BOSTON<\/strong> \u2014 Just how unselfish are the Boston Celtics<\/a>?<\/p>\n The standard numbers don\u2019t pop out. The Celtics average 26 assists<\/a> per game \u2014 good for 14th in the NBA. And only the Clippers have a higher isolation frequency<\/a>.<\/p>\n But, when opposing coaches are preparing to play against Boston, they\u2019re routinely struck by the selflessness they observe in their film reviews.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is one of the most unselfish teams that we\u2019ve seen \u2014 consistently \u2014 and they\u2019ve got immense levels of talent all over the floor,\u201d said Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff before Thursday\u2019s Pistons-Celtics match-up, in which Boston routed Detroit 123-99.<\/p>\n Bickerstaff is intimately familiar with these Celtics; his Pistons have already faced them three times this season (all losses). And, as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> last year, he watched his team\u2019s elimination at the Celtics\u2019 hands in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.<\/p>\n The Celtics will make the extra pass \u2014 whether the recipient is a superstar like Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, or a more unproven role player like Drew Peterson or Jordan Walsh.<\/p>\n \u201cI know this sounds crazy, but there aren\u2019t that many teams that, at that level, will just throw the ball to the open man,\u201d Bickerstaff said. \u201cThat shows the ultimate amount of trust in the team.\u201d<\/p>\n Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff said the Celtics are one of the most unselfish teams he\u2019s seen: <\/p>\n \u201cEverybody goes out and they repeat what their stars do. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, those guys could shoot the ball every time they wanted to. But they sacrifice themselves to make the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/BkUJOVAA89<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) December 12, 2024<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n The result of an unwavering willingness to defer to others has been that five (!) Celtics players average at least 16.5 points per game; Jayson Tatum leads the way with 28.2 points per game, Jaylen Brown is next with 24.5, Kristaps Porzingis averages 20.3, Derrick White 17.5, and Payton Pritchard 16.5.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a balanced feat that has never been accomplished in the franchise\u2019s storied history. And, as it currently stands, no other NBA team boasts five 16.5-points per-game scorers.<\/p>\n The other, more important outcome of the Celtics\u2019 selfless culture, is more obvious: it has resulted in victories. The Celtics boast a 20-5 record so far this season and an average win margin of 10 points \u2014 marks that are both good for second-best in the NBA.<\/p>\n And, last year\u2019s championship served as a sort of proof of concept for their philosophy.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know it works. So, you should buy into it, and we should continue to do it,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cAnd what I love about our group is it really can be somebody\u2019s night on different nights \u2014 KP could go for 30, JB [for] 30, JT… that\u2019s what makes it so good. You can\u2019t really game-plan one person. It could be anybody\u2019s night.\u201d<\/p>\n Derrick White attributes the team\u2019s selflessness to a confluence of factors; there are the individual players and their mindsets. Then, there\u2019s the coaching staff \u2014 and the culture established at the top.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got a lot of great guys, and guys who know how to play the right way,\u201d White said. \u201cObviously, we have a lot of talent.\u201d<\/p>\n But, White said the on-court selflessness is also a learned skill; Mazzulla and his assistants routinely emphasize to the Celtics the importance of getting the best available shot.<\/p>\n \u201cThe coaching staff is always harping on us making the right read,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n The unusual year-to-year continuity also helps; all of the Celtics\u2019 rotation players were on last year\u2019s roster, and most of the coaching staff is back from the 2024 championship run, too.<\/p>\n \u201cIt didn\u2019t happen overnight, but every time we come in here, we try to get better and learn from our mistakes,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who has game-planned against the Celtics in four of the last five postseasons, has observed the Celtics\u2019 growth firsthand.<\/p>\n \u201cThey move the ball much better than they have in the past,\u201d Spoelstra said after the Celtics defeated the Heat earlier this month.<\/p>\n Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers was similarly struck by the Celtics\u2019 trust in one another last week.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll pass until there\u2019s one second on the clock to try to find someone,\u201d Rivers said. \u201cThey did that a couple of times and that\u2019s why they are what they are. That wasn\u2019t them two years ago \u2014 and it is them now. That\u2019s what makes them the champions.\u201d<\/p>\n To outsiders, it\u2019s quite apparent.<\/p>\n \u201cThey just seem like they care about winning more than anything else,\u201d Bickerstaff said.