After losing in the finals last year, the Boston Celtics are out for blood this season. The trade for Malcolm Brogdon during the offseason was an astute one, with the acquisition of Blake Griffin adding experience to their roster. The core trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart were also retained by the Celtics.

However, the unexpected removal of head coach Ime Udoka was a serious blow to the side, seeing them plummeting in many power rankings. The head coach is a key part of creating a winning side, making this a setback that would be hard to bounce back from.

Times of turbulence are often met with innovative change, and the appointment of Joe Mazzulla as Udoka’s replacement was just so. Being 34, he is one of the youngest coaches in the NBA, bringing fresh ideas to an exciting team of talented players. Coming from within the Celtics setup, he also had an existing rapport with the team, smoothing his transition up to the top job at the club.

In spite of the head coaching situation, the Celtics have outperformed many people’s expectations already this season. Currently topping the Eastern conference with a 20-5 record, the squad have been imperious.

This is partly due to the incredible form of the aforementioned star trio of Tatum, Brown and Smart. Tatum is currently averaging the fourth most points per game in the NBA at 30.8, as well as sitting fifth in three pointers made. The 6th year pro out of Duke currently tops the NBA’s ‘Race to the MVP’ ladder, thanks to his role as the Celtics’ talisman. Sidekick Brown has also been an integral part of the side in taking the pressure away from Tatum.

Brown currently sits top of the NBA rankings for mid-range field goal percentage, showing his clinical shooting ability on the court. Although Smart does not feature too highly on the overall NBA statistics, his game does not suit these metrics. When he has been hot, he has been almost unstoppable. Especially in the fourth quarter, he has been an integral part of grinding out results against top defences. It is also important to note that Smart is the current defensive player of the year, and looks in contention to defend his title. He earns his money on that side of the court, making the C’s difficult to break down.

Although these three stars take a lot of the limelight, the Celtics also possess fantastic role players to fit around them. Sam Hauser has the fifth highest true shooting percentage in the NBA, and recently acquired Malcolm Brogdon has the highest three point percentage in the NBA. Brogdon is also one of the favourites to win the sixth man of the year award this season. A worry coming into the season was that the supporting cast was not up to the task of taking pressure away from the stars. Especially due to the absence of Rob Williams, the All-Defensive Center who is yet to feature this season thanks to a knee injury. Thus far, his time off has not held the Celtics back, and his return will surely further strengthen their defensive ceiling.

Will the Celtics win the finals? It is hard to say. It is not hard, however, to see them topping the Eastern conference come the end of the season. With a young coach bringing bright ideas into a superstar squad, there is nothing to say that they cannot go all the way. The fact that they possess MVP, DPOY and sixth man candidates show that they have the quality, and their record so far bodes well for Celtics fans yearning for vengeance after coming so close last year.

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