Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated explores how the Celtics have turned their season around and evolved into contenders. Mannix admits he thought the Celtics were toast in December, but since Jan. 1 they’ve gone 17-7, including winning nine of their last 10 games entering the All-Star break.
The Celtics have been dominant defensively, especially the starting unit. Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Robert Williams III hold a 88.8 defensive rating, which is the top mark among all five-man groups that have played at least 150 minutes, Mannix writes.
“I’ve had a lot of good teams here defensively. But this group has a chance to be unique,” former coach and current president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said.
The Celtics have also drastically improved their ball movement and are averaging far more passes and assists per game since the start of 2022, Mannix notes.
Here are a few more notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Head coach Ime Udoka says the Celtics are excited to add Malik Fitts and Kelan Martin (both on 10-day deals), but Boston will continue to monitor the buyout market in order to see who might become available (Twitter link via Keith Smith of Spotrac).
- There’s no telling where the Raptors might finish in the standings, and head coach Nick Nurse doesn’t mind that unpredictability, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “It wouldn’t surprise me if we finished in the top three and it wouldn’t surprise me if we finished seventh and I wouldn’t care about either of those spots, to be honest,” Nurse said Wednesday. He actually thinks there might be an advantage to finishing seventh place. “There’s a little, maybe, benefit of playing in that seventh spot,” Nurse said. “Get a couple games before you actually get into the (playoffs) and I think it might give you a game or two buffer of not giving one away right away.” The Raptors are currently 32-25, seventh in the East, only a half-game behind the sixth place Celtics.
- RJ Barrett (left ankle sprain) and Nerlens Noel (sore left foot) are both listed as questionable Friday for the Knicks, while Derrick Rose is doubtful as he continues to recover from right ankle surgery (Twitter link from Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel). Rose was a full participant in practice Wednesday and is inching closer to a return.
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