Celtics’ Net Rating Ranks Higher Than Almost All Fans Would Expect
Now imagine this team with Tatum involved ...
The Boston Celtics have won four games in a row and own a 19-11 record. And while the Celtics have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference and the eighth-best record in the entire NBA (tied with the Houston Rockets), Boston’s net rating tells an even more uplifting story for Celts fans.
Entering Sunday, Boston owned the fourth-best net rating in the entire league, bested only by the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets, and the Rockets (per The Ringer’s Bill Simmons).
Despite losing Jayson Tatum to a season-ending Achilles injury, the Celtics have remained one of the toughest teams to beat in the NBA. Jaylen Brown has held down the fort as an offensive anchor, averaging 29.4 points per game, while Derrick White and Payton Pritchard have contributed 18.3 and 17.2 points per game respectively, with Pritchard leading Boston in assists at 5.2 per game. Neemias Queta has anchored the Celtics’ interior with 7.9 rebounds per game and efficient scoring.
After a rocky 0-3 start, Boston has gone 19-8, including back-to-back victories over the Indiana Pacers on December 22 and December 26 (140-122, with Brown dropping 30 points).
The Celtics’ defense allows just 110.4 points per contest, second-best in the NBA behind OKC, and interestingly, their pace ranks last at 95.8.
