{"id":161512,"date":"2025-02-20T17:53:16","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T17:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.celticsblog.com\/2025\/2\/20\/24369359\/boston-celtics-player-grades-before-the-playoff-push-jaylen-brown-jayson-tatum-kristaps-porzingis"},"modified":"2025-02-20T17:53:16","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T17:53:16","slug":"celtics-player-grades-before-the-playoff-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/20\/celtics-player-grades-before-the-playoff-push\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtics player grades before the playoff push"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \"NBA:
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With aspirations of repeating as champions, there\u2019s a steep curve.<\/p>\n

The Boston Celtics<\/a> are 39-16, fifty-fivegames into a solid (if very slightly disappointing) title defense. The team has thankfully shaken off a brutal second quarter, entering the All-Star break on a 7-1 stretch that\u2019s seen Jayson Tatum playing some of the best ball of the year.<\/p>\n

Two-thirds into the season, it seems like a good time to take stock of how the roster has been performing with some player grades.<\/p>\n

Note that I grade on a curve. These marks are relative to expectations and past performance; players don\u2019t get an A simply for possessing talent. If we know someone is capable of consistent excellence, flashes won\u2019t cut it. I want players to meet or exceed the high expectations that previous successes have engendered.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been accused of being a jerk<\/s> harsh grader in the past, but fake nice-guy stuff is how the Chicago Bulls keep being the Chicago Bulls. Real teams and fans can take an unflinching look at their rosters, and I\u2019ve tried to do that here. That said, these are always subjective, so feel free to share your grades in the comments!<\/p>\n

Jayson Tatum: A<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tatum has been a top-5 player in the NBA yet again this season, and it feels like he\u2019s cruising toward another All-NBA First Team finish. His shooting efficiency (58.9% true shooting is just slightly above league average) hasn\u2019t been elite thanks to a slightly subpar season from deep (35.8% from long range), but it\u2019s more than good enough given the sheer amount of shots he puts up.<\/p>\n

The defense is steady, as always. Tatum\u2019s willingness to occasionally defend opposing centers (with zero complaints, unlike certain other forwards) lets head coach Joe Mazzulla do some funky things schematically. His rebounding has been customarily elite, and the passing has noticeably improved, carrying over from last year\u2019s playoffs. <\/p>\n

His patience and processing speed are top-tier, but the technical improvements, like hitting shooters right in their pocket from across the court, are even more eye-catching: <\/p>\n

\n \"
\n <\/figure>\n

It feels like Tatum can get a dunk whenever he wants, which is why some of the side-step threes can be so frustrating to watch. In a perfect world, Tatum would constantly redline his aggression levels, but he\u2019s been more than good enough in this one.<\/p>\n

Jaylen Brown: C<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Please don\u2019t twist my intent here. I\u2019m not saying by any means that Brown\u2019s been a bad player this year, but there\u2019s no getting around the fact that Brown has had a down season by his remarkable standards. That being the case, I can\u2019t justify a high mark.<\/p>\n

His on-ball defense remains excellent, and he has had by far<\/em> the best passing season of his career, showing real growth as a playmaker and decision-maker. The passing has consistently been a major weakness for Brown, so seeing him make such a leap this far into his career is encouraging.<\/p>\n

However, Brown is also having the worst three-point shooting year of his career. While his finishing has improved recently, this is also his worst two-point shooting season since 2018. Brown hasn\u2019t had as many hammer yams on fools as in the past, and his dunk rate is nearly half of what it was last season. Of course, injuries have played a part, but Brown hasn\u2019t looked quite the same even when healthy.<\/p>\n

His off-ball defense has also dramatically regressed to the point where advanced metrics like EPM<\/a> now think he\u2019s an actively harmful defender overall. That might be overstating it, but teams have been targeting Brown in transition and with off-ball movement to sometimes gruesome effect. Twice in a row,<\/em> the Hawks exploited Jaylen Brown\u2019s lazy defense in embarrassing fashion, prompting a furious Mazzulla timeout: <\/p>\n

