How the Celtics, without Tatum, kept their spot among East elite - ESPN

As Payton Pritchard spoke to reporters following Boston's Jan. 9 win against the Toronto Raptors — the Celtics' 14th win in 18 games — a simple question was lobbed his way inside TD Garden's home locker room.

Are you surprised at the way this season has played out?

A smirk crossed the point guard's face before the question was even finished, giving way to a rapid response.

«I'm not surprised at all,» he said.

To say Pritchard and Boston are in the minority is an understatement.

The Celtics, who host the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) are 30-18 and tied for second place in the Eastern Conference. And more than halfway through the 2025-26 season, Boston ranks second in offensive and net rating and sits 12th in defensive rating.

While the rankings are in line with recent Boston squads — the Celtics have finished inside the top 10 in all three categories in four consecutive seasons — those versions included players such as Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Luke Kornet, to name a few. Four of those players left Boston over the summer, while Tatum remains sidelined as he recovers from a torn Achilles suffered during the playoffs.

With so much roster turnover, the potential of a gap year became a top summer storyline in Boston. Instead, the Celtics are on pace to win at least 50 games for the fifth straight season and can still make a run at the Detroit Pistons for the conference's top seed.

«The fact they're missing Tatum and not missing a beat,» a Western Conference executive said, «is unbelievable.»

Here is a look at how the surprising Celtics have defied expectations, why they remain a threat in the wide-open East and why this roster could receive a massive boost in the playoffs.