I always like to take this time of year to do some self reflection. The past year (or years) can be very instructive to the present and future. Lessons learned, moments treasured, and even mistakes to recover
and grow from.
So I put it out to the staff to share their lessons learned from the last year about the Celtics.
Ian Inangelo
I have learned that this Celtics team culture can overcome almost any adversity. Losing Tatum to to the torn Achilles as well as Kornet, Horford, Holiday, and Porzingis in free agency, there were signs that Boston could use this year to tank. Instead, Jaylen Brown has turned into an MVP candidate, Payton Pritchard and Derrick White have stepped up in bigger roles, and they have been able to develop guys to give them great minutes like Neemias Queta, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, Josh Minott, Luka Garza, and Baylor Scheierman. Overall, just an incredible job.
Mark Aboyoun
I learned that Jaylen Brown can certainly be the No. 1 option. Coming into the season I had my doubts whether he was ready or not to be the guy on the team. Brown and Tatum built a great relationship on the court knowing when to defer to the other. With Jayson out injured, it’s been amazing to see Jaylen get to the next level and playing some of his best basketball in his career. So glad to have him on our team and he’s certainly in the running for MVP.
Steve Hooper
I have learned that Joe Mazzulla is a really, really good coach. Coming into this season with so many veteran leaders departing and large holes in the roster. Joe has done a tremendous job thus far especially considering there are so many new faces. It has been a difficult job to craft a competitive team each night and the Boston Celtics are 3rd in the East at the New Year break, wow. Joe was already a top ten coach in the league, but now many are hailing him coach of the year.
Robbie Hodin
I have learned that having players who provide maximum effort on every possession is more impactful than having better players who take quarters off from actually trying. The wing rotation the Celtics have won with this season (Walsh, Gonzalez, Minott, etc) isn’t particularly skilled. But, their intensity and physicality is what allows them to be successful in regular season basketball games. It seems trivial, but finding players who actually understand what hard work means is quite effective when it comes to winning games (look at the Cavs to see how skill can’t always outweigh laziness).
Mike Dynon
What I learned: Don’t underestimate this group of Celtics. With Jayson Tatum rehabbing his torn Achilles tendon and four other core players now elsewhere, expectations hit the floor harder than Joel Embiid grifting a foul. The Celtics were largely seen as a play-in team, or at best a second-tier/first-round-exit squad. Here at CelticsBlog, our win predictions ranged from 38 to 48, well below the actual 60-plus totals of the last two seasons.
Boston could have fallen on hard times such as the Indiana Pacers are now experiencing. The Pacers nearly won the 2025 title, but fell short after Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in the Finals Game 7. Without him this season, Indiana has the worst record in the league.
Today’s Celtics seem headed for a better outcome. At this writing, they stood third in the wide-open East and were on pace for a 50-32 season record. They have a top-five offense and are fifth in net rating (+6.6). Jaylen Brown is on fire. Joe Mazzulla is getting everything he can from this roster. Brad Stevens is ready to deal. And Tatum continues to heal. Obviously, there’s a long way to go and nothing is certain, but what we’ve seen so far provides plenty of reason for optimism.
Gio Rivera
What I’ve learned watching the Celtics so far: Joe Mazzulla’s versatility and adaptability may be greater than anyone imagined.
We’ve heard the postgame press conferences — the sound bites, the refusal to break what many assumed was his rigid “character.” Now, we’re seeing it all play out in real time. It was easy to discredit Mazzulla two seasons ago when the starting lineup featured Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White. Records were broken, opponents were blown out routinely, and the playoff run was largely smooth sailing — reminiscent of the 2018 Red Sox.
This season is different. And because of that, Mazzulla is — or at least should be — earning a different kind of respect.
He’s maximizing a Celtics roster that many viewed as a perfect tank candidate, better suited to bottom out and chase BYU’s AJ Dybantsa as a consolation prize in the 2026 NBA Draft. Mazzulla, however, has other plans. His philosophy has centered on two principles: embracing the uncomfortable and rewarding the players who provide the intangibles that help offset the roster’s star-power downgrade.
As of Dec. 30, Boston sits as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the Knicks and Pistons. Jaylen Brown has embraced the leadership role better than the team could have hoped for, and while he’s likely to be Boston’s lone All-Star representative, that reality doesn’t reflect a weakness. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard may not have taken the offensive leaps many projected with Tatum out of the equation, but the emergence of Jordan Walsh, Hugo González, Luka Garza, and Neemias Queta as the starting center has kept Boston firmly in the mix for the East’s top seed.
From the starters to the end of the bench, everyone has bought into Mazzulla’s blueprint. In what could have been the darkest season of the Tatum–Brown era, he’s instead made the Celtics one of the league’s most compelling watches — a scorching-hot underdog capable of competing with the NBA’s best.
Jeff Clark
I would like to say that I’ve learned I don’t know squat about basketball, even after all this time. But that is nothing new to this year and also not entirely fair. I think the trap I fell into was not believing in my own gut instinct. My initial thought after the cost cutting trades of the offseason was “there’s still the bones of a champion here on this team.” I let myself be swayed by the experts that warned of the talent drain, the lack of center, and the lure of tanking. I should have followed my instincts a little bit more and been less wishy washy with my predictions and expectations. If nothing else, my middle of the road “anything could happen” takes are downright boring and uninformative. I’m not big on New Years resolutions, but if I was, mine would probably center around being bolder and more sure of myself.
But enough navel gazing. I also learned that the Celtics are still an amazing basketball team and I can’t wait to see what they do next. Go Celtics!
Your turn: What have you learned this year? Tell us in the comments below. Have a safe and happy New Year!
