Celtics midseason report cards: Everyone passing with flying colors
BOSTON -- The Celtics hit the midway point of their season after Monday night's win over the Bulls, and they lead the NBA with an impressive 29-12 record. It's hard to complain about much with the C's, as it looks like they've bounced back nicely from their recent struggles.
Are some nights more difficult than they should be? Yep. Have they dropped a few games to teams they had no business losing to? You betcha.
But do they have the best record and the best net rating in the NBA? They certainly do. And for that, we feel pretty good about their chances to raise a banner at the end of the season.
Boston currently leads the league with a plus-6.2 net rating and a 5.9 point differential at the midway point. The team's 117.1 offensive rating also leads the league, and while their 110.9 defensive rating (seventh) leaves a little bit to be desired, the Celtics are rounding into shape on that side of the floor with Robert Williams returning to action.
Jayson Tatum is at a new level -- an MVP level -- which is up from the new level that he established throughout last season. Jaylen Brown is a shoo-in to earn his second All-Star nod. Marcus Smart and Al Horford continue to be the heart and the glue of the team, respectively, while Malcolm Brogdon and Grant Williams been both been great off the bench.
The Celtics were 20-21 at the midway point of last season, just starting their second-half turnaround. This season has been, to state the obvious, much better.
Now it's time to hand out some midterm grades, and these are report cards that everyone will be happy to bring home and put up on the fridge.
Jayson Tatum
What's there not to like about Tatum this season? He's at the top of the class, and a pleasure to have in a Boston uniform.
Tatum is averaging a career-best 30.8 points per game off 47.2 percent shooting overall, his best percentage since his rookie season. His three-point shooting is down a bit at 35.1 percent, but he's making up for that by getting to the line this season. He's averaging 8.6 freebies a game, over two more than he did last season.
His offensive game seemingly gets better by the week. He's attacking the basket and he's got it falling from the midrange. Once the three-ball starts falling, look out. He's even cut down on his complaining to officials.
Tatum is also averaging a career-best 8.1 rebounds, and has 15 double doubles on the year. He had 22 all of last season.
He's firmly in the MVP conversation, though it will be a tough fight against the likes of Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. But Tatum and the Celtics have wins over just about every other MVP candidate so far this season, and his candidacy seemingly grows by the night.
Grade: A
Jaylen Brown
Brown isn't far behind Tatum's production, averaging a career-best 26.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. His offense has improved since last season, shooting 49 percent from the floor, and he's also getting to the line, averaging a career-best 5.2 free throws per game. He's scored at least 30 on 13 different occasions.
His handling still needs a little work, with Brown averaging 3.1 turnovers per game, and he has had lapses on defense. He could also use a little more focus at the free throw line at times.
But Brown plays well with Tatum (and others) and he has also been a pleasure to have in class.
Grade: A-
Marcus Smart
Smart works extremely well with others, and has been focused and excellent as the team's starting point guard, dishing out 7.2 assists per game. Keeping up with the trend so far in this post, that is a career-high. While his scoring is down, he's hitting 42.4 percent of his shots, which is also a career-high.
Smart can occasionally be disruptive in class, with four techs on the season, and we can only imagine how he is on the playground. But hey, he's on our side, so all is well.
Grade: B
Al Horford
Al continues to be a classroom leader, keeping everyone focused and in check.
His numbers are down overall and his absences are adding up, but that is by design as the Celtics manage the 36-year-old's minutes. But he continually makes the right play for the Celtics and has been a versatile defender whenever on the floor. Al continues to be a great glue guy for the Celtics.
Grade: B+
Robert Williams
Like Smart, he's disruptive on the floor. But also like Smart, that's exactly what the Celtics want out of Rob Williams.
He's only played in 10 games and just logged his first start Monday night as he returns from offseason knee surgery, but he's brought truckloads of energy (and defense, of course) whenever he's been on the floor. He should just get better as the season continues.
Hopefully he remains healthy for Boston's playoff run. Rob Williams' game-changing defense will be a huge key for the Celtics come the postseason. (He also looks real badass with those locks and his headband.)
Grade: INC
Derrick White
White shows up ready to play every night, and was a good fill-in starter during Williams' absence. He played well in that role, albeit a little uneven, and he's had some real cool spells with his shot. But White has been a solid defender and has come up with some big blocks along the way. He knows his role, and he plays it well.
Grade: B-
Malcolm Brogdon
Brogdon has adapted to his new role as a leader off the bench, averaging 13.4 points off a career-best 44 percent from three-point land. He has quiet nights scoring-wise, but can go off for 20 on any night.
Zero complaints with Boston's big offseason acquisition.
Grade: B
Grant Williams
A bit of a class clown, but Grant is a big piece to the puzzle in Boston. He's another versatile defender and is knocking down threes at a 42.2 percent clip.
Williams bet on himself when he didn't sign an extension before the season, and he's currently winning that bet in a big way. He hasn't let that quest for a contract get in the way of having another solid season.
Grade: B+
Sam Hauser
He needs to get better on defense, but that's not what the Celtics want Hauser to do. He is here to knock down threes, and he's done that at a 41 percent clip.
Hauser struggled in December, knocking down just 15 of his 53 triples -- a woeful 28 percent. But he has shown signs of improvement this month, hitting 43 percent of his threes so far in January.
Grade: B-
Blake Griffin
The veteran was brought in to help with frontcourt depth while Rob Williams was out, and he filled his role well. He likely won't play much in the second half of the season, unless there is an emergency. But Griffin is a great locker room guy and a pleasure to have in class.
Grade B
Payton Pritchard
Pritchard has had a hard time finding playing time given Boston's guard depth. He's undersized and outmatched on defense, but he can bring a big scoring spark off the bench and is a nice insurance piece should Smart, Brogdon, or White have to miss some time.
Grade: C+
Luke Kornet
Kornet has been a decent depth piece with Rob's injury history and Horford's age. He loves to jump.
Grade: B-
Joe Mazzulla
Mazzulla was thrust into a difficult position in taking over for the suspended Ime Udoka, bringing zero head-coaching experience to the head of the Boston bench. But he's been an incredible substitute so far though, and helped the Celtics' offense find new heights to start the season.
He's been far from perfect, with his rotations and refusal to call timeouts frustrating at times. And most of Boston's success has come thanks to the team's top-tier talent.
But Mazzulla has helped steady the franchise in the wake of an extremely difficult distraction, and could be in line to become the team's full-time head coach after the season.
He has received several demerits for chewing gum in class, though. A lot of gum.
Grade: A
