With the Celtics currently enjoying an eight-day break for NBA All-Star weekend, here’s one midseason thought on each of Boston’s 17 players:
Voted an All-Star starter for the third straight year, Tatum played his best basketball of the season heading into the break. He scored 40 points against New York, 33 against Miami and 32 against San Antonio to help Boston win all three games by double digits. Tatum is the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer; is averaging more rebounds, assists and steals per game than he did last season; and continues to be one of the game’s most durable superstars. Only Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Anthony Edwards have played more minutes than Tatum this season.
Boston’s other All-Star has taken on a larger role as a facilitator this season, putting him on pace for a career high in assists (4.8 per game). His shooting, though, has suffered. His 32.4% hit rate on 3-pointers would be the worst of his career, and his effective field-goal percentage and true shooting percentage are his lowest since his rookie year. Injuries could be partially to blame for this dip, as Brown has dealt with hip, shoulder and knee issues.
A rough shooting slump derailed White’s bid for his first All-Star nod, but he turned a corner in late January and shot 41.8% from three over the Celtics’ last 10 games. White ranks second in the league in both catch-and-shoot 3-pointers made and points per game off spot-up shots, per NBA player tracking, and leads all players 6-foot-6 or shorter in blocked shots.
Defense is Holiday’s calling card, but the Celtics are a much better team when the veteran guard is also contributing as a scorer. Boston is 23-3 this season when Holiday scores at least nine points and 8-10 when he doesn’t. The Celtics are still hoping the 34-year-old can rediscover his 3-point form, which hasn’t been nearly as consistent this season. He’s shooting just 34.2% from deep and 27.8% from the corners, way down from his career-best marks of 42.9% and 61.9% a year ago. Holiday missed the last four games with a shoulder injury.
It took the Celtics’ starting lineup several weeks to rebuild its chemistry after Porzingis returned from offseason leg surgery, and for the big man to dial in his shot. But on an inconsistent Boston team, Porzingis has been consistently productive. He’s scored 16 or more points in 26 of his 29 appearances, including each of his last 17, and is shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc.
Horford is Boston’s de facto sixth starter for the second consecutive season, stepping in when any of the top five can’t go, regardless of position. Among all NBA lineups with at least 200 minutes played this season, the Celtics’ White-Holiday-Brown-Tatum-Horford grouping owns the best net rating (18.7).
Pritchard’s production dipped in January after a torrid start, but he’s still lapping the field in bench scoring. The NBA Sixth Man of the Year favorite has scored 85 more points than any other bench player while also leading that group in plus-minus. Pritchard is second among reserves in assists, too, and sixth in steals.
It took Hauser several months to shake the nagging lower back injury he suffered over the summer, but the sharpshooting wing finally looks like himself again. He shot better than 40% from three in nine of his last 11 games, including a 5-for-8 clinic against the Heat on Monday. And, like Holiday, when Hauser scores, the Celtics typically win. They’re 15-2 this season when he makes at least three 3-pointers and 9-0 when he hits at least four.
Horford told reporters this week, unprompted, that Kornet was “key” to Boston’s hot streak entering the All-Star break. The Celtics’ third center is putting together the best season of his whirlwind career, and he ranks in the top 10 in the NBA in a slew of advanced stats, from net rating to offensive rebounding percentage to assist-to-turnover ratio. Tatum called Kornet “one of the best teammates that you can have” and said the 7-footer is “a huge part of our team and a big part of our success.”
The clear fourth man in Boston’s frontcourt rotation at this stage, Queta is an effective offensive rebounder but hasn’t matched his teammates’ impact as a rim protector. While Kornet and Porzingis rank 1-2 in the NBA in opponent shooting percentage inside the restricted area (minimum 250 attempts faced), Queta is 22nd, at 64.2%. Still, he’s a quality backup who’s given the Celtics some good minutes, most recently in their rout of the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The Celtics want Craig to bring defensive physicality, reliable 3-point shooting and veteran experience to the back half of their bench. The new signee provided all three in his Boston debut, making both of his threes and blocking one shot in Wednesday’s win over the Spurs. Can the 34-year-old stay healthy, though? He’s played in just 10 games this season and missed 29 during the 2023-24 campaign.
If Walsh had proven he could be a viable replacement for departed depth piece Oshae Brissett, the Celtics likely wouldn’t have felt the need to bring in Craig. The 20-year-old has taken a significant step forward in his second pro season, but his playing time remains sporadic, and he’s still a nonfactor on the offensive end. It was telling that Boston was missing two starters in three games this week and Walsh didn’t play a meaningful minute in any of them.
Tillman was booted from Boston’s regular rotation a week into the season and hasn’t returned. He’s a solid, versatile defender, but he’s shot the ball terribly (24.4%; 17.4% from three) and doesn’t have a size advantage to fall back on like Kornet and Queta.
Scheierman’s age (24) and five years of college experience didn’t ease his transition to the NBA game. The first-round draft pick has played just 74 mostly garbage-time minutes for Boston, with the bulk of his action coming during G League assignments. The Creighton product is unlikely to become a Celtics regular until he proves he can be the type of reliable outside shooter he was in college. He’s attempted 14 3-pointers for Boston and made just one.
Of Boston’s three two-way players, Peterson has seen by far the most NBA playing time this season (127 minutes). Most of those have come in blowouts, but the 6-foot-9 wing posted a positive plus/minus in each of his last eight appearances. The Celtics have one vacancy on their 15-man roster, and Peterson is a candidate to have his contract converted into a permanent spot.
If the Maine Celtics had a Hall of Fame, Davison would be in on the first ballot. The third-year point guard is Maine’s all-time leader in points, assists, steals and games played. That hasn’t translated to NBA opportunities for Davison — he’s played in just five games for Boston this season, all in mop-up duty — but it did earn him an invite to the 2025 Rising Stars challenge. He’ll join Tatum and Brown in San Francisco.
Watson is the only Celtics player who has yet to see action with the big club this season. Boston believed the 6-foot-8 forward had more 3-point potential than he showed in college, and he’s made improving in that area a priority, attempting more threes already with Maine (195) than he did in his five seasons at Gonzaga combined. He’s made just 33.3% of them but was 14-for-28 over his last five games.