‘Every single guy has something to prove’: Bill Simmons tried to explain Celtics’ positive start to the season
Morning Sports Update
“There isn’t a single guy on this team who’s not like, ‘I’m so happy to be a part of this.'”
Jaylen Brown is introduced prior to a Celtics-Knicks game earlier in December. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
December 11, 2025 | 10:50 AM
3 minutes to read
Bill Simmons outlined the current Celtics’ blueprint: Despite jettisoning starters and key players in the offseason, and dealing with the ongoing process of Jayson Tatum rehabbing a ruptured Achilles tendon, the Celtics are surprisingly competitive so far in the 2025-26 NBA season.
Though experts weren’t exactly predicting a last place finish, the team’s current status as the third seed in the Eastern Conference, while still tenuous, is testament to an unexpectedly quality start to the season.
This has recently become more of a topic for NBA analysts and commentators amid Boston’s five-game winning streak. One of the more prominent Celtics fans in NBA media is Ringer founder and CEO Bill Simmons. During a recent episode of his eponymously named podcast, Simmons tried to wrap his mind around the Celtics’ success even without Tatum.
“How did they stumble into the perfect ‘nobody believes in us,’ overachieving NBA blueprint that we’ve seen from time to time?” Simmons remarked of the Celtics after rattling off stats that showcase Boston’s strong position.
In terms of the blueprint he described, Simmons said previous NBA examples of teams like that include the 2003 Pistons, the 2011 Grizzlies, and the 2016 Celtics.
“This isn’t happening unless you have one really good player, and they have one of the best 12-15 guys in the league in Jaylen [Brown], having his best season ever,” Simmons explained.
“They have an absolute lunatic as a coach, but the biggest thing to me as I watch them game-to-game; if you go through their top 11, every single guy has something to prove,” said Simmons. “Every single guy has some sort of hunger for something.”
Going through the list, Simmons talked about how each player — from Brown through Jordan Walsh — has individual reasons to apply maximum effort.
“Jaylen Brown, ‘Tatum’s not here. I’ve always thought I could carry a team like this,’ so he’s in,” Simmons noted. “Derrick White, ‘I’ve always thought I could do a little more defensively,’ here we go. Same for Pritchard. Simons, contract year. Queta, ‘I’ve never gotten a chance.’ Hauser, finally getting more minutes.”
He continued scanning through Boston’s roster.
“You go on down the line. Jordan Walsh, ‘I would f****** kill somebody to play 25 minutes a game.’ Hugo [Gonzalez], I’m 19, I’m a rookie. Josh Minott, ‘Thank god I’m finally playing basketball.’”
“There isn’t a single guy on this team who’s not like, ‘I’m so happy to be a part of this,’” Simmons theorized. “You can feel it game to game, and I think that’s made the difference, because they’re going toe-to-toe against everybody.”
Trivia: Bill Simmons, while still an ESPN employee, helped to develop the original “30 For 30” documentary series in the 2000s. Can you recall which “30 For 30” was the first one to be released?
(Answer at the bottom)
Hint: It covered the subject of a controversial, international trade.
Scores and schedules:
Tonight, the Celtics face the Bucks in Milwaukee at 8 p.m.
Also tonight, the Bruins play the Jets in Winnipeg, also at 8 p.m.
On Sunday, the Patriots host the Bills in a pivotal AFC East matchup at 1 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
Catching up with coach: Mike Vrabel spoke to Scott Zolak about the state of the Patriots coming off the team’s bye week.
On this day: In 2001, on what was a busy day around Boston sports (replete with Red Sox rumors), Antoine Walker scored 42 points with nine rebounds and nine assists in a 102-93 Celtics win over the Knicks.
Daily highlight: Aidan Shaw made the block on the defensive end before throwing down an alley-oop that involved an impressive vertical leap.
The replay is also worth it:
Trivia answer: Kings Ransom
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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