The Boston Celtics have begun the 2025-26 campaign with a 2-3 record, and as they go for a third-straight victory on Friday night in Philadelphia to try and get to .500, Bleacher Report has released its debut NBA Power Rankings for the season, with the Celts landing in the No. 19 spot out of 30. “The Boston Celtics started this campaign 0-3, and it looked like the absence of Jayson Tatum and departures of Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford might doom them to miss the play-in,” BR’s Andy Bailey wrote. “However, they had a confidence-boosting performance against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, and they closed out their week with a blowout win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have the potential to represent the East in the Finals.” “Swings like this could be the norm for Boston all season, given the makeup of the roster and its reliance on three-point shooting,” Bailey continued. “Most games, they’re at a clear disadvantage in the frontcourt, but on any given night, they can get hot from deep and run away from bigger teams. Wednesday (against the Cleveland Cavaliers), they went 21-of-56 from deep.” Story continues below advertisement Don’t let this ranking — or Boston’s record — get you thinking that the Celtics aren’t a good squad. CLNS Media’s Noa Dalzell provided an interesting stat on Friday: Boston is one of just three NBA teams that have a top-10 offensive and defensive rating so far this year. Amazingly, the Celtics are one of only 3 NBA teams that are in the Top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating so far this season pic.twitter.com/dr9O9IuGwl — Noa Dalzell ð (@NoaDalzell) October 30, 2025 The Celtics entered the year with severely diminished expectations due to all of their roster losses (and, most notably, Jayson Tatum’s injury), but if this team can stay competitive like it has the past two games, Tatum’s possible return in the spring could coincide with a preparation for playoff basketball. Story continues below advertisement By the way, here’s what Bailey’s top-five looked like in the Power Rankings: (1) Oklahoma City Thunder, (2) Denver Nuggets, (3) Houston Rockets, (4) Cleveland Cavaliers, (5) San Antonio Spurs.