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Here’s one vote that the hot Celtics should still tank this season. But it’s evident they’re much too prideful to do so.
The most enjoyable plot twist of this season has been the emergence of assorted members of the supporting cast around the veteran stalwarts.
Say hello to the dummy who believes the Celtics should still tank.
It’s me. The rootin’-for-losin’ dope.
Now, tanking almost certainly would be the best outcome of the 2025-26 season for the franchise in the long run.
Acknowledge that, at least, before we dig into why it’s not happening.
You know the tanker’s script: Win 30-something games, slide into the lottery, hope for their own fortunate bounces of the Ping-Pong balls such as the Mavericks, Spurs, and 76ers got in the last draft, trust Brad Stevens (always trust Brad Stevens) to draft a high-end young player to complement Jaylen Brown and the returning Jayson Tatum, and get back to the business of winning often next season.
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It’s a logical path, I tell you, if a soulless and kind of lousy one when it comes to competitive spirit.
But like I said, it’s not happening.
Turns out the good kind of pride won’t let it.
The Celtics have lost so much from their delightful championship team of two years ago. Their best all-around player and true superstar to a serious injury (Tatum). Their top three big men (Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet). One of their two do-whatever-you-need guards (Jrue Holiday).
To a man, it was tough to see those guys go. That window closed far too soon. But focusing on what was lost probably overshadowed what remained — and the abilities and admirable competitiveness of those who are still here.
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Start with Brown, because everything good about this team starts with Brown right now. He is the biggest reason the Celtics are 13-9 and in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, having won eight of their last 10 games entering Friday night’s matchup with the Lakers.
In the past when Tatum has been absent, Brown’s game sometimes devolved into chaos. Not anymore. He has handled the weight of being the No. 1 option with aplomb, averaging career highs in points (29.0) and assists (4.8) per game while playing conscientious defense and adding 6 rebounds per game.
But Brown is not alone. Earlier in the season, at least for this observer, it was hard to avoid viewing the team as two segments: the players who were significant contributors to winning Banner 18, and everyone else.
Derrick White, the ultimate Celtic in attitude and approach, struggled with his shooting. Payton Pritchard had some hiccups as well — Tatum’s gravity benefited both of them so much — and like White had to adjust to increased defensive attention.
They have. Pritchard dropped 42 points — on 15 of 22 shooting — against the Cavaliers last Sunday. And with Brown out with an illness, White delivered arguably his best game of the season against the Wizards Thursday night, scoring 30 points while dishing out nine assists.
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White and Pritchard are and will be The Reliables, the complements to Brown’s excellence as well as the reminders of that banner season not so long ago.
But the most enjoyable plot twist of this season, especially during this emboldening recent stretch that included a win over the 15-2 Pistons, has been the emergence of assorted members of the supporting cast around the veteran stalwarts.
Neemias Queta, the fourth big last season, has blossomed into a confident, capable, and rather old-school starting big man. He’s averaging 10.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game on 66.4 percent shooting, and that’s in just 24 minutes per game. (His per-36 numbers: 15.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, and, uh, 4.9 fouls.)
His defensive awareness has improved with more playing time, as has his sense for when to set a screen and when to get out of the way. It’s really too bad the Celtics couldn’t retain current Spurs folk hero Kornet, because he’d form a solid and relatively cost-effective tandem with Queta.
Another reason the Celtics can’t/won’t tank? The live wires Joe Mazzulla has in Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, and Josh Minott, all of whom thrive on bringing jolts of energy to the game. Walsh has been a revelation, scoring 22 points against the Wizards, while crashing the offensive boards and hassling the indifferent Wizards all over the court. Gonzalez should have been drafted a dozen picks higher than he was, and Minott is a high-flyer who at the least has proven he can be a helpful player on a good team. These guys can’t help but play hard.
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It’s funny, the Celtics seemed positioned to tank early in Stevens’s tenure as coach. But in Year 2, it became clear that he was such a great coach that he was going to find a way to win plenty of games even with a collection of unorthodox players.
A similar thing is happening with Mazzulla. He’s so competitive that if his team went 82-0, he’d ask why it couldn’t win 83. His team has taken on that persona, that intense pride, and through the first quarter of this season, it’s made the Celtics very fun to watch.
I don’t know how many games you thought they would win this season. I had them at 43 in our preseason predictions. I now believe they’ll exceed that by a couple, presuming Brown, White, Queta, and Pritchard stay healthy.
They’ll have an ugly loss here and there when the shots refuse to fall, and they’ll beat a bunch of supposedly better teams along the way.
As far as bridge years go, it will prove enjoyable, presuming you’re one of the grounded fans that can find enjoyment in seasons that don’t end with a parade.
Do I still think they should tank? Yep. It’s me, the pro-tanking dummy.
But at least I can recognize that this group of players and coaches, this team, has too much dignity to do so.
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