DETROIT — Every outlet you can name is putting out season predictions right now. What are this team’s biggest strengths? Weaknesses? Will they make the playoffs? The conference finals? The NBA Finals? All that and more.
It’s a part of the new-season ritual. Predictions are truly impossible, but they’re a foundational part of sports. The media’s job is to tell the team’s story, but reporters are also an outlet for the fanbase.
A place to turn to for discussion. For analysis. For thoughts. And as the Celtics get set to begin a new campaign, how can the conversation be complete without predictions?
Yet simultaneously, predicting the season is an impossible task. What if injuries happen? What teams around the league will underperform? Which players will surpass expectations and change each team’s outlook?
For the Boston Celtics, the 2026-27 campaign is integral. It’s not just another opportunity to win Banner 19 — it’s a chance to prove their offseason correct. Something that hasn’t been possible until now.
The Celtics will prove themselves right (kind of)
Boston traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, a first-rounder, a first-round swap, and two second-rounders this summer. The trade was almost universally chastised.
In the moment, it made no sense to me. Trading an All-NBA Second Teamer for what is widely considered one of the worst contracts in the league. The picks were, and still are, valuable, but that’s not enough to trade a guy like Brown.
Looking back, the logic is clear. Improved team fit. Avoiding paying another supermax to prioritize depth. More minutes to develop players. But that’s all still yet to be truly proven. That’s what this season will be about.
To be perfectly clear, I don’t know that any outcome will prove the deal correct. At least, not the timing of the trade. That was really all the Celtics could get? Couldn’t they get more picks? They couldn’t have waited to see if the market shifted? Why not trade him anywhere else?
However, I also think this version of the Celtics is more optimized for the style Joe Mazzulla wants to play. They can force more turnovers, be even better on the defensive end, and use depth as their greatest weapon.
In today’s NBA, all of those things are crucial to winning. Depth, perhaps most of all. I believe in the Celtics’ desire to employ a high-octane defense with an offense that uses Jayson Tatum as its primary hub. And I think this current roster optimizes those goals.
But even if the Celtics prove that part of the summer correct, nothing in the immediate future will validate how they went about moving on from Brown. That’s going to take a while (if it ever happens at all).
Depth will be the path forward
Look at the New York Knicks last year. Guys like Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet played massive roles in the NBA Finals. Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes, and even Jordan McLaughlin helped the San Antonio Spurs get there. Even the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The league’s best teams go 10, 12, or even 14 guys deep. That’s what the Celtics have on their roster. That’s why opening up some minutes for them could be crucial for their development.
During the preseason, Hugo Gonzalez looked like a much-improved offensive player. His 3-point shot was smooth, and he still brought the energy on defense.
Baylor Scheierman looked more than ready to accept a larger offensive role. He’s super comfortable with the ball in his hands and an extremely active defender.
Jordan Walsh earned three preseason starts, flashing defense, rebounding, and an improved driving ability. Rookies Chris Cenac and Dillon Mitchell seemed smart on both ends of the court. Ron Harper Jr. was injured for half the preseason, but he showed plenty of potential last season. Even newly-signed two-way player Devn Carter has the talent to play NBA minutes.
Everyone on the Celtics roster can play, because they all understand how to impact the system put in place. Scramble around on defense but stay connected. Set good screens, make your threes, and crash the glass hard on offense.
Not only will the Celtics’ depth be one of their most important winning qualities this season, but it will also help them create a sustainable future. Breakouts from Scheierman, Gonzalez, Walsh, and/or the rookies will lead to a brighter tomorrow.
Boston truly has one of the deepest rosters in the NBA, and this season, it’s going to show that off. But Mazzulla has to push the right buttons.
Joe Mazzulla finds his guys
Depth is only great if used properly. Everyone on the Celtics’ roster is going to get a chance to play. It’s a long season. Plenty of minutes to go around. But by the time the postseason enters the fray, Mazzulla will be ready.
Last year, Mazzulla seemed slow to make choices. Unwilling to go away from what he thought should work. In the playoffs, guys who made a huge impact during the regular season were left on the pine.
Heading into this year, that needs to be one of his focal points for change, and he’s going to get there. He’s going to figure out which guys he can trust to get the job done in the playoffs.
