Celtics Player Power Rankings, One-Third Edition (Plus a New Minutes Chart)

This weekend, the 2025-2026 season will officially be one-third complete. And since we checked in on these rankings just before Halloween, a LOT has changed. Far more than in season's past, when this exercise has not produced many changes. This season, changes galore! When we checked in on Oct. 28th, the C's were 1-3. Let's start with the biggest change. Here's what I had to say about Jordan Walsh at the time:

Thirteen. Jordan Walsh: It may already be over. He hasn't really had a legit chance to play minutes, and given how well Minott and González have played, I don't think one is coming. Perhaps if Scheierman really falls off, but I don't think that's happening either.

None of those things really did happen. And yet...Jordan Walsh! I'd love to tell you I saw it coming, but obviously I didn't. Four days later, he would log 19 minutes against Houston, and after sitting again the next game vs. Utah, he would get a chance against Washington, in the season's ninth game. In that game, he piled up seven points, seven rebounds, two steals, and an assist in just under 24 minutes, and was a game-high +27. And that was it. From there it was on like Donkey Kong. He played 19, 26, and 29 minutes in the next three games coming off the bench, and then he entered the starting lineup in Game 18 vs. Memphis. The C's blew the doors off Memphis that night (I was in attendance!), and he's started every game since.

It really is a stunning turnaround. Walsh always showed flashes or glimpses of the defender he could be in his first two seasons, but he was so jumpy that it was all rendered moot. He'd quickly pick up fouls, turnovers, or both, and coach Joe Mazzulla would yank him back to the bench just as quickly as he would get on the floor. It didn't help that the C's were favorites and trying to run down the one seed in his first two seasons. All of that changed this season – both Walsh's play and the team's expectations – and the eye opener was his defense against Tyrese Maxey in Philly on Nov. 11th. That was what earned him his shot as a starter, and he's made the most of it. And with the hitch now firmly removed from his shot, he's able to make a difference on both ends of the floor. It's been fantastic to see. You can see concretely his added importance in this updated minutes chart:

Walsh is the only player whose minutes have changed by more than four in this second set of 13 games.

As delineated by the lines, we clearly have four tiers of playing time this season. The first tier is guys who are going to get 30 minutes every night unless there's a fourth quarter where they aren't needed. The second tier is going to get a healthy dose of minutes every night, usually at least 20, and on occasion more than 30. The third tier of guys are not going to play every night, but when they do, they generally get decent minutes, 10-15 per game. And then the fourth and final tier is guys who are a) are not going to play most games, and b) probably won't get decent-good minutes even when they do. Poor Max Shulga still hasn't played at all.

With that, let's take another stab at Celtics Player Power Rankings!

One. Jaylen Brown (last time, 1): One of the biggest differences between a team with both of the Jay's and one with just Jaylen is that it's much harder for the C's to win when Jaylen is off. Luckily, he's been mostly on lately! But we need him to not let opponents rile him up, which did happen in these past two losses. Nevertheless, I appreciate JB.

Two. Derrick White (2): With the shooting worries over, he's back to being the D White we know and love.

Three. Payton Pritchard (4): The one player who hasn't missed a game. The media likes to focus on Joe Mazzulla's tenacity, but Pritchard embodies it on the court.

Four. Neemias Queta (3): The drop is less about Queta than it is about the team's ecosystem. When we first did this, it was scary hours whenever Neemy came out of the game, because the venn diagram of "Luka Garza" and "defense" has very little overlap. But with Jordan Walsh and Josh Minott able to fill in as small ball fives, the C's can better leverage Queta, and not be so reliant on him at the same time. If that makes sense? I think it does.

Five. Jordan Walsh (13): As discussed above.

Six. Josh Minott (8): Mazzulla seems to have a love-hate relationship with Minott. Minott, on occasion, is trusted to helm the defense in very important doses. And then he'll will make a mistake or two, and he is not only yanked out of the game, but Mazzulla will often be screaming at him as he makes his way to the bench. That tells me that he's important to this team and its future.

