The Boston Celtics are quietly meeting expectations

The Boston Celtics were hailed as the best team in the Eastern Conference before the season. After a rocky start they have reached their potential, but no one is talking about it.

If you had asked Boston Celtics Twitter (or really any NBA segment of social media, or really any segment of basketball media in general) in July where the team would be in the early days of 2019, the answer would be simple.

“Kyrie Irving is going to be on pace for MVP,” you might hear, or perhaps “They’ll be the best team in the East.” Yet, a week into the new year and 39 games into the season, they sit at just 24-15 and fifth place in the East.

Celtics Twitter and Boston radio have lambasted the team on occasion, and the media has speculated the need to trade both Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier on more than one occasion. What the media, social or otherwise, won’t be so quick to tell you is that the sky was never actually falling. In fact, for the past month and a half, the sky has been the limit.

Much has been said of how dismal the Celtics’ season started, and it’s true it wasn’t pretty. From opening night through Thanksgiving, the Cs ranked 29th in field goal percentage, 20th in 3-point shooting, 27th in offensive efficiency, and were a measly 9-9 on the season. The lone beacon of hope was their propensity to get open shots, as they were in the top two in “wide-open” shots (closest defender is six or more feet away) and fourth in “wide-open” 3s.

Since Thanksgiving, the script has flipped. Between Nov. 22 and Jan. 9, the Cs remain in the top two in “wide-open” shooting with 25.1 such attempts per game, and also have retained their top-five positioning in “wide-open” 3-point attempts. However, the team has now reverted to the mean.

After touting their ability to field five players who could all shoot 40 percent from 3, the Celts can finally put it to practice. Since Thanksgiving, they rank fifth in field goal percentage (47.9 percent) and are the only team in the top five to also be top 10 in field goal attempts per game. The 3-point shooting has improved tremendously as well, as the Celtics have been the third-best team from the arc in that span at 38.6 percent.

It’s not just their shooting that has improved, as Boston is also posting a 15-6 record in that stretch, good for third in the league behind the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers. The Cs also rank second in offensive rating (115.6) and first, by far, in net rating (+10.4). Not to mention, they have successfully weathered a storm of injuries to Al Horford, Marcus Morris, Kyrie Irving, Aron Baynes and Robert Williams.

Is it simply the law of averages that has the Celtics finally hitting open shots? Sure, it plays a part, but what isn’t being talked about enough is the recent resurgence of Jaylen Brown, as well as the steady-handed presence of Marcus Smart.

Over the first two months of the season, Brown found himself relegated out of the starting lineup. His performances to that point had also been less than stellar, as Brown was shooting just 40.9 percent from the floor and 28 percent from 3 despite taking the fourth-most shots on the team. Since Dec. 16, Jaylen has seen a massive uptick in scoring efficiency, as he is now taking fewer shots and his splits have risen to 52.6 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from 3, with much improved off-ball defense.

Marcus Smart has, over the course of his career, gained a reputation as a pit bull for his aggressive defensive style of play and his remarkable ability to create possessions for the Celtics. This season, he is having a Chauncey Billups-esque coming out party, as he’s been shooting 38 percent from 3 since Thanksgiving and over 40 percent during the last 10 games.

The Celts have gotten everything they’ve needed from Smart and Brown in recent stretches, and since Nov. 1, Kyrie Irving has been an absolute force of nature. Irving has averaged 24.6 points and 6.9 assists per game (which would be a career high) on .500/.426/.874 splits, all while playing the best defense of his still young career.

Take solace, Celtics fans. The sky is not falling, and despite what many people are saying, they don’t need to make a trade. Boston will be perfectly fine.