For the first time since 2021, the Boston Celtics aren’t a part of the Eastern Conference Finals. So while normally a wrap-up of regular-season and postseason awards would come at least a week out, leaving room for accolades like Eastern Conference Finals and Finals MVP, that’s not exactly necessary this year.
Instead, now that the NBA has officially concluded its regular-season awards, culminated with the announcement of MVP, and the All-Rookie, All-Defensive and All-NBA teams, we’re safe to take stock on the accolades collected by Boston’s top difference makers, as well as note some potential snubs.
MVP aside, perhaps the most prestigious award an NBA player can earn is selection to the All-NBA First Team. That’s because, as its title suggests, only five players are named to this hypothetical best-of-the best team as voted on by a panel of 100 global sports reporters and broadcasters.
For Tatum, the All-NBA First-Team selection is his fourth straight, following a regular season in which the star forward averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. Tatum, who suffered a torn Achilles in Game 4 of Boston’s Eastern Conference semifinal series against the New York Knicks that could sideline him for the entirety of the 2025-26 season, is the only former Duke Blue Devils player to have earned multiple All-NBA First-Team selections.
Talk about fitting. Given that its recipient receives the John Havlicek Trophy, named in honor of the former Celtics legend, who better than Boston’s Payton Pritchard to earn this coveted accolade.
Pritchard provided both depth and an offensive spark off the bench for the defending NBA champions all season long, averaging career highs of 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game over the course of his fifth NBA season. He set an a new single-season record with 246 made-three pointers off the bench, and his1,079 points scored were the most this season by a non-starter. Pritchard joins Kevin McHale (1983-84 and 1984-85), Bill Walton (1985-86), and Malcolm Brogdon (2022-23) as the fourth Celtics player to earn the award.
This one may not be a reflection of on-court success but in terms of a players’ character, there’s no better recognition than the NBA’s Sportsmanship and Social Justice Champion awards.
According to the NBA, the Sportsmanship Award is given to the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.” The Social Justice Champion Award, on the other hand, goes to the player who “has demonstrated a commitment to social justice and upholding the league’s values of equality, respect, and inclusion.” In his second season with the Celtics, Holiday averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. He is the first Celtics player to win either award, though he won the Sportsmanship Award as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks following the 2020-21 season.
As far as snubs go, there are two players that come to mind.
Last year, Celtics guard Derrick White was a more-than-worthy selection to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team, having averaged 1 steal and 1.5 blocks per game in 73 games played. This year, White finished with a nearly identical 0.9 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in 76 games, but was deemed not worthy of an All-Defensive Team selection. Strange.
Then there’s Jaylen Brown. A season ago, Brown was named MVP of both the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals for his efforts in helping to lead the Celtics to their 18th championship. And while obviously those awards aren’t possible this year given his team’s early postseason exit, it’s tough to imagine a world where the recipient of those prestigious awards can’t even get an All-NBA selection the following season.
Maybe, just maybe, voters are just a little fed up with Boston.
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