\n \"
\n <\/figure>\n
\n \"
\n <\/figure>\n

Yikes.<\/p>\n

Again, I am not saying that Brown should be a benchwarmer. Perhaps some time off will get him right physically, as he\u2019s battled shoulder and knee ailments throughout the year. But all in all, the Celtics are accustomed to \u2014 and need \u2014 more.<\/p>\n

Derrick White \u2014 B+<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Derrick White continues to up his three-point volume to obscene heights, and he\u2019s still canning them with regularity. Truthfully, the defense has slipped just a tad, but there\u2019s still no sight quite like White obliterating hubris-driven would-be dunkers at the rim: <\/p>\n

\n \"
\n <\/figure>\n

White has continually expanded his offensive game while being either the best or second-best defender on the team every year since he arrived, and his game \u2014 predicated on shooting and intelligence \u2014 should age like fine vino. I\u2019ve loved watching his confidence blossom over the years to the point where he\u2019s willing to take shots typically reserved for mononymous superstars: <\/p>\n

\n \"
\n <\/figure>\n

Perhaps Payton Pritchard\u2019s swagger has rubbed off on him.<\/p>\n

Jrue Holiday \u2014 D+<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is tough to write, as I\u2019m as big a Holiday fan as there is. But he\u2019s noticeably a half-step slower on defense this season (still good!), and the decline in three-point shooting has been so severe that teams have had no issue stashing a center on him. The Celtics\u2019 offensive rating falls off a cliff like a bad-luck bungee jumper whenever he\u2019s on the floor (an offensive on\/off of -10.5 is in the fifth percentile<\/a>). While that\u2019s partly due to Payton Pritchard\u2019s incandescence and injuries, including a balky shoulder, Holiday simply hasn\u2019t been good enough on that end.<\/p>\n

Holiday stepped his game up in the playoffs last season, and it\u2019s more than possible he can do that again. He might be saving his best for when it matters most. 55 games into his age-34 season, however, Holiday hasn\u2019t nearly lived up to his previous standards.<\/p>\n

Payton Pritchard: A+<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Who could have seen this coming?<\/a><\/p>\n

There have been times this season where Pritchard has legitimately been the Celtics\u2019 second-most-important player. His shooting, pace-pushing, and sneering audacity fit in any lineup permutation \u2014 it\u2019s not shocking that six of the top eight lineups he\u2019s used in<\/a> most have outscored opponents by at least 20 points per 100 possessions (the Celtics\u2019 net rating as a whole is +9.4).<\/p>\n

Pritchard has abandoned all pretense of being a table-setter. He\u2019s on the court to do two things: get buckets and chew bubblegum. Unfortunately for opponents, he\u2019s all out of Wrigley\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The three-point shooting has been so bright that it\u2019s blinded people to Pritchard\u2019s other notable improvements. For the second year in a row, he\u2019s been a legitimately freaky finisher at the rim, using his tiny shoulders as mean-spirited battering rams to free up just enough space to squeeze in a layup: <\/p>\n

\n \"
\n <\/figure>\n

Pritchard almost never turns the ball over and attacks the offensive glass like a miniature Thompson Triplet. I\u2019ll never tire of seeing him squirt out from a dogpile with a live dribble.<\/p>\n

He can get picked on defensively; that\u2019s true for anyone his size. But I don\u2019t think there\u2019s much more Pritchard can do on that end, and he\u2019s been so incredible offensively that he\u2019s actually closed a few games over Holiday.<\/p>\n

Even with a recent relative swoon, Pritchard was by far my easiest grade.<\/p>\n

Kristaps Porzingis: B<\/h3>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for KP to return to form (offensively, at least) following a lengthy injury absence, and he\u2019s been shooting the Wilson logo off the ball from deep. Per Synergy, he\u2019s scoring 1.21 points on every post-up shot, too, a top-notch mark.<\/p>\n

