The Celtics are positioning themselves to be a title contender this year-- without a trade. Here is what has been happening the last month.

• Smart is shooting 42-of-93 (45.2 percent)
  This could just be a bleep in his stats, but for those paying attention-- Marcus Smart now is easily the Celtics's 2nd best point guard. While he can not break down defenders like Irving or Rozier, he is a gifted passer. The article states that on three of his attempts have happened with a defender within three feet. Which sounds like a negative, but considering Smarts history of having the sense of discrimination of a rottweiler puppy when deciding to take a shot-- this shows that he is getting much stronger at editing his game.
  
  
• No sophomore slump for Jason Tatum
  Tatum is 55th in points per game. While that does not sound great-- he has averaged at least 16 points a game every month since the season started.
  
  
• Jaylen Brown is back.
  In December, it seemed as if that Jaylen Brown's playoff run was a fluke. But Brown has turned his game around. In January all of his shooting percentages were up. FG 49.1%, 3P 41.8% and FT 73.2%.
  
  
• Brad Wanamaker is this year's Shane Larkin.
  It is unlikely that Wanamaker will see any playing time during the playoffs-- but every time he has been pressed into playing more than 15 minutes, he has been solid.