All of the talk around the Celtics recently has revolved around Jayson Tatum and whether or not he’ll return from achilles surgery this season or not. It’s obviously a massive talking point as JT is one of the biggest stars and best players in the league; his addition could legitimately swing the title race this season.
Not only is that unfair to Tatum as he rehabs from a devastating injury that has derailed careers time and again throughout history, but it’s also unfair to the Celtics, who have played like a championship contender this season without their best player.
It’s a testament to Joe Mazzulla, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and the rest of this scrappy roster, coaching staff, and front office, but we’re basically two-thirds of the way through the season, and what they’re doing can’t be ignored any longer.
Brian Windhorst, Tim McMahon, and Tim Bontemps spent a recent episode of the Hoop Collective discussing which teams they deemed legitimate contenders, which they dubbed as having a 5% chance of winning it all. Windy brought up that he looks for teams with a top-10 offense and defense, as historically, minus a few outliers, the champion will come from that elite group.
Celtics are top 10 in offense and defense
And this season, as of now, the Celtics are squarely in that territory with the 2nd-best offense and 9th-best defense currently. That can change over the next couple of months, but if Boston can sustain this level of play on both ends, Tatum or not, history would indicate that this team has a real chance to make a run.
The other teams that currently check those boxes are the defending champion Thunder (4th offense/1st defense), the Rockets (6th/5th), the Spurs (7th/3rd), the Timberwolves (8th/7th), and the Pistons (10th/7th). As you’ll note, only one of those teams, the Pistons, is in the Eastern Conference with the Celtics.
Most of the contenders are in the West, but somebody still has to come out of the East. The Pistons look like the favorites, but this group has never even won a playoff series. The Knicks and Cavaliers are lurking just outside this group with the 11th and 12th-ranked defenses, respectively, and both boast top-five offenses.
Whether those teams make the final cut or not, the point is that the Eastern Conference is truly wide open, and the Celtics are right in the mix. This may not look like a conventional title team, but they’ve got championship DNA up and down the roster and one of the best coaches in the league.Â
While it may be hard to win three or four series in a row as currently constructed, you could say that about any team in the East. Boston can beat any given team in a seven-game series, and if they can hit another level in the postseason, there’s no reason they can’t make a run all the way to the Finals this year.