<\/p>\n Joe Mazzulles stresses the Celtics have turned egos into a strength <\/strong><\/p>\n The third-year head has made clear that the perceived \u201cunselfishness\u201d doesn\u2019t mean that his players don\u2019t have egos \u2014 in fact, it\u2019s far from that.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to know that we do<\/em> have egos \u2014 we just put them in the right place,\u201d said Mazzulla. \u201cIt\u2019s not that we shouldn\u2019t have them. We should have them as long as they\u2019re put in the right place.\u201d<\/p>\n And, when examining the long list of individual accolades on the Celtics, there\u2019s no question about why key players don\u2019t lack confidence.<\/p>\n The Celtics have five former All-Stars on the roster; Jayson Tatum and Al Horford lead the way with five All-Star selections a piece, Jaylen Brown has three selections, Jrue Holiday has two, and Kristaps Porzingis has one.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photo by Brian Babineau\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n They also had an NBA-high three players on the U.S. Olympic basketball<\/a> team (Tatum, Holiday, and White). And, most of the Celtics\u2019 core entered the league with high expectations \u2014 Tatum, Brown, and Horford were all selected with the No. 3 pick, and Porzingis was drafted fourth overall. Holiday (17th), Payton Pritchard (26th), and White (29th) were all first-round picks, too.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a lot of talented guys,\u201d Mazzulla said. \u201cYou want them to be confident, you want them to be at their best. Ego can be a strength if it\u2019s derived into the right things. It\u2019s being the best player that you can possibly be, knowing how you can impact the game, taking pride in that \u2014 and doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n Mazzulla wants his players to know they\u2019re great, and that their greatness can contribute to winning.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have<\/em> to know that if you want to play at this level, and if you want to take advantage of the talent that you have,\u201d Mazzulla said.<\/p>\n Payton Pritchard embodies that harnessed ego as well as anyone on the roster. The backup point guard fell completely out of the rotation in the 2022-23 season \u2014 Mazzulla\u2019s first at the helm. But, he never wavered in the belief that he could be an impactful player on the Celtics.<\/p>\n Now, the hard work and confidence have resoundingly paid off; he\u2019s the clear front-runner for Sixth Man of the Year, averaging 16.5 points per game and shooting a scorching 43.2% from three. And, he\u2019s no longer fighting for rotation minutes \u2014 Pritchard has played the fourth-most minutes<\/a> of any Celtics player this season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all have egos,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cWe\u2019re all really confident people, and I don\u2019t think we\u2019d be in the position we are in today without a little bit of that. You got to have that. But, it\u2019s understanding that at times, you got to do what\u2019s best for the team. And that\u2019s a selflessness that our guys have \u2014 and should continue.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, when Pritchard is in the game, he\u2019s not just thinking about getting his points, despite how plentiful they\u2019ve been. Pritchard was left on the floor during blowout minutes in the fourth quarter of Thursday\u2019s Celtics win, sharing the court with Neemias Queta, Drew Peterson, and Jordan Walsh.<\/p>\n And, during that stretch, he made it a point to find a cutting Queta on back-to-back possessions with five minutes to play \u2014 recognizing how it could benefit his confidence in the long run.<\/p>\n \u201cI got Neemi two easy looks \u2014 just help guys get going a little bit, take the pressure off, help guys get in the flow,\u201d Pritchard said.<\/p>\n A concerted effort to find Queta in garbage time is nothing spectacular, but Pritchard\u2019s mindset at that moment is a small piece of what has made the Celtics work.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have a trust and understanding of what can lead to long-term success,\u201d Mazzulla said. \u201cYou have to commit to that every day \u2014 and I think the guys work to commit to that.\u201d<\/p>\n Winning the championship last year helped solidify the belief that the Celtics players\u2019 deference to one another yields positive outcomes.<\/p>\n But Mazzulla said it\u2019s less about last year\u2019s title and more about the group\u2019s collective character.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it starts with the guys that we have in the locker room,\u201d Mazzulla said.<\/p>\n Other NBA teams are taking notice of Boston\u2019s selflessness.<\/p>\n And, they\u2019re finding that as easy as it is to praise, it\u2019s difficult to imitate.<\/p>\n \u201cJayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown \u2014 those guys could shoot the ball every time they wanted to,\u201d Bickerstaff said. \u201cBut they sacrifice for themselves to make the right play over and over again. I think it sets the tone. They\u2019ve built and established a great culture of that here \u2014 and one that people should try to emulate more.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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