate stretch five has been impactful. Head Coach Joe Mazzulla has this team primed to go on a run as the season progresses and maintain their playoff viability. Just above .500 and within two games of the fourth seed, only time will tell if the season was a success.
Boston’s Competition In The East
After opening the season on a three-game losing streak, the Boston Celtics were questioning their commitment to perform this season. They are a very middle-of-the-road team as presently constructed. Only six games back from the first seed, they are currently resting within a game of the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, and Chicago Bulls. Philadelphia is winning the season series with two wins and one loss to Boston. Fortunately, Boston has Orlando in the same position in their season series. Playoff seeding may come down to several tiebreakers for the Celtics to earn a spot in the Play-In Tournament.
The standings would suggest there are other potential play-in matchups for Boston as well. Such as the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, and Milwaukee Bucks. Boston is currently missing something that each of these teams has… that is a definite number one option. New York has Jalen Brunson, Atlanta has Trae Young, and Milwaukee has “The Greek Freak” — Giannis Antetokounmpo. Tatum’s absence from the starting lineup could prove too difficult to overcome over the entirety of the season. If Boston is to have a chance to win, then Tatum will need to be fully healthy. They will only play all of these teams in a combined two games until just weeks before the NBA All-Star break. It will be important to watch the standings and various power rankings closely as the season progresses.
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