The Celtics have gotten Jayson Tatum back, and all feels right in the world. He’s back alongside his longtime superstar sidekick, Jaylen Brown, and Boston looks primed to make a legitimate run at the 2026 championship.
But as Tatum has come back into the fold, and the Celtics are looking dominant in his first two games, scoring two double-digit wins over the Mavericks and Cavaliers, it has been great to see continuity from the secondary players who have been driving winning all season long.
With JT coming back into the starting lineup, even with a reduced role, we knew that was going to mean some sort of minutes reduction for guys like Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, and others.
And while we have certainly seen some of that, we haven’t seen any dip in play from any of those players. Baylor had been starting and playing heavy minutes ever since the trade deadline. He has moved into a much smaller role, but he’s bringing the same energy off the bench, giving the Cs 16 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday, with his typically solid defense.
Similarly, Sam Hauser has been relegated back to a part-time spot-up shooter, but he’s primed for the role, pouring in 15 points on 5 made threes Sunday. Hugo Gonzalez isn’t going to play heavy minutes every night now, but when he has gotten in there, he has been flying around, defending like a madman, and making life hell on opponents.
Celtics' bench has been running up the score
The Celtics have been winning the bench minutes all season long, and now those minutes are usually going to include one of the Jays. Keep in mind what players like Derrick White and Payton Pritchard are able to do now while they face significantly less attention from opposing defenses, and it’s tough to find many holes in this team’s rotations.
No matter what unit of five players is on the floor, Boston should be able to bring a strong combination of offense and defense. They have a solution for anything and a counter to every punch thrown at them. Obviously, a big reason why is the two superstars and the lesser stars around them.
But the deep role players and unlikely heroes have been driving winning in a major way all season long. The identity of the Celtics may be shifting as they are getting back to full strength, but they need to make sure they keep their edge from the role players, which can set them apart from the rest of the league.