Former Celtics and present Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers sends in a play with his center, Myles Bridges.

Celtics guard Anfernee Simon dishes a pass between two Bucks players.

A few weeks back, I graded the Celtics a B-/C+ team. As we approach the upcoming NBA All-Star weekend, I am upgrading this year’s squad to a strong B+ grade heading into their Feb. 3 matchup against the Dallas Mavericks at the TD Bank Garden.

The reason for the upgrade is the team’s recent style of play. “Ball movement” and “body movement” have made this team more fun to watch as well as more difficult to defend. Jaylen Brown is still the number one scoring option, averaging 29.4 points a game. Brown, considered to be one of the elite “two-way players” in the league, has more than earned his way to a starting role in this year’s All-Star Classic.

But it is his teammates’ work that deserves special mention. The starting unit of Brown (6.9 rebounds/4.8 assists/34 minutes); guards Derrick White (17.2 points/5.4 assists/34 minutes) and Payton Pritchard (16.8 points/5.3 assists/32 minutes); starting center Neemias Queta (10.1 points/8 rebounds/24 minutes); and Sam Hauser (9.1 points/23 minutes) seems to have jelled into a cohesive unit. But it has been the Celtics bench strength that has been a major factor in the team’s rise to a 31-18 record (to date), tied for second place with the New York Knicks, 5.5 games behind the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.

Anfernee Simons was leading the bench brigade, averaging 14.2 points per game. But credit must be given to Jordan Walsh (5.7 point average in 18.6 minutes while gaining a reputation around the league as a defensive stopper), center/forward Luka Garza (7.7 points/16.6 minutes), Josh Minott (6.0 points/16.2 minutes) and 19-year-old fan favorite, Hugo Gonzalez (4.0 points/15.3 minutes) while bringing a special brand of energy every time he steps on the floor. Baylor Scheierman (3.3 points/13.2 minutes) and Amari Williams, who has provided a spark since being called up from the Celtics G League Maine franchise, fill out a surprisingly strong NBA unit. However as of today Simons was traded to the Chcago Bulls. In return for Simons the Green will receive center, Nikola Vucevic with both teams exchanging second round draft picks. The two time All Star is shooting 37.6 percent from the 3-point line and is averaging 16.9 points while hauling in 9 rebounds per game.

This group of bench players each stepped up to make solid contributions when called upon, silencing some of the team’s critics who had said the C’s bench was a weak point. So far, that has not been the case. Credit here must go to Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and his staff for molding this group of bench players into a solid unit that has meshed well with the team’s starters, especially on defense. Note: Brown has publicly “called-out” the team on occasion for not playing with a higher level of defensive intensity. It seems his message has gotten through to all his teammates, as evidenced by their recent play in that area.

What has also been clearly evident is that the team is playing with grit and competitive toughness every time it steps on the floor.

Much of that starts with the play of Jaylen Brown, who has taken over the role of “unquestioned-leader” of this Celtics team while Jayson Tatum recuperates from an achilles tendon tear. And while there has been talk of his possible return before the end of this NBA season, this current Boston Celtics team is determined to prove it is a “team” regardless of who suits up on a night-to-night basis.

And if they continue to play the style they have recently displayed, “Ball and Body” movement, with a constant emphasis on finding the open man, they’ll give a strong accounting of themselves. Are they considered legitimate NBA title contenders? NO!

A return of a healthy Jason Tatum would provide a major boost but would not make the Celtics instant championship contenders. It is probably best that he sits out the rest of this season and returns fully healthy for the 2026-27 NBA campaign. This discussion is something the current Celtics management should strongly consider when assessing this situation and the money they have invested in Tatum ($361 million in guaranteed dollars).

But for the moment, this Boston Celtics team is playing above the expectations of many. The Cs dominated the Milwaukee Bucks, 107-79, on Sunday without their star, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Coach Mazzulla talked about his team’s strengths: “We were a little bit more physical. I thought the physicality of how we played affected them a little bit.” The game served as the first-ever NBA Pioneers Classic, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the landmark debut seasons of Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd and Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton — the league’s first Black players.

The Green have earned their current B+ rating. We’ll see how long they can keep it.

Another significant piece of NBA news concerns trade speculation surrounding the Bucks’ missing All-Star Forward. The four teams considered frontrunners to acquire the mega talented star are the Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors. Antetokounmpo, on the injured list with a calf muscle strain that will sideline him for another month, will greatly impact the entire NBA landscape should he actually be traded. There is significant speculation that the Bucks will wait until the offseason to trade Giannis.

Regardless of the outcome of his situation, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the major story in the NBA as we head to the All-Star break.