3 Reasons The Celtics Have Emerged As Legitimate Contenders

Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics celebrates after Grant Williams #12 scored against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden on March 01, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Hawks 107-98. — (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

With their huge comeback win on Tuesday, the Boston Celtics continue to show their dominance on the hardwood:

17-point deficit erased ✅ pic.twitter.com/7V2disgrMm

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 2, 2022

The Celtics have emerged as legitimate contenders, so let us go into the top three reasons why.

3. Scoring From New Sources

Of course, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are in the top 15 in usage percentage this season.

They are also in the top 16 in points per game this season, with Tatum having the third-most points scored in 2021-22.

However, they need help.

Earlier in the season, there was an inconsistent starting lineup, but there has been a new 3-point phenom on the team: Grant Williams.

Williams has the league’s third-best 3-point percentage.

Also, even with Dennis Schröder‘s 14.4 points per game being traded away, the Celtics have the following players helping:

Marcus Smart: 11.8 points per game
Derrick White (acquired via trade): 11.8
Robert Williams: 10.0
Al Horford: 10.0
Grant Williams: 7.7

Robert Williams owns the league’s best offensive rating.

Let me say that to you again — Robert Williams, the center for the Celtics, is the league’s best offensive rating player according to Basketball-Reference.

Do not forget about Payton Pritchard as well, who is the backup point guard for the team now.

The trade deadline was February 10, and Pritchard has played double-digit minutes in every game since February 8.

In just his second season, he is becoming someone that will be helping with 3-pointers as well.

In his last four contests, he has made 2.5 shots from downtown per game, and he has attempted 5.8 per game.

Going forward, the Celtics will need “the others,” as Shaquille O’Neal says, to contribute.

However, unlike what O’Neal thinks, the Celtics have a chance to be a dark horse in the playoffs this year.

At this rate, their defense will be able to keep them in any series.

However, will Tatum and Brown be enough to give the Celtics a chance at the Eastern Conference Finals in a competitive and jumbled conference?

It will depend on their health.

2. Health

The Celtics are playing like older Boston teams in one very specific way: team basketball.

That team basketball has been reflected by their dominant starting lineup of Tatum, Brown, Williams, Smart, and Horford.

They are 20-6 with this starting lineup and their net rating is not too shabby either:

Celtics healthy starting five net rating is up to +27.8 over 309 minutes after last night's win. That's the best mark in NBA by a landslide out of lineups that have played 175 minutes or more this year.

— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) February 25, 2022

Unfortunately, Brown went down with an ankle injury early in Tuesday’s win.

He should not be out for a long time, but his status seems uncertain for Thursday’s national television clash against Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.

Will the Celtics be able to defend the NBA’s newest sensation?

1. Defense, Defense, And More Defense

Well, if there is any team in the Eastern Conference that has a chance at defending Morant, it is the Celtics, who are back to 10 games above .500 this season.

They have held opponents to a .430 field goal percentage and .497 effective field goal percentage, and both marks are the best in the NBA.

Here is a perfect example of 2021-22 Celtics defense: Smart, the team’s defensive leader, makes a tremendous play to keep the Celtics’ lead at eight: