It’s been a few years since the Celtics have been on the mainstream radar, and with good reason. In the summer of 2013, the Celtics traded away future hall of famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who had led the Celtics to a championship in 2008 along with many deep playoff runs. The following season the Celtics finished with the 5th worst record in the league.

Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge made this trade in hopes of sacrificing the twilight years in the careers of Celtics legends so that the Celtics could accelerate a rebuild of the team.

At the halfway mark of the third year of this rebuild, it is safe to say thus far the plan has worked to perfection, and although this team may not be ready to win a championship, there are plenty of reasons this team deserves some attention.

The Celtics, at a record of 32-23, find themselves in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics are also playing their best basketball this season as they head into the All-Star break. The Celtics have won 10 of their last 12 games including signature wins against excellent teams, such as against Cleveland, where Avery Bradley hit a buzzer to win, and a victory over Chris Paul and the Clippers in overtime.

Another reason to watch the Celtics has been the high level play of star point guard Isaiah Thomas. Thomas has been this team’s offensive leader, averaging 21.5 points per game and 6.6 assists per game. Thomas was rewarded with his first All-Star selection for this Sunday. In fact, at just 5’9”, Thomas became the second shortest player ever to be selected.

The Celtics head coach Brad Stevens deserves credit for the team’s success. Originally the head coach of Butler University, he led the Bulldogs to two consecutive Final Fours. After Ainge had traded former head coach of the Celtics, Doc Rivers, to the Clippers, he immediately looked to capture Stevens’s magic. Stevens took over the reigns in year one of the Celtics rebuild and the team has improved every year since.

Throughout the NBA, Stevens is regarded as a highly intelligent coach and probably one of the best in the league. Stevens is credited for having a persistent, never-give-up attitude, and this Celtics team absolutely emulates his attitude, making them such a likeable team and fun to watch.

Even with the Celtics recent success they still have a chance at a top five or even a first overall pick from the NBA draft lottery. When the Celtics traded Pierce and Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets they got back several draft picks including a first round pick this year. As of right now, the Nets have the third worst record in the NBA, meaning if the standings stayed the same, the Celtics would have a 15.6% chance of acquiring the first overall pick and could get no worse than the sixth overall pick.

Another reason to tune in to the Celtics is the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, February 18th. This year’s trade deadline should be extremely interesting for the Boston Celtics. Last year Ainge made a splash when he acquired Thomas from the Phoenix Suns. At this year’s deadline, the Celtics have a lot to offer. These assets include Brooklyn’s first round pick this year, amongst a plethora of other first round picks from the Nets and other teams in the future.

The Celtics also have David Lee to offer, who is a talented scoring power forward, but he hasn’t found a spot in the Celtics rotation and hasn’t played at all the past few games. With Lee’s contract expiring this year, it is likely that Ainge will try to trade him.

As far as who the Celtics could bring back, NBA stars such as Blake Griffin, Demarcus Cousins, Dwight Howard, and Al Horford have all been linked to trade rumors involving the Celtics. With plenty of young talent and draft picks, Ainge is in a great position to make a splash if he so desires.

Last year after the all star break, the Celtics had the second best record in the Eastern Conference behind only the Cavaliers, who went on to the NBA Finals last year. The Celtics look primed for a strong regular season finish this year. It will be very interesting to see this young, hardworking team in the playoffs.

The Celtics have proven that they aren’t afraid to go head to head with the best in the league. They have the potential for a deep playoff push and maybe with a few trades, even a chance compete for a league or conference championship. Either way this team will be a lot of fun to watch throughout the second half of the season.