Your grades for the 2024-25 Celtics in the regular season

[InstaFace]

OK, this is a thing going around on Celtics Twitter, might as well do it here.

Grade the roster's performances, relative to either (A) your own expectations for them, or (B) their salary or role on the team. I will opt for (A) here, the more emotional rather than objective lens on it. And grading on a curve.

Tatum: B+, slightly exceeded expectations, has been a marginal improvement over last year. Durability easy to underrate. Improvement on playmaking, flat elsewhere.
Brown: B-. Partly it's his knee, partly his shot, but has been a mild disappointment after last year's playoffs. Midrange game has improved at expense of
White: A. His minutes and usage and role go up, and so do his efficiency numbers, defensive rate stats, etc. If we didn't have JT, he'd be the glue that holds the team together.
Porzingis: B. Initial return from injury took a while to acclimate, but has largely been as-advertised since ~Feb.
Holiday: C-. Did not return from his time off looking very good. 3P% way down. Perimeter defense lacks his usual spark.

Horford: C+. Same minutes as last year, but lower efficiency, can still bring it defending wings and bigs though.
Pritchard: B+. Big increase in role (22mpg to 28mpg), and in shooting volume. Box stats and +/- stats love him.
Hauser: B. Solid season for him. Back issues limited minutes but only slightly (1500 vs 1700' last year), some regression in defensive stats, still a great 3P shooter.
Kornet: A-. Still limited offensively, but has improved most markedly in rim protection without fouling, and on offense on both baseline cuts and in the short roll, where he's been deadly.

(stay-ready-crew honorable mentions: Queta probably mildly exceeded expectations, and Scheierman definitely has, while Davison and Walsh have disappointed.)

 

[benhogan]

That all sounds pretty spot on, some small changes. Grades are based on my expectations to start the season

Agree on JT, JB, Jrue, KP, Hauser.

White: A- (slightly less assists, a few more TOs - got a little sloppy with the ball)

PP: A (6th Man of the Year from the tip)
Luke: A (peak Kornet was glorious and the adv metrics are silly good)
Horford: B- (Laker game alone)

Baylor: B- (The last month was a pleasant surprise. His dribble drive, attacking the paint & passing showed glimmers. Optimistic for next season)

 

[lovegtm]

Pre-injury, I'd grade JB higher and White lower.

JB really continued his playmaking growth. I'd like him to shoot better, but he's an elite passing wing now, who also can create his own mismatches and run an offense. He showed that last year's playoff run wasn't a fluke.

White is an amazing, great complementary player, but he still can't run an offense on his own, and that's about to become a very big deal if JB is limited.

 

[benhogan]

Pre-injury, I'd grade JB higher and White lower.

JB really continued his playmaking growth. I'd like him to shoot better, but he's an elite passing wing now, who also can create his own mismatches and run an offense. He showed that last year's playoff run wasn't a fluke.

White is an amazing, great complementary player, but he still can't run an offense on his own, and that's about to become a very big deal if JB is limited.

I suspect with JB out we'll see a KP/White two man game run the offense in those 7-8 minutes Tatum is off the floor.

KP hunting opposing bench mismatches in the post; grifting for FTs or kicking out when the defense collapses into the paint

 

[tims4wins]

Tatum B+
Jaylen B-
White A-
KP B
Jrue C

Al B-
Luke A-
PP A-
Sam B-

Overall grade B+

 

[lexrageorge]

Tatum: A-. Just because he does so much for this team so it's hard to grade him any lower. Hoping his 3 shot comes back in time for the tournament.
Brown: B. Had high hopes coming off the Finals MVP. Still, he's vastly improved overall playmaking ability.
White: A. Really showed his Olympic invite wasn't a fluke.
Holliday: C+. The real season for him begins this coming weekend. Still managed to bring it on defense when things mattered.
KP: B-. Took a long time to get into form, but I think the seriousness of his playoff injury was understated quite a bit.

Al: B. He had a horrible 3-point shooting slump mid-season, but seems to have recovered from that. He's picked it up defensively in the stretch run.
Pritchard: A-. Probably should be 6th man award winner. Only thing that keeps me from an A is that there were times he was sheltered against the good teams.
Hauser: B. Terrible start to the season, clearly bothered by the back injury. But like several others, he seems to be rounding into form at the right time.
Kornet: A. Fun player to watch. And I like fun.

Queta: C+. Felt like there was an opportunity for him to grab that he left hanging. Still, he played the role he was asked and played it well. Too much of an offensive black hole to count on.
Scheierman: C+. OK, we may have something, and that alone could boost him half a grade. Seems like he was expected to make a contribution sooner than he did, and the sample size on him is still too small to draw any firm conclusions. Still, I like fun.
Walsh: D+. Joe gave him the chance to reach for the keys, and he fumbled them. Maybe next year; he's still not old enough to buy beer.
Tillman: D-. Maybe it was the injury, but there were minutes for him early and he never could get untracked.
Springer: F. No longer on the team for obvious reasons.

JD Davison: C. His own category. Obviously, did nothing for the big club. But winning the G-League MVP showed a level of maturity and tenaciousness that earned a passing grade. Doubt he amounts to anything in the Association, but a tip of the cap nevertheless.

Incompletes: Peterson, Craig, Norris. Deep bench depth that did deep bench depth things.

Overall: A-. Post-championship seasons are full of minefields. Celtics did not look any more vulnerable this season than they did last. A win-loss regression was expected given injuries and Coach Joe's mandate to prep for the playoffs. Biggest non-injury concern is that other teams around them improved, and two either have drawn even or surpassed the Celtics (Cavs, OKC). But that makes the playoffs fun, and I like fun.

 

[benhogan]

2025 DEEP BENCH
JDD: C (for his G-League work, needs to play for a lottery team & get some PT. I'm not a fan of small guards that can't shoot)
Queta: B (showed us energy early in the season, playable on a minimum deal is very helpful)
Petersen: C (wish he got a little more rope, would like to see him return)
Springer: C (single-handedly won us the Clipper road game, tax casualty, P/U by Danny, good spot where he can get PT)
Norris: Incomplete (springy with some potential, 2-way guy next season?)
Tillman: F (awful season, knee or refrigerator issues? a huge disappointment that was buffered by Luke/Queta)
Walsh: D- (I've said plenty about him all season. Time to move on. Needs to play for a lottery team & get some low-pressure PT)

 

[lars10]

Tatum: A-. Just because he does so much for this team so it's hard to grade him any lower. Hoping his 3 shot comes back in time for the tournament.
Brown: B. Had high hopes coming off the Finals MVP. Still, he's vastly improved overall playmaking ability.
White: A. Really showed his Olympic invite wasn't a fluke.
Holliday: C+. The real season for him begins this coming weekend. Still managed to bring it on defense when things mattered.
KP: B-. Took a long time to get into form, but I think the seriousness of his playoff injury was understated quite a bit.

Al: B. He had a horrible 3-point shooting slump mid-season, but seems to have recovered from that. He's picked it up defensively in the stretch run.
Pritchard: A-. Probably should be 6th man award winner. Only thing that keeps me from an A is that there were times he was sheltered against the good teams.
Hauser: B. Terrible start to the season, clearly bothered by the back injury. But like several others, he seems to be rounding into form at the right time.
Kornet: A. Fun player to watch. And I like fun.

Queta: C+. Felt like there was an opportunity for him to grab that he left hanging. Still, he played the role he was asked and played it well. Too much of an offensive black hole to count on.
Scheierman: C+. OK, we may have something, and that alone could boost him half a grade. Seems like he was expected to make a contribution sooner than he did, and the sample size on him is still too small to draw any firm conclusions. Still, I like fun.
Walsh: D+. Joe gave him the chance to reach for the keys, and he fumbled them. Maybe next year; he's still not old enough to buy beer.
Tillman: D-. Maybe it was the injury, but there were minutes for him early and he never could get untracked.
Springer: F. No longer on the team for obvious reasons.

JD Davison: C. His own category. Obviously, did nothing for the big club. But winning the G-League MVP showed a level of maturity and tenaciousness that earned a passing grade. Doubt he amounts to anything in the Association, but a tip of the cap nevertheless.

Incompletes: Peterson, Craig, Norris. Deep bench depth that did deep bench depth things.

Overall: A-. Post-championship seasons are full of minefields. Celtics did not look any more vulnerable this season than they did last. A win-loss regression was expected given injuries and Coach Joe's mandate to prep for the playoffs. Biggest non-injury concern is that other teams around them improved, and two either have drawn even or surpassed the Celtics (Cavs, OKC). But that makes the playoffs fun, and I like fun.

I'm interested to see the C's in the playoffs.. This season felt like they basically played at 90% all season.. like late 30s LeBron.. now that they've won a championship they knew that all that mattered was that they got to the playoffs healthy. Especially post All Star break it feels like they've been resting two or three guys a night. Don't recall them doing that last year, but I'd have to go back and look.

# of games played compared to last year (minutes): Tatum- 2 (about the same number of minutes), JB -7(200 less), DW +3 (200 less), JH -7 (300 less), KP -15 (480 less), PP -2 (played in 80 games 449 more), AH -5 (90 less), SH -8, (200 less) LK +10 (380 more), NQ +34 (530 more), JW +41 (320 more), DP +22 (153 more)

Not sure how that will translate to the playoffs, but all of the starters got rest and the bench got a lot more run.