However, the team has suffered tremendously whenever Porzingis is in the lineup on both sides. Some of that is bad luck \u2014 opponents shoot 39% from deep when KP is on the floor<\/a>, an unusually high number. That\u2019s not entirely his fault, but Porzingis has not been tight in pick-and-roll coverage this year. There have been more communication breakdowns than last season, and whether that\u2019s KP\u2019s fault or not, he\u2019s often involved: <\/p>\n

\n \"
\n <\/figure>\n

If Pritchard was my easiest grade, Porzingis was the hardest. If you want to move him a full letter grade up or down, I wouldn\u2019t put up a big fight.<\/p>\n

Al Horford: C+<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Like Holiday, Horford\u2019s age (39!) is starting to show. He\u2019s down to 35% from three and has clearly lost a step on defense.<\/p>\n

That said, the Celtics are still elite on both sides when he\u2019s on the floor. Opposing teams would still rather attack other players on defense and are reluctant to leave Horford alone on offense completely. I\u2019d be lying if I said I wasn\u2019t worried about what might happen to him in the playoffs, but perhaps he can flip the switch.<\/p>\n

Sam Hauser: B+<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Hauser struggled out of the gates but found his shot and his confidence six weeks in. Interestingly, he\u2019s become even more one-dimensional this season, as he\u2019s shooting fewer than one two-pointer per game; perhaps that\u2019s merely a byproduct of the team\u2019s overall emphasis on putting up huge numbers of threes.<\/p>\n

Regardless, while Hauser has been steady in his role, I can\u2019t completely discount the first part of the season, either.<\/p>\n

\n \"Boston
\n Photo by Emilee Chinn\/Getty Images<\/cite>
\n <\/figure>\n

Luke Kornet: A-<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Kornet has nimbly maintained his spot as the third big on the roster behind Porzingis and Horford despite strong stretches from Neemias Queta. His underrated rim protection, offensive rebounding, and sure-handed finishes at the rim provide a reliable boost night in and night out.<\/p>\n

If anything, I wish the team would try to feature Kornet more on offense. He has some underutilized skills, and his teammates look him off more often than I like.<\/p>\n

He has his occasional struggles, and coach Mazzulla is more than willing to swap in a different player if Kornet isn\u2019t in the right matchup. But at the end of the day, the team outscores opponents by nearly 14 points per 100 possessions when Kornet is on the court<\/a>, the highest mark of any major rotation player.<\/p>\n

Neemias Queta: B+<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Queta always brings force and energy, two things the Celtics often need. Sometimes, that means he\u2019s crashing the boards, laying the hardest screens on the team, and sprinting for lobs. Occasionally, it means he\u2019s fouling the bejeezus out of opponents and running in random directions like a decollated chicken.<\/p>\n

But you take the bad with the good, and we\u2019ve seen far more of the latter than the former this season. He\u2019s a situational player who deserves credit for the real improvement he\u2019s shown this season.<\/p>\n

Drew Peterson: B<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Peterson hasn\u2019t had a lot of burn, but he\u2019s generally made the most of it. The shooting is promising, but he\u2019s also had a few defensive moments that I\u2019ve found mildly intriguing.<\/p>\n

Jordan Walsh: D+<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The nasty defense is real. Walsh can fly around the court, smack away lazy shots, and harass ballhandlers. He has the size and quickness to compete across at least three positions. In his very limited minutes, he\u2019s avoided foul trouble this year, a previous bugaboo.<\/p>\n

But the offense remains woeful. Walsh has the aim of a drunken snake. It\u2019s affecting his confidence. Everyone loves the try-hard defender archetype, but Walsh has to bring something<\/em> to the table offensively to earn real minutes. Right now, I\u2019m not sure that even Walsh knows what that could be.<\/p>\n

Xavier Tillman: D-<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tillman has been handily surpassed in the rotation by both Kornet and Queta. He\u2019s barely played and has looked terrible in his limited minutes.<\/p>\n

I still think Tillman\u2019s perimeter switching might make him an intriguing wildcard in the playoffs, but he hasn\u2019t even done that particularly well in his scant opportunities.<\/p>\n

