The Celtics successfully navigated a challenging start to their season to end up at the .500 mark after 14 games. A 7-7 record was actually underachieving for the team based on the team’s advanced metrics in large part due to underwhelming performances in crunch time (3-5 record). Boston’s expected win-loss record is 9-5 per Basketball Reference and they currently boast a +4.8 net rating, the eighth-best in the NBA despite playing without Jayson Tatum.

Boston’s performance through 14 games despite some ugly slumps from key contributors (Derrick White, Sam Hauser) and other glaring flaws (backup center) are noteworthy. They look like they belong in the middle of the playoff pack in the East and currently sit just 2.5 games behind the No. 2 seed Cavs while in a tie for the No. 10 spot. The

See Full Page