 

[lovegtm]

Biggest non-injury concern is that other teams around them improved, and two either have drawn even or surpassed the Celtics (Cavs, OKC). But that makes the playoffs fun, and I like fun.

It feels so much more fun to face a super-competitive playoffs with a championship already in the bag. I think I actually will enjoy it, win or lose.

 

[TripleOT]

JT: A. Did exactly what he needed to do in leading the tram to 60 wins
JB: B. Sub par three points shooting balances out the improved playmaking.
White: B. Solid as usual, but his one slump pushes him off an A
Jrue: C. Is for Coasting to the playoffs.
Al: B+: Steady and reliable.
KP: B+: came on strong late
PP: B. Crushed it against bad and average teams, but struggled with the better ones.
Hauser: B-. Fulfilled his role as a 40% shooter from deep, but had too many games where he barely hit the stat sheet.
Kornet: A. Became one of the most efficient and effective players in his role in the entire league
Quetta: C-. Too many games where he wasn’t dialed in.
Baylor: C. Looked totally lost early, but came along at the end of his rookie season.
Walsh: D. Just too inconsistent to get steady minutes. Showed flashes as a 3 and D type.
Peterson: Incomplete. Showed shotmaking ability, but no room for him on this team.
JDD: D. Did not play with confidence in almost all of his few opportunities with the big club.
Tillman: F
Craig: Incomplete.
Norris: Incomplete.

 

[tims4wins]

It feels so much more fun to face a super-competitive playoffs with a championship already in the bag. I think I actually will enjoy it, win or lose.

I think I'm in the same boat. I couldn't handle the stress in 2022 and 2023 because it felt like there was so much pressure to win. This feels different.

 

[radsoxfan]

Mostly agree with InstaFace, though Al is 38 and still chugging along as a valuable piece. If we're grading based on our own expectations, he gets at least a B+ from me.

Tatum would be an A if his 3 PT shot returned, bummer to see him at 34% this year. Still get's an A- for his overall great season though.

JB hasn't been very good and the shooting is a real concern. B- for him I think is about right.

I think people are a little low on KP.... he has bounced back well and I would give him an A- or A. 20 and 7 on 41% 3s (best of career), 1.5 Blks in 29 min a game... don't think I could have expected anything more.

 

[Jimbodandy]

Based on the OP's definition (their scores relative to my expectation of them)...

Risers
Brown: B+ further developed his playmaking with an understandable efficiency hit
White: A- developed into a true Robin, often the most dangerous guy on the court, grew at both ends
Kornet: A can now imagine him as a second big. How he transformed his body is remarkable.
Pritchard: A- can do more and do it better than he did before.

Happy but unsurprised
Hauser: B- Does what he does. Started slow, back where he should be.
Tatum: B Can beat you multiple ways. Horse.
Porzingis: B Is back
Al: B- Starting to show some rust, but is as consistent as the day is long. Still necessary.

Not as happy:
Jrue: C+ Seems to have lost a step. Still flashes big plays and periods of dominance.
Walsh: C- Hasn't really given Joe a reason to play him more. Looks like Bambi still, but contributes sometimes. Can see a player in there someday.

Incomplete:
Queta: B- Not the guy yet, but made great strides. Is a keeper. Will get more minutes next year.
Scheierman: B+ Might be Hauser next year. Seems like there's a rotation guy there.
Davison: C+ Did God's work in Maine. Maybe is something. Still not sure.


Team: A+ - worked on stuff, hit 60 wins, had signature wins without a lot of signature losses. Rested dudes hard at the same time, also developed people. Did better than any of us could have hoped for, given the "stay healthy" and "don't get soft" competing goals.

 

[astrozombie]

KP/DW/Tatum/Kornet/Pritchard/coaching: A. no worries about them.
Hauser: B+. It looks like whatever was ailing him has been managed.
Jrue: C. He looked pretty bad and outright awful for stretches. This goes to an A- if classic Jrue shows up for the playoffs. But I have to imagine that based on this past season, Jrue is the one Brad presumptively tries to ship out.
Brown: A-. Playmaking has improved, knee makes me nervous.
Scheierman: B. Had no expectations coming in, done the most with his opportunities to look like a budding rotation player. Not there yet, but can be with some work. I imagine he ate up the minutes that Walsh would have normally received since Walsh is still not showing much (and yes, I know he is young).
Horford: A. If for no other reason than my expectation was that he would fall off a cliff and he still looks better than just serviceable.
Queta: C+. I like watching him play, but that's because he deals with garbage time squads. Not sure he would be as effective as the primary C off the bench. Would love to see some more development.
Walsh/Davidson: D. They are looking like AAAA players.
Craig: D+. I know there are virtually no expectations of him but after showing well early on, he looks like he's just coasting around lately. He's Walsh with more NBA experience.

Team gets an A overall. Ready for the playoffs.