The Boston Celtics sit at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 17-5 record after the first quarter mark of the season and they’re the only team that’s currently undefeated on their home court this season (11-0).

Boston is scoring 117.4 points per game, which isn’t the most in the East or in the NBA for that matter, but their scoring differential is a +8.4, which ranks second in the East and in the NBA.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are averaging 49.5 points per game this season, along with Kristaps Porzingis who’s scoring 19.2 points a night as Boston’s new Big Three this season. Derrick White is averaging 15.5 points per game, which is a career high.

It’s also worth noting that the Celtics starting lineup all average over 45 percent shooting from the floor with the exception of Jrue Holiday who is shooting 43.7 percent.

Playmaking continues to be a struggle for Boston despite improvement in that area most recently. The Celtics currently rank 26th in assists per game with 24.8 assists and rank 16th in potential assists with 45.1 per game.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla has stuck with a limited rotation of eight to nine players, including Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet. The biggest surprise to me through 22 games is that Oshae Brissett and Lamar Stevens are unable to carve a role for themselves on this team.

Another takeaway through 22 games is secondary playmaking seems to be weak in the hands of Pritchard as he’s only averaging 2.9 assists per game, which is a career high. But if he’s expected to be the backup floor general, he needs to be more of a playmaker.

It’s worth pointing out that Hauser has been a flamethrower on offense and is holding his own on defense. He’s averaging 46.4 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from behind the arc this season. It’s evident he’s more comfortable this year and he’s been spectacular.

The team as a whole is on a different level this season. It’s most noticeable late in games when a lead is blown and they need to fight to get back into the game. We’ve seen them win games that would’ve been losses last season. It’s a clear sign of growth from each player and coach on the roster.

One more noteworthy mention, the Celtics waived two-way center Nathan Knight and already filled the contract by signing Drew Peterson.

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Photo Credit: Stephen Golsing, NBAE Getty Images