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After a 104-102 win over the Knicks Friday night thanks to a game-winner by Jayson Tatum, the Celtics improved upon their strong start to the year and hold a 4-1 record. Two wins have come against the Knicks, but the other two came against Eastern Conference contenders in Toronto and Milwaukee.
It's okay to get excited about a great five-game stretch, especially after a brutally disappointing season in 2018-19. So to get a better idea of who's been responsible for the 4-1 start, let's turn to NBA Math's TPA metric, which tracks how many points a player adds on the offensive end and how many points he saves on defense.
Here's a look at the top-3 Celtics on both ends of the floor through the first five games:
OFFENSE
Boston Celtics
1. Kemba Walker: 26.2 PPG/ 40% FG/ 37% 3P
Three straight 30-point games will do that for ya. The Celtics' offense is still figuring itself out, and Walker has been its most consistent source of buckets, especially at the free-throw line. On Friday night he became the first Celtic to have two straight games with 10 free-throw attempts or more since Isaiah Thomas.
2. Marcus Smart: 10.6 PPG/ 4.8 APG/ 33.3 % 3P
Smart's counting stats will never blow you away, but he's certainly doing something right to beat out the likes of Tatum and Gordon Hayward in this advanced metric. His progression as a passer has turned him into a terrific floor general for the Celtics, which allows Walker to play off-ball more often. Last season, Kyrie Irving excelled when Smart handled the point guard duties.
3. Jayson Tatum: 22 PPG/ 40% FG/ 48.6 % 3P on 7.8 attempts per game
Tatum said before the season he was going to take fewer long two's and focus on threes and layups. He's done exactly that, and even though his field goal percentage has been down, the incredible efficiency he's shown from three has inflated his scoring numbers. He'll have to improve at finishing around the rim to rise to that next level, but his mindset is at least in the right place.
DEFENSE
1. Rob Williams
Williams has an unlimited ceiling as a defender, but his understanding of rotations and pick and roll coverages has limited his minutes and opportunities to flash his shot-blocking prowess. So far so good for the TimeLord, who missed Friday's game with a hip issue. Hopefully he can stay healthy because he'll need all the reps he can get to reach his ceiling defensively.
2. Daniel Theis
As the most experienced big on the roster in Brad Stevens' system, Theis has earned the most starts to begin the year. What he lacks in size and strength, Theis typically makes up for in positioning and fundamentals. The Celtics defense hasn't been the glaring weakness some expected it to be so far this season, and you can attribute that to Theis' strong play on the backline.
3. Grant Williams
Speaking of positioning and fundamentals, Williams has earned big minutes early in his rookie season by holding his own at the center position from time to time. The Celtics don't have a traditional power forward on the roster, so if Williams can be the go-to guy when the Celtics want to play "big" or hold up as their center at times, you'd have to think he'd be a lock for the All-Rookie team.
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