Seven. Anfernee Simons (5): In the season's first 12 games, Simons scored in double figures 11 times, and averaged 15.2 points per game. In the next 14, he scored in double figures in just seven, and averaged 11.1 points per game. In other words, he has been marginalized, and this is with no Jayson Tatum. Once Tatum comes back, Simons may not have many shots to take, if he's still on the team. Which is as strong a reason that Simons needs to be traded. It'd be nice if Mazzulla could get back to Simons getting 25+ minutes, and at least 12 shots per game, so they can showcase him for said trade. But when he gets in now, he seems hesitant to shoot. Lately, the only shots he's hitting are the instinctual, tough shots, where he just puts it up because he's not overthinking. Mazzulla has to do more to get him involved, and it would go a long way if JB could show more on-court faith in Simons too.

Eight. Sam Hauser (7): Hauser has also been slumping, and now may be hurt. But he is still important to the team's defense and rebounding – in particular, he really stood up Darius Garland the other night in Cleveland – and his institutional knowledge of the team's system and the gravity he draws are important regardless of how on his shot is.

Nine. Hugo González (9): His stats don't really jump off the page, and he still makes a healthy dose of rookie mistakes, but Hugo is absolutely a keeper, and I'm always excited to see him get in the game. And he has been. He's played in the last seven games, and 10 of the past 11.

Ten. Baylor Scheierman (11): He has been pretty solid, and like last time, I'm not ready to give up on him as an NBA player. However, I think he also needs to be traded. While he's getting more minutes recently, he's still clearly a notch below Hauser, Minott, and Walsh on the wing depth chart (to say nothing of JB in front of him, and González with/below him), and when you add Tatum back into that mix...I just don't see his opportunity. At that point, he'll be sixth or seventh on the depth chart, and the depth chart doesn't usually go that far, especially if the C's play more three-guard lineups to get Simons more run like they did in the fourth quarter last night vs. Detroit. Much like JD Davison – who is getting decent minutes for a contending Houston Rockets team this season – I think Scheierman could have a better chance on a different squad.

Eleven. Xavier Tillman St. (10): He has only played 10+ minutes in four games this season, but one of them was in Cleveland a couple of weeks ago, when he started and played 30 minutes with Queta and White out, and he was a huge factor in that win. Tillman isn't the most talented player, but he knows the places he's supposed to be, and he knows his role. In a pinch, those things can be more important than talent. Especially in a high-character guy who isn't going to make waves about his lack of minutes.

Twelve. Luka Garza (6): The biggest drop off. He'll get another chance to step in and play real minutes, but his moment as a regular seemed to end in the win over Detroit. That was the first time the C's went small with Minott/Walsh at the five, and that didn't happen in a vacuum. Someone had to fall out of the rotation, and Garza has. Since that night, he's played just 15 minutes total, and appeared in only three of eight games. That seems a little harsh, as Garza can shoot and be a force offensively. But the defense just isn't there. Still, signing him was worth the gamble.

Thirteen. Amari Williams (14): He's played sparingly, but he's had a couple of good performances in important moments.

Fourteen. Chris Boucher (12): He hasn't played in any of the past nine games, and just once in the last 13. He's probably done getting real minutes on this (or any) team, but his performance provided an important measuring stick. González, Minott, Scheierman, and Walsh all needed to prove they were going to be more impactful than Boucher. They did, and the team has taken off. And if they couldn't prove it, Boucher wasn't the worst player to have around. He still isn't.

Fifteen. Ron Harper Jr. (15): I do like Harper! It's fun to dream on what he could be with a real opportunity. It just likely isn't going to come on this team.

Sixteen. Max Shulga (16): I do hope he gets into a game at some point.

N/A. Jayson Tatum (N/A): Still on the bench every night, which is just so refreshing to see. Seemingly it's a "when" JT comes back, and not an "if." I'm trying not to be too excited, and mostly failing at that.