Hardwood Houdini grades the Boston Celtics' 2023-24 season through the All-Star break
The All-Star break has now come and gone in the NBA, and the Boston Celtics currently hold the best record in the league at 45-12. There were high expectations for this organization coming into the year after acquiring two All-Star level talents in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis. So far, the Celtics are meeting, if not surpassing, those expectations.
With just 25 games left, everyone on the roster has pretty much solidified their role, and we know what to expect from them. There is no better time to hand out grades to every Celtics player who average 20 or more minutes per game.
Jayson Tatum - A+
Jayson Tatum has continued to be the best player on the Boston Celtics and is even making a push as the MVP. Unfortunately for Tatum, his numbers, despite being as good as they are, hurt his MVP case. They are just a tick below other candidates like Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
However, Porziņģis said it best when referencing Tatum and the MVP race. He is in a position where he doesn’t need to be going out there and putting up crazy numbers to win games. There is enough talent on the roster to lighten the load.
This Celtics team without Tatum would not be anywhere near the level they are at right now, and as Porziņģis says, people are overlooking that. Tatum gets better every year, and it seems 2024 will follow that trend.