Celtics Mid-Season Report Cards (Starters)

Grading each starter's production so far

What better time than now to grade what we’ve seen from each player at the midway point of the season?

I’m going to split these report cards into somewhat of a mini-series covering Starters, rotation and deep bench. Everybody gets a grade.

Let’s jump right in.

Derrick White - B+

I’m avoiding the trap of just giving everyone an A here.

White is carrying a huge load for the Celtics this season.

• He’s leading the team in touches with 80.3 per game

• He has the lowest time per touch of the top-4 offensive weapons on the Celtics roster, with 4.12 seconds.

• He averages the most passes per game, with 59.4

• He’s second on the team for potential assists with 9.3 per night

• He’s leading the Celtics in blocks per game, with 1.5

• He’s first on the team in deflections with 2.9 per night

• He’s third on the team in drives per game (7.3), behind Jaylen Brown (18.2) and Payton Pritchard (11.2)

• And, he’s third on the team in catch-and-shoot attempts, with 4.2 per night — all of which are coming from deep.

I can guarantee I’ve missed some key numbers there, too. That list is far from exhaustive.

In Jayson Tatum’s absence, White has stepped into a lead playmaking role for the Celtics. On top of that, he’s floating anywhere between the second and fourth scoring option on any given night, depending on the production of Pritchard and Anfernee Simons.

Before the season, White had spent his career as a connector. He made everyone around him better without being put in a leading role. So, it was understandable when things looked clunky to begin the year. However, as the season has progressed, he’s become far more comfortable spearheading the creation side of the offense.

I’ve also been impressed with how White has carried the offensive load without showing much slippage on the defensive side of the floor. He’s still one of the better defenders on Boston’s roster and is consistently flying around for close-outs, switches and in the rearview to pressure interior shooters.

Solid season from the veteran guard, especially with everything that’s being asked of him.

Payton Pritchard - B

Pritchard is another member of the roster who has assumed a much larger role in Tatum’s absence. He’s the Celtics secondary playmaker and is top-four in usage rate — behind Brown, Simons and White.

Like White, Pritchard navigated a difficult start to the season. He had to adjust to facing primary defenders, along with a different form of spacing and shot diet. Without Tatum to bend opposing defenses, and with a shift to a primarily guard-led offense, both White and Pritchard found their looks coming in new and often varying ways.

Now that Pritchard has his sea legs under him and his role within the starting unit has levelled out, we’re seeing a lot of growth from him. Pritchard has already taken more mid-range shots (198) than last year (100) and we’re only at the halfway mark. He’s taking advantage of his shooting gravity to punish defenses that pick up or push up high on the perimeter.

However, he will need a solid run of games to avoid this season being his worst from deep, with his current non-garbage time three-point efficiency sitting at 34% on roughly 7 attempts per night — almost a shot per game less than last season.

It’s that lack of deep efficiency that’s costing Pritchard from getting a higher grade here. However, what he’s missing on the perimeter, he’s making up for as a playmaker and interior threat. He’s producing a career high in assists, courtesy of a career-high 22.8% assist rate.

And, while Pritchard is doing his best on the defensive end, the numbers show a noticeable drop, which is likely due to the added exposure of starting-level talent along with the role he’s playing on offense.

Of course, the numbers don’t tell the full story. We’ve seen Pritchard embrace cross-matching, guard his yard against bigger opponents and use his speed on fly-bys and cross switches.

As far as I’m concerned, outside of getting his perimeter shooting back up to the high-30s, you can’t ask for much more from Pritchard, especially under the circumstances of his role change.

Jaylen Brown - A+

Be honest, did you expect Brown to have this season for the Celtics?

I didn’t.

Not at all.

But I’m sure glad he is.

A season-high of third on the NBA’s MVP ladder. Currently fifth behind Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

I’ll die on the hill that Brown’s role didn’t change or increase; it just increased in volume.

“Brown is third on the Celtics in touches, averaging 67.3 per game. That’s marginally lower than Payton Pritchard’s 67.9, and significantly behind Derrick White, who is getting 80 per night…For the most part, Brown isn’t bringing the ball up the floor more than in previous years. Instead, he’s crushing defenses when the rock finds him in the half-court…His drives are up from 12.7 last season to 17.5. And, even with the increase in volume, he’s finishing those drives with a 58.7% efficiency, despite the extra 2.6 shots per game (6 attempts via drives last season, 8.6 this season)…Then, there’s Brown’s pull-up shooting. We’ve all seen his mid-range assassinry this year. He’s jumped from 6.5 pull-up attempts per game (with 2.7 of them being from deep) last season, to 10.8 this season (with 3.3 coming from deep). Brown’s shooting more off the bounce, but not from deep.”

