The Boston Celtics are doing something unusual this season.

The Celtics are not just 22-6 to start the season, but they are putting together winning performances without having to rely on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown being at the top of the scoreboard every game.

Tatum and Brown are still the go-to players on the court, but with Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis on the court, as well as bench players Al Horford, Sam Hauser, and Payton Pritchard, the weight is off the duo to be on every game.

Even after some underwhelming performances, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has praised Tatum and Brown’s play.

“It’s a bit of rewriting the story of what value is and what success looks like.” For so long in the NBA, value was defined as “how many shots did you get and how many points did you score?” According to The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Mazzulla stated. “It’s rare to see Jaylen and Jayson welcome two other superstars (Holiday and Porzingis) and then empower Derrick, who should be an All-Star.” So what I actually want to accomplish is shift the prism through which worth and success are perceived.”

“I think they’re way more valuable than they get credit for, because of their ability to be great teammates,” Mazzulla continued. And that isn’t discussed or clicked on nearly enough. To me, the idea that one of those two guys can take 8-10 shots while still playing hard on defense is just as useful as giving them the ball every time and having them score 40.”

The Boston culture hasn’t changed, but the demand for Tatum or Brown to take over games has, and both have agreed to it.

“On this team, it’s clear that I don’t need to score 30 points per game,” Brown said following the Celtics’ 114-97 victory over the Orlando Magic. “That would be great, but we’ve got a lot of guys that can put the ball in the cup that are playing well.”

Mazzulla told Himmelsbach that he had no reservations about the season as the Celtics prepare to face their rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers.