The Boston Celtics have been the surprise of the NBA this season and are legit NBA title contenders with Jayson Tatum back in the fold. Still, the Celtics made a pair of roster moves to comply with NBA rules. But the moves were also made with an eye towards the playoffs and next season.
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Boston has been a top-10 team all season long despite making several cost-cutting moves in the offseason and being without Tatum for the first four months. The Celtics have been even better since the calendar changed to 2026.
Since January 1, 2026, January 1 has gone 24-11 with a +8.2 scoring margin. The Celtics have split their last six contests and snapped a two-game losing streak with a 111-100 victory over the Washington Wizards. Jaylen Brown has continued to produce career numbers. Meanwhile, Tatum has been productive since returning; he has been inefficient in his four appearances. Derrick White, Peyton Pritchard, and Neemias Queta are among the other Celtics having career campaigns.
Overall, the Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference with a 44-23 record with the league’s third-best point differential at +7.8. A big part of the Celtics’ success has been their continuity; they have used just 20 players. While they have used 17 starting lineups, four of those lineups have been used nine or more times.
Nikola Vucevic is currently the only Celtic on the sidelines. Vucevic underwent surgery last Saturday to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger and could miss the rest of the regular season as he is not expected to be reevaluated in two to three weeks. His injury left the C’s with 15 healthy players, including three players on two-way deals.
The Celtics have been operating with fewer than 14 players under standard contracts sincMarch 1 1. However, March 1st came into league compliance with a pair of roster moves today.
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