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#1 The Celtics' young core has finally stepped up
The 2018 playoffs provided us with a glimpse of the future, as a young Boston roster playing without Irving and Gordon Hayward pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
While Terry Rozier departed for the Hornets during the summer, the trio of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum remain - and all three have taken a huge step this season. Following a series of impressive defensive performances, Smart is among the early candidates in the race to be named Defensive Player of the Year - with the 25-year-old also averaging a career-high 12.1 points per contest.
Meanwhile, Tatum dropped a season-high 30 points in his most recent outing against the Clippers and is averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, and assists. Brown is also producing the best numbers of his career in terms of points (18.5) and rebounds (7.2), and the performances from the young trio will only get better as the season progresses.
