How many NBA teams have a real chance to win the Eastern Conference?

4. Boston Celtics

So long as they have Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics are legitimate threats to win the East.

Brown is steamrolling toward his first All-Star nod, averaging a career-high 26.4 points on 51.8 percent shooting, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.5 triples and 1.3 steals in only 33.1 minutes. Tatum is likewise putting up career-best numbers in points (27.0), rebounds (7.1), assists (4.1) and made 3-pointers (3.2) per game.

Tatum became far more proficient as an individual shot-creator last season, with only 43.3 percent of his 2-point field goals and 54.5 percent of his 3-pointers coming off assists. Brown has joined him in that regard this season, as only 45.8 percent of his 2-pointers and 76.0 percent of his 3-pointers have been assisted, both of which are career lows.

Beyond those two, the Celtics have a few question marks.

Kemba Walker is working his way back from a stem cell injection that he received in his balky left knee in October, and he looks like a shell of his former All-Star self. Meanwhile, Marcus Smart suffered a calf strain at the end of January that is expected to sideline him for 2-3 weeks.

The Celtics’ frontcourt remains a potential liability, too. Daniel Theis has played well in limited minutes, while Tristan Thompson leads the team with 8.6 rebounds in only 22.6 minutes per game. But can either of them hold up against Giannis Antetokounmpo or Joel Embiid once the playoffs roll around?

The Celtics are sitting on a $28.5 million traded player exception from when they sign-and-traded Gordon Hayward to the Charlotte Hornets, so they have the ability to add a major contributor to their roster between now and the March 25 trade deadline. If they don’t find a way to meaningfully improve, though, their title hopes will come down to the Jays.