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3 overreactions to Celtics’ middling start to 2025-26 season
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- 3 overreactions to Celtics’ middling start to 2025-26 season
The post 3 overreactions to Celtics' middling start to 2025-26 season appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Following the first 10 games of the 2025-26 NBA season, the Boston Celtics are in the middle of the pack.
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By many metrics, their start has been average. They hold the 11th-best offensive rating and 12th-best defensive rating, putting them right above the median of the NBA. As for their overall record, the Celtics are 4-6 and currently in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, which is just enough to distance themselves from the three East teams with only one win but not enough to truly put them in playoff contention.
This middling performance is largely what was expected from the Celtics without star forward Jayson Tatum healthy . However, there are still 72 games left to play and Boston's season is far from defined.
Before the last (roughly) 90% of the 2025-26 campaign gets underway, let's delve into three initial overreactions to the Celtics' mediocre start.
Is Jaylen Brown in the early MVP conversation?
Although the Celtics have been statistically average, their star guard Jaylen Brown has been far from it.
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The longest-tenured Celtic has dominated opposing defenses, scoring at least 30 points in six of his 10 outings this season. He's averaging a career-high 28.1 points per game and is only being outpaced on offense by eight other players.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is the lone guy averaging more points than Brown on better efficiency, yet that's likely because the 6-foot-11 Greek Freak takes more high-percentage shots inside the arc and attempts less than two triples per game.
Brown has never finished above 50% from the field in his 10-year career, but he now finds himself at 53.5% and a respectable 36.7% from 3-point land. The four-time All-Star is well on his way to a fifth nod and has led Boston in scoring in eight of its first 10 games.
A large jump in minutes doesn't account for all this scoring either. In fact, of the current top-nine scorers, Brown is averaging the fewest minutes (28.1) per contest. He has simply been incredibly efficient at the rim and more deadly from deep than usual.
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If Brown can continue this impressive level of production while keeping the C's afloat in the playoff picture, perhaps he can remain in the MVP conversation or, more realistically, qualify for his second All-NBA Team.
Celtics should tweak their aggressive defensive style
Offense aside, the 2025-26 Celtics have been flying around on defense.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla loves to apply pressure and send double teams to panic opposing offenses. This aggressive style of play and its focus on forcing turnovers is not only a product of prior success — remember how a harassing defense helped the Oklahoma City Thunder win it all last season — but also of necessity.
The C's lost numerous talented, switchable defenders in the offseason. That essentially required Mazzulla and company to adapt on that side of the ball.
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And while the Celtics have indeed been forcing turnovers, with their opponents averaging the fifth-most per game in the league, their new defensive strategy still has some kinks to work out.
Naturally, when a team is more aggressive on the ball, more fouls will occur. The Celtics obviously know this and are willing to live with it depending on the situation. Nevertheless, that hasn't prevented the Green Team from allowing the fourth-most free throw attempts per game.
A clear example of this took place on Friday night when the Celtics fell to the Orlando Magic , 123-110. Boston won the turnover battle, as it has been apt to do this season, and had one more steal than Orlando. Yet, the Celtics committed 27 fouls (to the Magic's 18) and allowed a whopping 31 free throws.
While free throws weren't the only factor in the double-digit loss, it's not the first time the Celtics have been significantly outscored at the charity stripe. Boston's underwhelming height and respectable speed make its hyperactivity on defense reasonable, but it needs to adjust a bit so that calculated risks happen more often than untimely fouls. Otherwise, the Celtics will continue to get killed at the line.
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This isn't the peak of the 2025-26 Celtics
New England sports fans have come to expect greatness, and the Celtics haven't provided that this season. However, that doesn't mean this team isn't capable of more.
While getting over Tatum's absence won't be easy, Brown has done everything in his power to match his fellow star's scoring prowess. He has accomplished this without being at full strength, as the 29-year-old has played through hamstring tightness since opening night.
Could Brown take another leap when he's feeling more like himself? His supporting cast should improve, at the very least.
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Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard and 2024 NBA champion Derrick White were expected to reliably back up Brown on offense this season. That hasn't really been the case, with the former shooting under 30% from beyond the arc and the latter experiencing his worst slump as a Celtic.
Given everything Pritchard and White have contributed to the C's in recent years, they should bounce back from their early struggles. Pritchard is already starting to regain his 3-point shot and White, who has never shot below 40% in his 10-year career, will do better than his current field goal percentage (33.3%).
If Pritchard and White's offensive woes do prove to be outliers and the Celtics can maintain their health, there's reason to believe they'll surpass .500 rather than hover around it. Their schedule to begin the season has been difficult, featuring games against expected playoff teams in the Detroit Pistons , New York Knicks , Cleveland Cavaliers , Houston Rockets , and Magic.
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Of course, an easier upcoming schedule doesn't guarantee the Celtics anything. Making the playoffs is no longer a given and going on a deep run feels highly unlikely without Tatum.
How far the C's can go remains to be seen, yet it seems like regardless of expectations, they're determined to compete and make the most out of a challenging season.
