Karalis: Putting together my Celtics and NBA Nice and Naughty list

It’s Christmas time, and the Celtics have taken from beat writers an easy excuse to avoid the tedious prep work of hosting for the holidays, given us on the beat the gift of a few days off after their win over the Pacers.  So, on this night before Christmas, all through the house, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse. 

Christmas Day brings gifts for all the kiddos, but it’s also a gift for NBA fans as we head into the unofficial start of the season. At this point, teams have played about 30 games, or about 35% of their schedule, so we have a decent idea of who most teams are. 

And since this is a time of year that jolly fat dudes with white beards make lists, I’m legally obligated to share my Celtics and NBA nice and naughty list. 

NICE: Brad Stevens

Part of why the Celtics are so surprising is that his fringe guys have all helped the Celtics win games this season. Luka Garza has been huge in the last couple. Jordan Walsh has helped close out some games. Josh Minott had a stretch of impactful play. Baylor Scheierman has chipped in some really nice minutes. Hugo Gonzalez seems like the steal of the draft. 

When all your “hey, let’s see what happens with this guy” players step in and make an impact, then you get what you want for Christmas. 

NAUGHTY: Chris Boucher

Okay, not ALL of his guys have hit. The reason why the Celtics have gone to Minott, Walsh, and Gonzalez at the five in small-ball lineups is that Boucher hasn’t been able to anchor those. He’s supposed to be the guy in between Neemias Queta’s defense and Garza’s offense. He was supposed to be a guy who could hit some shots but also block some shots. He’s done neither and is out of the rotation. It’s not for lack of effort, but he just doesn’t have it anymore. 

NICE: Hugo Gonzalez

I’m irrationally high on this kid. I think his floor is growing into the next Derrick White. That puts his ceiling …. Well, let’s just say somewhere above that. He has “it,” in my opinion. There's a spice to his game that has hooked me.

Have you ever said you’re craving a food and had some lunatic stranger come up to you, apologize for eavesdropping, and then go on a long thing about the one restaurant that has the best of that thing you mentioned? They’ll use words like life-changing and “I promise you won’t regret it.” 

That's me with Gonzalez. And right now, I know I’ll be getting the “he’s good, but I’m not going out of my way to watch him” reaction, but I’m telling you, everyone is going to get it soon and you’d better become a regular at Chez Gonzalez or else you won’t be able to get a table. 

Anyway, I love his feel for the game. I love his instincts. I love his attitude. He’s still only 19. He’s not Cooper Flagg, but he’s special. 

NICE: Cooper Flagg

Since we’re here, did you see what he’s been doing lately? He dropped 33/9/9 last night to beat the Nuggets. After a slow start to the season, Flagg is averaging 24.1/6.2/4.5 in December and his field goal percentage has jumped 10 points since October. He’s shooting 50% overall and 35% from 3 over his last five games, and that's pushed him to 27.6 ppg. He’s also up to 7.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists over his last five. It’s a tantalizing preview of what he’s going to become. 

And I’m told he’s from Maine, which makes his success more interesting to the local folks. 

NAUGHTY: The Cleveland Cavaliers

They got Sam Merrill back and have won two in a row, which is nice. But also, if Sam Merrill is the missing link to your team’s success, you might not be that good. 

The Cavs have slogged through injuries and poor play, and there are rumblings that Kenny Atkinson’s seat is getting warm. I don’t think they're as bad as they’ve shown this season, but I also think they're not as good as we thought heading into it. 

NICE: Joe Mazzulla

Santa might struggle over where to include Mazzulla, but I’m not going to confuse a little lunacy with bad intentions. Even when he says he wants to buy a wolf (an actual thing he said), I can actually see how he got to that conclusion. 

Which might say more about me than I care to admit, but I’m not the one being judged here.

The impressive part of Mazzulla’s coaching is that not only has he gotten creative with his schemes, he has everyone on the team working towards a common goal, even if they're not playing. Garza coming in and being as good as he’s been, and a sick Walsh willingly stepping aside so guys he’s competing with can get his minutes in Toronto, are examples of how this team is in the right mental state. They are bought into what Mazzulla is selling. 

Also, Mazzulla has started running plays like this: 

That is Queta starting in the corner and coming up for a dribble handoff to start the action. As far as I know, he’s done this twice this season and it’s been a bucket each time. This has been a coaching clinic.

NAUGHTY: Draymond Green

He’s like Andre the Giant in The Princess Bride. 

“I’m on the naugthy list”
“You ARE the naughty list.” 

He got into it with Steve Kerr during a game and left the bench. He just … left. His antics are getting worse, and he’s not nearly good enough to have the Warriors look the other way anymore. 

Honestly, it’s a testament to how good the players on team have been to overcome the crap Green brings to them. He has been such a great defender and distributor for them over the years, but he’s been an equally giant orifice. Only one of those things is still true. 

NICE: Jaylen Brown

He’s having an incredible season, and he’s more himself than we’ve ever seen. I’m impressed by both things.

He called this the most fun season of his career, which is something to unpack for another day, and it’s showing. Even his bad games are 30-point nights, which is a very new development. He’s dropped 30 in 10 of his past 11 games, and that 11th game was a triple-double. 

More than anything, I’m happy that he got to lead a team and also learn how much goes into leading a team as the primary guy. I think he’s proven a lot to people, but he’s also learned a lot about the responsibilities and himself. 

He’ll be an All-NBA player for sure. He might make first team. 

NICE: Neemias Queta

I might be his harshest critic, but I’m going to table that just to give him the credit he deserves for growing into this kind of player and being very consistent with his effort and production. 

The Celtics don’t get to 18-11 without Queta. I thought his play would be a big reason why they’d be a middling team at this point, but he’s proven that he can do enough to have a significantly positive impact. I’m impressed with the work he’s put in to become what he’s become. 

NAUGHTY: Trae Young

I couldn't resist a shot at my favorite target in the league. 

The Hawks are 0-4 since his return, though he sat out one of those games. They were 2-3 with him before his injury. 

He’s not a winning player. He’s not a number one option. And his attitude stinks. Unless he gets truly humbled and understands who he is as a player, he’ll just drag his franchise into the ground. 

NAUGHTY: Giannis Antetokounmpo

I love Giannis, and it’s not because he’s from Greece. I don’t buy into most of the things people say about his play. I think he’s been one of the most dominant players the league has ever seen. But this whole trade saga is a mess, and it’s his fault. 

He clearly doesn’t want to be the bad guy in Milwaukee, but he’s becoming that anyway by dragging this out the way he has. If you want to go, then go. People in Milwaukee will get over it. 

It’s like not breaking up with someone because you think it’ll hurt their feelings too much. It’s a very arrogant and self-centered way to think, and it often ends up hurting the other person anyway. 

Rip the damn band-aid off or shut up and stay. Pick one and lean into it.

NAUGHTY: Sam Hauser

More than anything, I’d like to see some consistency. But I’ve been saying that about Hauser for a while. It just feels like he’s prone to more shooting variance than a lot of shooters. He’s had 32% months before, and then he’s followed them up with months in the mid-40s. I’d like to see the swings get a little less wild, thank you. 

NICE: The Pistons

Uh oh, we’re getting into the section where I’m about to praise historical Celtics rivals. I’ll make it quick. 

The Pistons are good, though. And they're for real. They have some things to figure out, but Cade Cunningham is an easy guy to root for. 

NICE: The Knicks

I can’t stand Karl-Anthony Towns, but this is still a legitimately good team if they can stay healthy. 

NICE: The Sixers backcourt

Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe are a legitimately scary combo. They will make life difficult for teams in the East for a very long time. If the Sixers can get it right around them, they have a chance to stumble into an actual contender, not whatever they’ve been the past few years. 

NAUGHTY: Joel Embiid

I’ve never thought he was a winner, and he’s proven that over the years. It’s all about him, which we can see in how radically the Sixers style changes when he’s on the floor versus off it. 

His knee is toast, and his career is just about over. The Sixers need to lean into their backcourt and play their style to have a chance. But Embiid won’t allow that. The only players he can shut down at this point are his own teammates. 

NICE: The Spurs

They just beat OKC again, and they did it with Victor Wembanyama coming off the bench. They are fun and legit. Stephon Castle is a stud, Dylan Harper is going to become one, and Wemby is fully bought in to being a Spur and winning in San Antonio. 

They will be a problem for a long time. 

NAUGHTY: OKC Hype Train Riders

They are still the favorites, but people have been painting them as invincible and inevitable. They’ve only played 10 games against teams above .500 (they’re 7-3 after losing last night). Boston has played 19 (11-8). 

NICE: You Guys!

Awww … you all get some heartfelt pandering for the holidays. 

I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season. It’s a crazy world out there, so just be safe, enjoy your friends and families, and feel free to spend way too much time and energy on sports. 

You know, come to think of it, I haven't heard that mouse in a while. Hopefully that means that trap worked, but I can’t find anything in there. Does that mean it died somewhere else? Jeez, the house is going to stink and people are coming over. Ugh, alright, I have to go take care of this.