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Boston Celtics: The C’s top 3 performers in first quarter of the season

By Nathanael Rutherford

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 23: Jayson Tatum #0, Jeff Teague #55, and Jaylen Brown #7, of the Boston Celtics celebrate after scoring against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half at TD Garden on December 23, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Fluharty-Pool/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 23: Jayson Tatum #0, Jeff Teague #55, and Jaylen Brown #7, of the Boston Celtics celebrate after scoring against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half at TD Garden on December 23, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Fluharty-Pool/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Boston Celtics (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Getting off to a strong start in the first quarter can set a team up for success the rest of the game. If that analogy can hold true for a whole NBA season, then the Boston Celtics look set for a pretty solid 2020-21 campaign.

There have been struggles for them for sure, but with Boston sitting at 9-6 and giving the Philadelphia 76ers a tough fight without some of their key players still sitting out due to COVID restrictions, it’s easy to have optimism about this season.

When you consider the Celtics have gotten here while fighting COVID issues and going through the first month of the season without Kemba Walker, that’s not too shabby.

The road doesn’t get any easier for the franchise coming up, but they have a strong core of players who appear to have the ability to keep the team near the top of the Eastern Conference.

3 Boston Celtics players have performed better than the rest so far

Boston has gotten some big contributions from both expected and unexpected sources in the early going. There are 3 players, however, who have risen above the rest as the C’s top performers early on this season:

Boston Celtics player No. 1) Jaylen Brown

Everyone knew what to expect from Jayson Tatum.

The NBA All-Star has developed into a legitimate stud in the league, and he’s only built upon that this season.

What many weren’t expecting was the type of splash Jaylen Brown has made.

Brown has asserted himself as the Celtics’ next star on the roster alongside Tatum, and he’s enjoying a phenomenal start to the 2020-21 season, boasting career-highs in points per game (26.9), assists per game (3.7), and steals per game (1.4) while also averaging 6.0 rebounds and connecting on 41.6 percent of his threes.

The fifth-year wing is taking more shots and has the highest Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of any starter this season with a 24.9 mark.

He’s been one of the most productive offensive players for the teams this season.

Brown has scored 20 or more points in all but two games so far this year, and he’s eclipsed the 30-point mark four times, including putting up 40-plus points twice. Before this season, Brown had scored 30 or more points just eight times in his previous 279 games as a Celtic.

Boston needed a second big-time scorer to emerge alongside Tatum, especially with Kemba Walker missing the first month of the season.

Brown has been that and more, and he’s possibly been the MVP of the C’s in the first quarter of the season.

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