I wrote this at the start of 2026, and stand on it. Brown was already an elite finisher, scorer, and self-creator. The only difference is that without Tatum, the entire offense runs through him — and he’s feasting on the opportunity.

Brown is handling a huge spike in usage rate (37.4% this season) with relative ease. What’s even more impressive is that he hasn’t seen a dip in shot-location efficiency despite the uptick in attempts.

I’ve also been impressed with how Brown has handled teams adjusting to try and pressure his dribble in recent weeks. He’s being shown more of a crowd, and for the most part, he’s making timely reads to counter that coverage. However, the increased role has led to an increase in turnovers, with the Georgia native averaging a career-high 3.7 blunders per game.

Another minor knock on Brown is his clutch free-throw shooting, where he ranks among the lowest-volume players in the NBA. According to Kalshi Sports, which filtered for players who have taken 15-or-more clutch free throws, Brown is averaging 58.8% on his 17 clutch attempts at the line, marginally higher than Donovan Clingan, who ranks dead last.

The clutch issue could evolve into a real problem if the team starts hunting Brown on late-game offensive possessions, in the hope of sending him to the line. But, if that’s the biggest gripe regarding his season so far, then I’d say the team’s in good shape!

Defensively, Brown continues to embrace the task of guarding the opposing team’s best players when the situation makes sense. We saw it against the LA Clippers when he put the clamps on Kawhi Leonard. And, as we get deeper into the season, I’m sure we will see him embrace that role more and more — especially if/when Tatum returns to the court.

Jordan Walsh - C+

This might be somewhat of a hot take. I know Walsh has a growing fanbase due to his energy, defense and overall high-intensity approach to the game. And, for stretches, I’ve seen it. I’ve understood why so many people believe he can develop into a legitimate contributor for the Celtics.

On the other hand, I think he’s prone to going missing during games. He’s on the court, but he’s challenging you to a game of Where’s Waldo?

I’ve been a big fan of Walsh’s efficiency — averaging 134.9 points per 100 shot attempts- but due to his low shot volume, it’s hard to gauge how that will level out if or when he earns a larger role within the offense.

Rebounding has also been a strong point for Walsh this season, and is likely a key part of why he’s cemented himself in the starting lineup (along with his defensive versatility). He’s third on the team for rebounds per game, behind Neemias Queta and Jaylen Brown — not bad for a player getting his first real shot at a consistent role in the league.

Honestly, though, I want to see him assert himself more frequently. He has the size, the athleticism and the burst to attack off the catch. Putting himself into those positions will force development in making reads and passing ability. And while that’s likely not his role (he’s playing a quintessential three-and-d game), I think he needs to smooth out some of his edges.

Why?

Because when Tatum is back, wing minutes are going to shrink. Tatum will eat up a considerable amount of the playing time that’s currently being afforded to Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez — Josh Minott, too, when healthy.

And, right now, if I have to choose, I’m leaning on Gonzalez due to the upside. Walsh has a team option for next season. He’s shown developments this year. But he might need to show more…

Neemias Queta - A

I was wrong on Queta. I’ve said it a few times now, but it’s true.

It’s not that I didn’t think he could make an impact; it’s that I didn’t think he was capable of being a viable starting-level big in the NBA.

I’m still out on the chances of the Celtics winning a championship with him as their starting big. I could be wrong there. But I still prefer him in a bench role. That won’t change.

Nevertheless, Queta has been fantastic over the first half of the season. It’s not always been pretty. Sometimes I think he plays outside of his role — especially when trying to create for himself while driving the lane.

But he’s cleaned up some of his fouling issues, has continued to grow as a screener and rebounder, and his timing has taken literal leaps. I don’t know how much more you can ask for, especially when his rim finishing (an issue I had coming into the season) has also shown improvement - up to 76% at the rim, from 70% last season.

Queta can still improve, though. His defensive IQ is a work in progress, and his processing speed could use another jump. Too often, Queta has the rock as the defense collapses, but doesn’t read the floor fast enough to pick out an open shooter. It looks like he panics, and that’s fine, for now.

Out of all bigs in the league who have played 20 or more games, Queta is seventh in Net Rating. Not bad for someone who was the team’s fourth-string contributor last season.

If the Celtics make a move at the trade deadline, and it adds another big, so be it. I think that’s needed long-term. If not, I have no concerns about seeing the season out with Queta as the starting five. Who knows, on his current trajectory, we could all be clamoring for him to keep the starting spot by the time we’re heading into the summer…