The NBA's 82-game regular season can be a grind, but the Boston Celtics made most of the 2023-24 campaign look easy. They finished with the league's best overall record at 64-18, which happened to be the franchise's best win total since 2008.
That season was when the Celtics won their last championship, and they're hoping to add an 18th title to the collection this postseason as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Before the C's enter the grueling NBA Playoffs, let's grade the regular season and the individual performances of some of the team's most important players.
Jayson Tatum
Celtics star Jayson Tatum probably has the highest ceiling on the team, so he should have the highest expectations.
Although his seventh season in the Association won't end with an MVP, he was still elite for the Celtics, averaging a team-high 26.9 points per game and a career-high 4.9 assists per game. Everybody knows Tatum can score, and even though his numbers dipped, that's largely because Boston's starting five has four past and present All-Stars combined.
Seeing Tatum share the wealth more and have his turnovers drop a bit is a great sign and hopefully a pattern that will continue in the playoffs. However, the 26-year-old wasn't perfect in the clutch, as his shot selection was questionable at times in late-game situations.
If he can focus on getting to his spot and relying on his teammates when he's double-teamed down the stretch, he's more than capable of leading his squad on a deep playoff run.
Grade: A-
Jaylen Brown
Despite Tatum's primary role on the Celtics, Jaylen Brown might've been facing even more pressure heading into the season.
He was fresh off signing the richest contract in NBA history, and fans across the league were expecting big things from him. All that noise didn't throw Brown off, as he delivered one of his best seasons yet. The three-time All-Star averaged a career-high 3.6 assists per game and had his lowest turnover rate since the 2019-2020 season.
The Georgia native also shot a career-high 49.9% from the field and picked up his defensive intensity. His 1.2 steals per outing were the most of any Celtic this season, and Brown often looked forward to guarding the top players on opposing teams.
One of the only knocks against him was his free-throw shooting, as he shot an uninspiring 70.3% from the charity stripe. That was his worst conversion rate since the 2018-19 season and roughly a 6% drop from last season. Brown will need to lock in at the line in the playoffs for when the C's are inevitably in a close contest.
Grade: A-
Kristaps Porzingis
Center Kristaps Porzingis was one of Boston's newest additions this season, and he's worked wonders for the Celtics so far.
He averaged 29.6 minutes per game in Boston compared to 32.6 minutes per game when he was with the Washington Wizards, causing his rebounds, assists, and points to all decline a little. In spite of that, he had a whopping 1.9 blocks per game and shot a career-high 51.6% from the field.
Boston doesn't need Porzingis to be the No. 1 option every night, meaning he can afford a statistical drop in points and 3-point percentage. What Boston really needs is for Porzingis to be healthy in the playoffs, as he missed 25 regular season games.
Many of those absences were due to rest and not because of the Latvian big man's lengthy injury history. Still, a smaller sample size should bump his grade down a bit, but like for the rest of the Celtics, the postseason is all that matters right now.
Grade: B+
Derrick White
The Celtics have a loaded roster, making some people forget about guard Derrick White. However, he had a stellar regular season that shouldn't be overlooked.
The former San Antonio Spur took on a greater workload in the starting lineup and excelled. He had a career-high in minutes, steals, blocks, and free-throw percentage all while averaging 15.2 points per game.
His defensive contributions were especially a benefit to Boston. White had an insane total of 87 blocks on the season, which was more than any other guard in the NBA outside of Scottie Barnes and Peyton Watson. Those two had 88 blocks each and are both three inches taller than White, who's 6-foot-4.
Grade: A
Jrue Holiday
Last, but not least for Boston's starters is newcomer Jrue Holiday.
The veteran guard had a more limited role for the Celtics yet still managed to have an excellent season, averaging a career-high in blocks, rebounds, and 3-point percentage. Having an improved long ball is crucial to head coach Joe Mazzulla's offense, and even though he wasn't always perfect offensively, Holiday filled his role well as the team's No. 1 defensive option.
Grade: A-
Al Horford
It seems like big man Al Horford has been with the Celtics forever, yet that's because he's such an important piece to the team's overall chemistry.
This was the veteran center's first season for the C's in which he didn't start every game he played. Coming off the bench was an adjustment, but Horford was a quick learner who was reliable on both ends of the floor once again. His 3-point percentage unfortunately decreased, so he'll need to keep that up when his teammates look to him on the perimeter in the postseason.
Grade: B+
Payton Pritchard
This was somewhat of a “prove it” season for point guard Payton Pritchard. There were rumors of a trade request and to satisfy him, Boston's front office gave Pritchard a contract extension before the season began.
The former Oregon Duck then followed that up by playing the most minutes in his career and posting career-highs throughout his stat sheet. Pritchard had career-best marks in rebounds, assists, points, and field goal percentage while solidifying himself as a true scoring threat off the pine.
Grade: A-
Sam Hauser
Boston's starting lineup gets the limelight, yet the Green Team's reserves were a big boon this season.
Sharp-shooter Sam Hauser averaged a career-high nine points per game and only missed three contests throughout the 2023-24 campaign. Whenever his teammates found him beyond the arc, he was always ready to launch, shooting 42.4% from the deep and even coming close to breaking Klay Thompson's record for most made 3-pointers in a single game.
Like Pritchard, Hauser has become a bench guy the starters can trust when they're double-teamed. As defenses prepare to lock in on the Celtics' stars in the playoffs, having someone like Hauser lurking is of the utmost importance.
Grade: A
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