The 2034–35 Champion Sim League season hasn’t been easy to watch as a Celtics fan. It started off with some hope early on when the team stood at a 3-3 record, but the record is now an ugly 11–31. Too many nights have ended with frustration, missed shots, and the same offensive issues popping up again and again. Still, if you’ve stuck with this team through all of it, you can see what they’re at least trying to become. This version of the Celtics clearly wants to hang its hat on defense, physicality, and effort while also grinding possessions, fighting on the glass, and making games uncomfortable, even when the offense looks rough.
It hasn’t always worked, and sometimes it hasn’t even been close. Nevertheless, that defensive mindset keeps showing up, no matter who’s in the lineup or how bleak the scoreboard looks.
A Roster Reworked With Purpose
The team that opened the season barely resembles the one on the floor now. Team legend De’Aaron Fox is gone. Offseason acquisitions Olivier Sarr and Princepal Singh are gone. Kai Sotto’s season-ending MCL injury took away one of the few consistent scorers, and Dexter Dennis has recently been sent down to the D-League. It’s been a revolving door, and if you're not watching day in and day out, it’s been hard to keep up.
For better or worse, the moves haven’t been random. The front office has clearly leaned toward players who bring toughness and defensive effort, even if that means sacrificing offense. This team rebounds, pressures the ball, and at least tries to compete on that end. Being in the top half of the league in rebounding and near the top in steals doesn’t make up for everything, but it does give the Celtics something to fall back on when the shots stop falling, which has been often.
Boston ranks 11th in rebounds per game at 45.6 and 9th in steals at 8.7, showing that effort and activity on defense and the glass are actually paying off. On the flip side, scoring is a different story as the Celtics are 26th in points per game (97), 29th in field goal percentage (.420), and dead last in three-point shooting (.316). The contrast is stark as the team can make life hard for opponents, but converting that into easy points is still a struggle. Still, for fans willing to look past the scoreboard, the pieces of a defensive identity are clearly visible.
Chima Moneke: The Tone-Setter
If there’s one player who feels like he gets what this team is trying to be, it’s Chima Moneke. Since coming over in a 4-team deal that sent Princepal Singh out, Moneke has brought exactly what the team's GM has stated he wants the organizational identity to be: energy, physicality, and elite defense.
He’s not going to score much, and that’s fine. What he does instead is crash the glass, fight for position, and make life harder for opposing bigs. You can feel his presence when he’s on the floor, especially on nights when the Celtics need someone to keep them competitive possession by possession. If Boston ever does turn itself into a true defensive juggernaut, it’s hard not to see Moneke as one of the early building blocks of that mindset.
The Maxey Debate: Future Star or High-Volume Gamble?
The Tyrese Maxey trade seemed to be highly debated when it was made and the fans are still divided. Is he a true offensive weapon the Celtics can build around, or just another high-usage player who takes too many tough shots on a team that can’t set him up? The early returns lean toward the latter. In seven games with the Celtics, Maxey has averaged 14.1 points on a lot of attempts, but he hasn’t found his rhythm yet. His shooting percentages highlight the inefficiency and it’s been painfully obvious on nights when the offense struggles to move the ball or generate open looks.
Most fans are willing to believe. Maxey is aggressive, confident, and willing to carry a scoring load when the team has very few options. He has flashes of the kind of player who can break games open and in theory could be the centerpiece of a future Celtics offense. The question hanging over these first weeks is whether those flashes can translate into consistent production, or if he’ll just be another volume scorer on a team that ranks near the bottom of nearly every offensive category.
For now, the hope is cautious. Maxey is a talented player, and there’s reason to believe he could develop into a true scoring force. However, it’s hard not to worry after this rough start in Boston, that we’re watching more of the “inefficient shot chucker” side of the equation. Night in and night out, he’ll need to find his touch if this team wants him to be the offensive answer fans are praying for.
Rookies Learning the Defensive Standard
If you’re looking for quieter reasons to stay hopeful, the rookie duo of 1st round draft picks is a good place to start.
Damion Baugh hasn’t had an easy job. Being handed the keys at point guard on a team like this is a tough assignment, but you can see the adjustment happening. He’s taken fewer shots, focused more on driving and passing, and puts real effort into defending at the point of attack. The mistakes are still there, but the approach feels right. He’s trying to be a guard who organizes the team and sets a defensive tone, not one who chases numbers.
Dillon Jones has been similar in that respect. He’s embraced the physical side of the game, working out of the post, rebounding, and taking on tough defensive assignments. He doesn’t need the ball to make an impact, and on this roster, that matters. Watching him battle on the glass and hold his ground defensively has been one of the more consistent bright spots this season.
What This Team Is Trying to Be
This Celtics team isn’t built to win pretty. It’s not built to win shootouts, either. What it’s trying to do is compete through defense, rebounding, and effort even when the offense completely stalls. Some nights, that approach keeps games closer than they should be. Other nights, it’s not enough.
As frustrating as this season has been, there’s at least a sense of what the Celtics want to lean into. If players like Moneke continue to set the tone, if Baugh and Dillon Jones keep growing into their roles, and if Maxey eventually finds his rhythm within this grind-heavy style, there’s something here to build on. The record hurts, no doubt about it, but for fans still watching, the hope is that all this resistance and effort eventually turns into something more.
