Many prognosticators projected this would be a gap year from championship contention for the Boston Celtics. There were questions about whether the team would green-light a subtle tank for a lottery pick.
After all, the Dallas Mavericks had a 1.8 percent chance of having the top choice in the 2025 NBA Draft. They moved up a record-setting 10 spots, receiving the right to select New England native Cooper Flagg. Months after sending Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most shocking trades in sports history, the ping pong balls bounced them a new potential face of the franchise.
Perhaps Boston would have comparable luck at this year's draft lottery. However, what the Celtics are accomplishing is more substantial than relying on chance and parlaying low odds into a game-changing prospect.
The Celtics are showcasing why they're an elite organization
From the top down, the franchise has an elite infrastructure. That becomes easier for some to appreciate in a season like this one, where Boston is defying expectations.
The Celtics have surged up the standings. They're third in the Eastern Conference. They also have nine wins against teams with a .500 record or better, tied with the Detroit Pistons for the most in the NBA.
Jaylen Brown is thriving with more responsibility, acting as a rising tide that lifts all boats. He's averaging 29.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting a tick below 50 percent from the field.
Payton Pritchard is proving he is worthy of a starting role. Derrick White shook off early shooting struggles, validating that he's an elite role player, independent of whether he's working in tandem with Jayson Tatum.
Boston is also home to one of the league's most encouraging youth movements. Jordan Walsh, Neemias Queta, and Josh Minott are carving out their place at the highest level of basketball. Hugo Gonzalez is a defensive menace that Joe Mazzulla has confidence in being able to hound the opposition's top-scoring option. And Baylor Scheierman has transformed his body and is winning with anticipation on the defensive end. He is maturing into the caliber of a two-way player necessary to become a regular in the rotation.
The Celtics will happily take what's happening on the hardwood this season over the pipe dream of landing a top prospect despite the odds being against them.
Besides, each update on Tatum sparks more optimism about him potentially returning this year. It's a topic Hardwood Houdini spoke with Dr. Kevin R. Stone, an orthopedic surgeon at The Stone Clinic and a leading expert in Achilles tendon repair, about in an illuminating conversation.
Dr. Stone shared valuable insight on Tatum's road to recovery, what boxes he must check to return, whether he can do so in the current campaign, if he should wait until next season, and what to expect when he rejoins the lineup.
As Dr. Stone told this author in the immediate aftermath of the five-time All-NBA selection's injury, "There's nothing about an Achilles rupture that should prevent him from coming back better than he was before."
The way Tatum's attacking his rehab is reason to believe that Boston doesn't need to go searching for another star. That, whether it's this season or next, Tatum and Brown will soon lead the Celtics back into title contention.