20 things to watch play out for Celtics in 2024

Here are 20 Celtics-related things to watch in 2024:

■ The All-Star Game: Jayson Tatum will be in Indianapolis, Jaylen Brown’s past portfolio and recent surge will help him, and Kristaps Porzingis has been a dangerous weapon at both ends. But Derrick White, who seems to be adored equally by advanced metrics and fans, may truly be the one to watch. His plus-15 net rating leads the NBA among those who have played 450 minutes this season. He is shooting 41.6 percent from the 3-point line, leads the Celtics in assists and steals per game, and is second only to Porzingis in blocks. He has done it all.

■ The Feb. 8 trade deadline: Before considering potential targets, it’s important for the Celtics to ask whether an acquisition would actually nudge anyone out of the rotation. There was some buzz when the team added Mike Muscala last February, but he quickly became irrelevant. This team has settled on a powerful rotation in which each player has embraced his role. President of basketball operations Brad Stevens will likely be leery of disturbing the chemistry of the NBA’s best team.

■ The Grant-and-Kyrie game: Grant Williams’s lovable style and hard-hat mentality made him a bit of a fan favorite over the last few years. Kyrie Irving is one of the most reviled opponents in Celtics history. Both players come to TD Garden with the Mavericks March 1.

■ The play-in tournament: No, the Celtics won’t end the year anywhere near the 7-10 seeds that will qualify for the play-in tournament. But they are likely to be a top-two seed, resulting in a firstround series against a play-in entrant. Last season, of course, the Heat trailed late in their play-in elimination game before winning it and locking in the No. 8 seed and riding that momentum to the NBA Finals. The Celtics do not want to see Miami (1913) slip down the standings this year.

■ Making history? Just so we’re clear, this 20-item list is incapable of jinxing anyone. Anyway, this is setting up to be a historic regular season. The Celtics are on pace to win 66.6 games and they have the league’s sixth-easiest remaining schedule. Furthermore, three of their six losses came in overtime. It’s not likely, but it is at least possible that they could become the third 70-win team in NBA history.

■ The stars’ comfort: Tatum and Brown are taking their fewest shots per game since 2019-20. So far they’ve embraced the reduced usage because the wins have continued to roll in. But will they be so willing if a losing streak arrives?

■ Ime Udoka’s return: It’s hard to believe that not even a year has passed since the Celtics officially parted ways with Udoka following his suspension for having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate team employee. But he landed on his feet and has guided the upand-coming Rockets, who won just 22 games a year ago, to a 1515 start. Houston comes to TD Garden Jan. 13.

■ Bucks matchups: Milwaukee won the offseason when it acquired Damian Lillard from the Trail Blazers. But that also led to Jrue Holiday landing with the Celtics. The Bucks have looked old at times, but they will remain fearsome as long as they have Giannis Antetokounmpo. The teams meet in Milwaukee Jan. 11 and April 9.

■ The Nuggets come to Boston: Could the Jan. 19 showdown at TD Garden be a preview of Game 1 of the NBA Finals?

■ Rest for the weary: Tatum, Brown, Holiday, and Porzingis all missed at least one game recently to nurse nagging injuries. But for the most part, these were just rest days. In the past the Celtics have sometimes pushed their stars to the limits during the season, but this year they seem more aware of the bigger picture.

■ A second swing: Coach Joe Mazzulla was thrown into a difficult situation last season and has admitted that he was not always willing to adjust. He believes that issue has been corrected this year, and from his timeout usage to shifting the defensive coverages, he said it has been important to be open-minded to altering his approach within a game or segment of a season. It will be worth monitoring when the playoffs arrive.

■ The trade exception: The Celtics created a $6.2 million trade exception when they sent Williams to the Mavericks last summer. That exception will allow them to acquire a player making up to $6.2 million without sending back a matching salary. Since they are well over the luxury-tax line, the true cost would more than triple, so it would have to be someone who would actually play.

■ Siakam’s home: Although the Celtics might not make any big moves at the deadline, there could still be reverberations that day. The Raptors’ decision to trade OG Anunoby to the Knicks could signal the start of their rebuild, and All-NBA wing Pascal Siakam will be a hot commodity if Toronto decides to trade him. The Celtics probably would prefer to see him not land in Philadelphia, for example.

■ The starting lineup: At the start of the season, Mazzulla said his starting lineup decisions would often be based on matchups. But he has settled on a dominant group of Tatum, Brown, Porzingis, Holiday, and White. The group has outscored opponents by 19.6 points per 100 possessions, and as long as it stays healthy, it will be the postseason’s most fearsome fivesome.

■ Queta conversion? Two-way contract player Neemias Queta has been impactful when the frontcourt is shorthanded. If he is needed in the playoffs, it’ll be a bad sign for the Celtics. But Queta’s deal will need to be converted to a standard NBA contract if they want to make him playoff-eligible.

■ Smart’s return: Marcus Smart was the longest-tenured Celtic before being traded last summer, and his bluecollar style endeared him to the fan base as much as any player in recent memory. He’ll be showered with love when he returns to Boston with the Grizzlies Feb. 4.

■ 3-point reliance? Last year the Celtics’ fortunes mostly mirrored their 3-point success. From Tatum and Porzingis’s post-ups to a more fast-breaking style, this squad is more capable of overcoming long-ball issues. But they’re still attempting a league-high 42.9 per game. So it will be important to continue to fortify other avenues.

■ Jordan Walsh’s progress: The Celtics remain high on the rookie second-round pick, who is still just 19 years old. He’s averaging 15.2 points and 6.1 rebounds for G League Maine.

■ A first-round draft pick: This could change in the coming months, but for now the Celtics own their first-round pick in June’s draft. They last selected their own first-rounder in 2020, when Danny Ainge picked Payton Pritchard.

■ Opponents’ free throws: The Celtics continue to get an unusual amount of luck when teams shoot free throws against them. Opponents are shooting a leaguelow 73 percent from the foul line against Boston, 2.6 points worse than the nextclosest team.