Just about every outside figure who’s been asked about the “surprise” success of the 2025-26 Boston Celtics has said the same thing -- it’s not surprising. Very few, however, actually know what it was like to play in Boston before this season.
Former Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis, who is back in town with the Golden State Warriors, shared his theory on how Boston has gotten so much out of everyone on the roster.
“I think Joe (Mazzulla) has turned up a few more levels of craziness with the young guys, probably, and he’s squeezing everything he can out of them,” Porzingis told reporters at Wednesday’s morning shootaround (via CLNS Media). “And look at that group. They’re playing super well.”
It truly is next man up for the Celtics, no matter what
It’s true. The Celtics have seen great production from their less-experienced players this season. Baylor Scheierman (second year), Hugo Gonzalez (rookie), Jordan Walsh (third year), Ron Harper Jr. (32 total games), and Luka Garza (1,879 career minutes) have delivered every time their numbers have been called.
Scheierman’s place in the rotation is the most consistent of the bunch. Before Jayson Tatum returned to the lineup earlier this month, he was starting every game for Boston. Even since, he’s maintained a crucial role in the Celtics’ success. Oh, and he’s doing it with a broken thumb on his shooting hand.
The former Creighton standout has averaged 8.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game on 48.4% from the field and 40.0% from beyond the arc, since his injury.
Garza played a regular role off of Boston’s bench as Neemias Queta’s backup from mid-December until the February trade deadline. It was then that Nikola Vucevic joined the team and inherited many of Garza’s minutes. That didn’t shake the big man, though. When Vucevic broke his right ring finger (what’s up with the finger injuries?), Garza seamlessly stepped back into the rotation without any signs of rust.
In the six games since, he’s averaged 7.5 points and 3.0 rebounds on 51.7%/42.1% shooting splits. Garza’s motor on the offensive glass remains as high as ever, too.
As for Gonzalez, Walsh, and Harper Jr., their roles are more sporadic, typically coming on nights where one of the regulars is out. It doesn’t matter though. They’re all ready when needed. Even this month, they’ve all had little moments to shine.
Harper Jr. scored a career-high 22 points in San Antonio against the Spurs last week. Gonzalez had a monster double-double in Milwaukee on a night where both Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta had the day off vs. the Bucks. Walsh put together an eight-point, three-rebound outing when Boston visited the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
"Even in our years, also, whenever somebody was out, just, it's like the culture that they already have there, it's like, it's not gonna just disappear,” Porzingis explained in the Warriors’ locker room ahead of the Feb. 19 matchup with his former squad.