Jaylen Brown’s A+ MVP candidacy and other Celtics grades midway through 2025-26 season

Halfway through the 2024-25 regular season, the Boston Celtics were 29-12 and doing what was expected of them. The C’s were just six months removed from winning it all and had hopes of repeating as champions given their nearly identical roster.

Halfway through the 2025-26 regular season, the Celtics are 26-15 and exceeding what was expected of them in every way. Boston lost multiple starters during the offseason, and star forward Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles tendon rupture last May, making the 2024 title feel like it was eons ago and putting a severe damper on any chance of raising a banner in 2026.

Or, at least that was the assumption.

The Celtics’ impressive record shows they’ve overcome significant roster changes and regained their winning ways under a new identity. With Celtics star Jaylen Brown leading the way on the court and head coach Joe Mazzulla commanding the sidelines, Boston has posted the second-best offensive rating in the entire NBA.

This isn’t just a stellar statistic either, as it’s translated into wins, with the Celtics currently holding the second seed in the Eastern Conference. To better understand how this astonishing offense is running — and why Boston is excelling during a season it was expected to suffer through — let’s take a look at the top five scorers on the Celtics in order and grade their performances 41 games into the 2025-26 campaign.

Jaylen Brown

Brown has already accomplished a lot during his terrific 10-year NBA career, but even he is reaching new heights this season.

The 2024 NBA Finals MVP is averaging a career-high 29.7 points per game despite averaging more minutes in three other seasons, including last year. While his field goal attempts have obviously gone up without Tatum around, his field goal percentage hasn’t declined. In fact, he’s shooting 49.1% from the floor, which is better than last season and just shy of his career-best conversion rate, 49.9%, from two years ago.

Brown has scored the fourth-most points in total of any player so far this season and is shooting a career-high 79.1% from the free throw line, a part of his game he’s previously struggled with. And although the Georgia native wasn’t known as a shooter when he came into the league, he’s connected on 36.7% of his shots from beyond the arc — his best percentage since the 2020-21 season.

For his efforts, Brown was named an All-Star starter for the first time ever. He’s now a five-time All-Star, and it’s clearly deserved, as the Celtics’ offense depends on him, and his defense on the other end is good enough to qualify him as one of the best two-way players in the game.

In short, with the pressure on and the odds stacked against an injured Celtics squad, Brown has delivered his finest season to date.

Grade: A+

Derrick White

Celtics guard Derrick White has also faced some added pressure this season. With Tatum out for an extended period of time, the 31-year-old was expected to remain consistent on defense while upping his point production.

White has largely done that, averaging a career-high 18.1 points per outing and playing over 34 minutes per game for the first time in his professional career. The only issue has been his efficiency. The former San Antonio Spur is shooting a career-low 39.7% from the field and is under 33% from deep to boot.

What White offers has never just been about shooting, though. The beloved Celtic has posted the eighth-most blocks of any player in the Association this season, and the most of any guard. His average of 1.5 blocks per game is a career-high and highlights how great his rim protection has been for a Celtics team that lost a lot of size in the offseason.

By no means is White having a career year. However, his defensive presence and ability to stay healthy (he’s missed just one game thus far) are crucial for a shorthanded Green Team.

Grade: B+

Payton Pritchard

Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard is fresh off the best season of his life. So, it’s not a shock that his current year hasn’t been as spectacular.

The Celtics point guard moved into a starting role and is averaging a career-high 16.6 points per game while playing a career-high 32.7 minutes per outing. Like White, his shooting has declined a bit as his attempts have increased. Pritchard’s field goal percentage of 44.7% is his lowest since the 2022-23 season, and he’s shooting a career-worst 33.6% from 3-point land.

But his ball-handling is still as good as ever. The sixth-year Celtic is barely averaging over one turnover a contest in spite of his usage expanding, and he’s averaged a career-high 5.4 assists per game, which is tied with White for the most on the Celtics this season.

While his shooting numbers aren’t as outstanding as usual, there’s reason to believe he’ll find the bottom of the net better in the second half of the season. Pritchard holds himself to a high standard and isn’t one to lose confidence, regardless of how long a slump lasts.

Grade: B

Anfernee Simons

Boston boasts a long line of Sixth Man of the Year candidates, and shooting guard Anfernee Simons may be up next.

The first-year Celtic is shooting 40.7% from deep and quickly bounced back from a rocky start to the season. He’s shooting a season-high 49.2% from the floor in January and has scored in double figures in eight of his last nine games.

The ex-Portland Trail Blazer was used to a starting position, yet he’s adapted to coming off the bench with the Celtics. Simons leads the NBA in bench points, and the Celtics are 12-0 when he records 17 points or more this season.

Defense was always considered the 26-year-old’s greatest weakness; however, Simons has held his own and earned Mazzulla’s trust over time. And even though his stats aren’t the best of his career due to his changed role, he’s still proven valuable to the Celtics, so much so that he might have taken himself off the trade market.

Grade: A-

Neemias Queta

The Celtics knew what they would get from most of their returning players, but one of the biggest question marks surrounding the team was the five spot.

Celtics center Neemias Queta has largely resolved that preseason mystery. The former Boston benchwarmer is now a permanent starter for the C’s, averaging career-highs in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals per game.

Queta is shooting 66% from the field — the third-best percentage in the entire NBA — and has played like the reliable big man the Celtics desperately needed. In addition, the 7-footer has been a solid screener, keeps his fouling in control, and owns the second-best net rating on the Green Team behind rookie wing Hugo Gonzalez.

With all of this in mind, it’s no surprise that the on-off numbers reveal that Boston is significantly better when Queta is on the court:

Queta still might have more to unlock with his game as well, since he hasn’t hit a 3-pointer in the NBA, yet he’s proved he was capable of doing so this summer during EuroBasket. Triples aside, Queta has developed into a true pro with the Celtics, and his defense and rebounding are vital to their present (and future) success.

Grade: A

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