Baylor Scheierman: Incomplete<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We\u2019ve barely seen the first-round pick this season, and that shouldn\u2019t be a shock. The Celtics have Sam Hauser and Drew Peterson as depth bench gunners, who have shot more accurately and defended far better.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll check back in a year or two.<\/p>\n

JD Davison: Incomplete<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I can\u2019t assign a letter grade to someone with 24 minutes of playing time. That\u2019s a good thing for Davison, who continues to struggle at the NBA level.<\/p>\n

\nTorrey Craig: <\/strong>A+++<\/strong><\/s> Incomplete<\/strong>
\n<\/h3>\n

One game, nine minutes, 100% three-point shooting, a block, an assist, and endless hustle? Can\u2019t ask for better per-minute production. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

With aspirations of repeating as champions, there\u2019s a steep curve. The Boston Celtics are 39-16, fifty-fivegames into a solid (if very slightly disappointing) title defense. The team has thankfu…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2664,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[61,122,127,129,124,128,125,132,131,133,126,130,123,66,94,88,97,56,64,65,60,112,40,75,95,104,33,120,105,101,98,115,30,29,41,86,70,69,68,72,71,26,118,108,87,46,55,48,52,54,51,50,83,62,58,57,109,35,59,63,85,79,82,96,80,27,81,114,44,42,43,45,38,39,110,117,100,111,116,73,89,90,92,91,93,84,78,37,102,34,36,77,67,74,99,113,119,28,121,32,47,49,53,103,31,76],"class_list":["post-161512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-airpods","tag-anime","tag-anime-characters","tag-anime-cosplay","tag-anime-edits","tag-anime-merchandise","tag-anime-movies","tag-anime-news","tag-anime-recommendations","tag-anime-reviews","tag-anime-series","tag-anime-streaming","tag-animes","tag-app-store","tag-app-store-samsung","tag-appgallery","tag-appgallery-oneplus","tag-apple","tag-apple-music","tag-apple-tv","tag-apple-watch","tag-bbc-sport","tag-best-mobile-games","tag-bixby","tag-bixby-xiaomi","tag-champions-league","tag-cyberpunk","tag-cyberpunk-2077","tag-fantasy-football","tag-fifa","tag-football","tag-formula-1","tag-fortnite","tag-free-fire","tag-free-mobile-games","tag-freebuds-pro","tag-galaxy-a52","tag-galaxy-note-20","tag-galaxy-s21","tag-galaxy-watch-4","tag-galaxy-z-fold-3","tag-game","tag-games","tag-golf","tag-harmonyos","tag-how-to-backup-iphone","tag-how-to-factory-reset-iphone","tag-how-to-reset-iphone","tag-how-to-restore-iphone","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone-5","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone-6","tag-huawei","tag-ios","tag-ipad","tag-iphone","tag-live-soccer","tag-lol","tag-macbook","tag-macos","tag-mate-40-pro","tag-mi-11-lite","tag-mi-home-security-camera-basic-1080p","tag-mi-home-security-camera-basic-1080p-huawei","tag-mi-smart-band-6","tag-minecraft","tag-miui","tag-mlb-scores","tag-mobile-game-design","tag-mobile-game-development","tag-mobile-game-marketing","tag-mobile-game-monetization","tag-mobile-games","tag-mobile-gaming","tag-nba-scores","tag-nba-standings","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-scores","tag-nhl-scores","tag-one-ui","tag-oneplus","tag-oneplus-9-pro","tag-oneplus-buds-pro","tag-oneplus-nord-ce-5g","tag-oxygenos","tag-p40-pro-plus","tag-poco-x3-pro","tag-pokemon","tag-premier-league","tag-pubg","tag-pubg-mobile","tag-redmi-note-10-pro","tag-samsung","tag-samsung-pay","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-steam","tag-steeam","tag-top-10-anime","tag-valorant","tag-when-do-the-iphone-7-come-out","tag-when-does-the-iphone-7-come-out","tag-when-is-the-iphone-7-coming-out","tag-world-cup","tag-xbox-series-x","tag-xiaomi"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2664"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161512\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}