From fringe contender to near the top: how national outlets are sizing up the Celtics a quarter of the way in.
Given the Celtics (15-10) having played 25 games so far this 2025-26 regular season, it felt like a natural break in the calendar to check in on what the national conversation is surrounding Boston just over a quarter of the way into the year.
For this exercise, I’ve gone ahead and pulled both the rankings and blurb from ESPN, the NBA’s league website, CBS Sports, The Athletic and Bleacher Report.
I’ve also made sure to include the date in which this write-up came from, and will list them out here from lowest to highest.
Let’s dig in:
OUTLET: Bleacher Report
RANKING: 9th
DATE: December 12
ANALYSIS:
“The Boston Celtics suffered a disappointing loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, but that shouldn't erase the gains they've made in recent weeks.
“It certainly didn't on the net rating leaderboard, where Boston is all the way up to fifth in the league, ahead of multiple teams with fewer losses.
“Behind a stellar campaign from Jaylen Brown (29.1 points, 4.8 assists and 2.1 threes) and warming three-point percentages from his supporting cast, the Celtics are redefining expectations for their campaign, to the point we have to start wondering if they might be title contenders again.
“And no, that's not really a reference to the rotation, as is. But it looks like this team, despite the losses of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis and Al Horford, could make a deep playoff run in the East if Jayson Tatum returns. And that could motivate him to do just that.”
OUTLET: ESPN
RANKING: 7th
DATE: December 10
ANALYSIS:
“This Boston roster has always featured a heavy dose of 3-pointers combined with one of the lower free throw rates in the league. But that disparity has only grown after offseason departures and the injury to Jayson Tatum, who attempted the third most free throws in the league last season. The Celtics, last in the NBA in free throw attempts per game this season, could struggle to maintain their No. 2 offensive rating if that trend lasts through an entire 82-game season.”
OUTLET: NBA.com
RANKING: 6th
DATE: December 9
ANALYSIS:
“The Celtics are rolling, having won 10 of their last 12 games to climb to third place in the Eastern Conference. At one point on Sunday, they had gone a remarkable 162 minutes and eight seconds of game time without trailing their opponent.
“Three takeaways
“The Celtics lead the league with nine wins against the 17 teams that currently have winning records. They’re 9-7 within the group, including 6-1, with wins over the Magic, Pistons, Cavs, Knicks, Lakers and Raptors, over the last 15 days.
“Their offense remains on fire. They lead the league in efficiency (128.6 points scored per 100 possessions) by a healthy margin over their 10-2 stretch, and their 146 points on 97 possessions (150.5 per 100) in Washington on Thursday is tied for the 10th most efficient performance for any team in the 30 years of play-by-play data. That performance also came without Jaylen Brown, who continues to have the most efficient scoring season of his career (true shooting percentage of 58.9%) while ranking third in usage rate (35.2%).
“The defense ranks just 19th over this 10-2 stretch, but the Celtics’ current starting lineup has allowed just 102.1 points per 100 possessions, the second-best mark among 21 lineups that have played at least 100 minutes. Opponents have shot just 41.8% on 2-point shots against it.”
OUTLET: The Athletic
RANKING: 6th
DATE: December 8
ANALYSIS:
“The Celtics aren’t the contenders they have been in the past with Jayson Tatum playing. But other than that, it’s been a good start to the season for Boston, and the Celtics have continued to be one of the best teams in the league at taking care of the basketball. They have ranked in the top two in fewest turnovers per game each of the previous two seasons, and they have the fewest turnovers per game this season as well. The only player allowed to turn the ball over is Jaylen Brown (3.6 turnovers per game), and Brown is making up for the turnovers by having more 30-point games this season (13) than he had all of last season (10, including playoffs).”
OUTLET: CBS Sports
RANKING: 2nd
DATE: December 10
ANALYSIS:
“Who knows how long it will last, but there is no way anyone other than the Thunder (who are basically in their own league) is playing better than the Celtics right now. Boston has won five straight and 10 of its last 12 with six of those victims being the Magic, Pistons, Cavaliers, Knicks, Lakers and Raptors. That is probably the best run of wins any team has put together this season. The offense is humming behind a league-leading 16 3-pointers per game and absolutely incendiary mid-range campaigns from Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard. Throw Derrick White's shot coming around, a couple hidden gems in Neemias Queta and Jordan Walsh, the lowest turnover rate in the league and a defense that forces you into a 3-point shooting contest by prioritizing paint and rim protection, and Boston is making up for the absence of its superstar in the aggregate.”
MORE CELTICS STORIES:
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.