3 overreactions to the Celtics’ middling start in 2025-26

ByNBAUSA



After the first 10 games of the 2025-26 NBA season Boston Celtics they are in the middle of the pack.

By many measures, their start was average. They have the 11th best offensive rating and the 12th best defensive rating, which puts them just above the NBA median. As for their overall record, the Celtics are 4-6 and currently in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, just enough to pull away from the three Eastern teams by just one win, but not enough to truly put them in the playoffs.

This middling performance is pretty much what was expected from the Celtics without star forward Jayson Tatum healthy. Still, with 72 games remaining, Boston’s season is far from over.

Before the final (roughly) 90% of the 2025-26 campaign begins, let’s get into three initial overreactions to the Celtics’ mediocre start.

Is Jailen Brown in an early MVP conversation?

Although the Celtics were statistically average, their guard Jaylen Brown was far away from that.

Celtic’s longest-serving player has dominated the opposition’s defense, scoring at least 30 points in six of his 10 games this season. He averages a record 28.1 points per game, and is surpassed by eight other players in offense alone.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is the lone guy who averages more points than Brown on better efficiency, but that’s likely because the 6-foot-11 Greek Freak is taking more high-percentage shots inside the arc and attempting fewer than two 3-pointers per game.

Brown has never finished above 50% from the field in his 10-year career, but now sits at 53.5% and a respectable 36.7% from 3-point range. The four-time All-Star is well on his way to a fifth honor and has led Boston in scoring in eight of the first 10 games.

The big jump in minutes also doesn’t account for all of these scores. In fact, of the current top nine scorers, Brown is averaging the fewest minutes (28.1) per contest. He was simply incredibly effective at the rim and more lethal from deep than usual.

If Brown can continue this impressive level of production while keeping the C’s afloat in the playoffs, he might be able to stay in the MVP conversation or, more realistically, qualify for his second All-NBA team.

The Celtics should change their aggressive defensive style

Offense aside, the 2025-26 Celtics fly around on defense.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzula likes to apply pressure and send double teams to panic opposing offenses. This aggressive style of play and its focus on forcing turnovers is not only a product of past success — remember how a disruptive defense helped the Oklahoma City Thunder win it all last season — but a necessity.

The C’s lost a number of talented, replaceable defenders in the offseason. That essentially required Macula and company to adjust on that side of the ball.

And while the Celtics have indeed forced turnovers, with their opponents averaging fifth per game in the league, their new defensive strategy still has some issues to work out.

Of course, when the team is more aggressive on the ball, more fouls will happen. The Celtics obviously know that and are willing to live with it depending on the situation. Still, that didn’t stop the Green Team from allowing the fourth-most free throw attempts per game.

A clear example of this happened on Friday night when the Celtics fell to the Orlando Magic 123-110. Boston won the turnover battle, as it has been able to do this season, and had one more steal than Orlando. Still, the Celtics committed 27 fouls (to the Magic’s 18) and allowed an incredible 31 free throws.

While free throws weren’t the only factor in a double-digit loss, this isn’t the first time the Celtics have been significantly outscored for charity. Boston’s incredible height and respectable speed make his defensive hyperactivity reasonable, but he has to adjust a bit so that calculated risks happen more often than ill-timed fouls. Otherwise, the Celtics will continue to die at the line.

This is not the peak of the 2025-26 Celtics

New England sports fans have come to expect greatness, and the Celtics have not provided it this season. However, that doesn’t mean this team isn’t capable of more.

While it won’t be easy to overcome Tatum’s absence, Brown has done everything in his power to match the shooting prowess of his fellow star. He managed to do so without being at full strength, as the 29-year-old played through knee tightness from the opening night.

Could Brown make another leap when he feels more like himself? His supporting cast should improve at the very least.

Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Peyton Pritchard and NBA champion in 2024 Derrick White they were expected to reliably back up Brown on offense this season. That wasn’t really the case, with the former shooting under 30% from beyond the arc and the latter suffering his worst slump as a Celtic.

Given all that Pritchard and White have contributed to the C’s in recent years, they should bounce back from their early struggles. Pritchard is already starting to get his 3-point shooting back, and White, who has never shot below 40% in his 10-year career, will do better than his current field goal percentage (33.3%).

If Pritchard and White’s offensive issues still prove to be outstanding and the Celtics can maintain their health, there’s reason to believe they’ll go over .500 instead of hovering around it. Their early season schedule was tough, including games against expected playoff teams in the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets and Magic.

Of course, an easier upcoming schedule doesn’t guarantee anything for the Celtics. Making the playoffs is no longer a given, and going on a deep run is unlikely without Tatum.

How far the C’s can go remains to be seen, but regardless of expectations, they seem determined to compete and make the most of a challenging season.





2025-11-09 20:18:00

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