3. Boston Celtics (43-21)
Grade: A
The Boston Celtics are another team that has been a bit of pleasant surprise this season. After losing Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Terry Rozier, and Marcus Morris during the offseason, many expected the Celtics to take a step back. Adding Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter were seen as solid pickups but not enough to fill the void that was left after the departures of the players who left.
Instead, the Celtics are sitting as the third seed in the Eastern Conference and have plenty of reasons to be excited thus far. Jayson Tatum has taken that jump many people expected him to take last year and has broken through as a star in this league. During the month of February, Tatum averaged 30.3 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 49.5 percent from 3. Doing all of this while improving as a defender, the jump he has taken is sensational.
The additions of Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter have been perfect fits and for all the doubts of the defense of the team, they’re currently a top 10 defensive team in the NBA. Jaylen Brown is also averaging 20.4 points per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field, making it three players on the team averaging 20 points or more. Gordon Hayward is playing like himself pre-injury, averaging 17.3 points per game, while shooting 50 percent from the field.
The arrival of Kemba Walker was a perfect consolation for the departure of Kyrie Irving. Marcus Smart is still doing Marcus Smart things but the lack of bench and true bigs can prove to be costly for the Celtics. Even with those deficiencies, the Celtics have a bunch of talent and being coached by Brad Stevens, were expected to make a deep playoff run this season.