Mazzulla will learn from what went wrong. And this year’s team is set up to have more escape hatches for when the threes don’t fall. Better use of the big men within the flow of the offense. More players who can create on the ball. A defense that helps create fast-break points so the offense doesn’t remain stagnant.
But before any of that can come to fruition, Mazzulla needs to find his guys. Or perhaps more importantly, he will be ready to shift around who his guys are when it matters most.
Depth player falls out of favor
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. I’m optimistic about the upcoming season because I think the defensive and offensive systems are set up well, but there will inevitably be some hiccups.
A byproduct of Mazzulla finding his core circle of trust will be the players inevitably left out. Who that will be is in question, but it will be someone.
If I had to place my bets, it will be one of Walsh, Gonzalez, or Harper. Harper is likely to begin the season completely out of the rotation, but he’ll have a shot to earn his place.
Walsh’s offensive hiccups have gotten him benched before, and Gonzalez could still have a case of the rookie mistakes. Either of those issues could serve as a one-way ticket to the pine.
The more flashy prediction is that one of the big dogs gets minutes taken away. Maybe Robinson is saved to be a postseason tool because of Luka Garza‘s overall impact. Derrick White could fall out of the closing lineup some nights in favor of Payton Pritchard.
True point guard Payton Pritchard
Speaking of Pritchard, I think this is going to be a massive year for him. I know, I know — this is the take of the masses. But you know what? Sometimes the masses are right.
Regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench, Pritchard is going to play 30-35 minutes a night. He’s going to be one of the Celtics’ most important players. And I think he’s going to be their second-best offensive option.
Not just as a scorer, though that will be critical. Having Pritchard’s shot creation, especially in closing lineups, will be a huge reason Boston wins a lot of games. But as a playmaker, Pritchard is in line for a massive leap.
If you look at the way he processed the game in the preseason, it’s obvious. He looked for his shot, but once he went cold, he went into playmaker mode.
Boston getting even more offensive production out of Pritchard will be huge. Don’t be shocked when the Celtics are a top-three team in the East, and Pritchard is getting All-Star consideration by the break.
No. 1 defense in the NBA
This is a lot to pull from just a single preseason game. And obviously, teams like the Thunder, Spurs, and Detroit Pistons should be elite on defense. But the Celtics are going to be top dogs.
For years, the Celtics have played it safe on defense. They’ve played straight-up, not allowing teams the space to work because of their one-on-one style. This year, with the right pieces in place, they’re switching it up.
Boston’s swarming, connected defense was a turnover-forcing machine. And the combination of Queta and Robinson makes for one of the most formidable back-line combinations in the league.
The Celtics don’t have a weak link on defense. Even Pritchard looked like a well-oiled cog in their defensive machine during the preseason. Having no true weak points is not a claim many teams can make.
Again, there will be some stiff competition. But by season’s end, the Celtics’ defense will be the best in the league.
Celtics will make a deep playoff run…
That’s going to lead to playoff success. Having a defense that is great at creating offense will make life easier in the playoffs for Boston. And they have a better offensive infrastructure this year, too.
Last season, it felt like Pritchard was the odd man out at times. And the center spot was pretty unreliable. Adding Robinson will help beef things up, and Pritchard seems much more intent on asserting himself.
Add in offensive growth from Scheierman and Gonzalez, plus a full season of healthy Tatum, and a lot of the Celtics’ offensive woes from last year’s playoff disappointment seem destined to fade away.
A run to the conference finals should absolutely be in the cards for this Boston team. They have more than enough talent on both ends of the floor and a scheme that should work in the playoffs, as long as it remains in place.
…But they will ultimately fall short
A championship, though? That’s a taller task. And while I do believe it’s very possible that this team could win it all if everything breaks the right way, I don’t think that will happen.
I think a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals is a more realistic landing spot for the Celtics. A tough out, but ultimately missing out on the Finals.
The Knicks are favored to repeat, and they would be a tough draw deep into the playoffs. Even teams like the Indiana Pacers or Toronto Raptors could give the Celtics trouble in the right situations.
By the time Boston’s season wraps up, I do think it will have surpassed its efforts from the past two seasons. But a Finals appearance would be a very tall task.
