Bigs who left the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2025: Al Horford, Kristaps Porziņģis, Luke Kornet.
Bigs who play for the Celtics now: Chris Boucher, Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman, Luka Garza, Amari Williams.
Any idea who will start at center? Team president Brad Stevens “can’t predict it,” he said Monday. Boucher is the most accomplished of the bunch, but, with his frame, the gig might be more of a punishment than a prize. Then again, in Joe Mazzulla’s world, punishment is a prize. He’ll have you running because you won a drill, per Derrick White’s podcast.
For Boston’s “unproven players,” as Stevens called them, this season is anything but a gap year, regardless of whether or not Jayson Tatum makes an unprecedented comeback. Minutes are up for grabs, and good minutes could lead to a role on the next great Celtics team. If this iteration is going to halfway decent, though, it will need several pleasant surprises. And being halfway decent might not be in Boston’s best interest anyway. Mazzulla said he’s glad that Tatum “had to go to a dark place,” and, given what a high draft pick could mean for its future, maybe the whole franchise needs to make that visit.
The State of Play
Last year: After winning the 2024 title, some uninspired play in January felt like a calamity, but overall the Celtics’ formula held up in the regular season: They finished 61-21, with the league’s third-best record, second-best offense, fourth-best defense and second-best net rating. Despite Jrue Holiday dealing with an extremely unpleasant hand injury (“mallet finger” in his right pinky) in February and straining his right hamstring in the playoffs, and despite Porziņģis’ strange illness, Boston looked like a lock to at least make the Eastern Conference finals. After taking care of the Magic in five games, though, a combination of missed 3s and blown leads doomed them in the second round against the New York Knicks. They lost the series in six games, and while Tatum still thinks about what might have been if he hadn’t torn his Achilles late in Game 4, they were all but certainly about to go down 3-1 regardless of what happened on that possession.
The offseason: To lower their payroll, the Celtics traded Holiday and Porziņģis (and, eventually, gave up two second-round picks to get rid of Georges Niang, who was acquired in the Porziņģis trade). They were also rumored to be shopping Anfernee Simons, who was acquired for Holiday and is on a $27.7 million expiring contract. Initially, they were supposed to get two second-round picks from the Blazers in the Holiday deal, but, after Portland reviewed his medicals, it became a one-for-one swap. They drafted Hugo González with the No. 28 pick and traded the No. 32 pick to the Blazers for four future second-round picks, two of which they used to select Amari Williams (No. 46) and Max Shulga (No. 57). In free agency, they quickly signed ex-Timberwolves Luka Garza (two years, $5.3 million) and Josh Minott (two years, $5 million, team option) and added ex-Raptor Chris Boucher (one year, $3.3 million) about a month later. Since they wanted to get under the second apron, they never really had a chance to re-sign Horford or Kornet, who left for Golden State and San Antonio, respectively.
Las Vegas over/under: 40.5 wins, per BetMGM
The Conversation
Celtics believer: As tragic as Jayson Tatum’s injury was, I have consulted with the department of silver linings and prepared a statement: The Celtics had to cut salary anyway. The 2025-26 season will be a respite from the high stakes and high expectations that made much of the previous one feel like a slog. Whether Tatum comes back this season — it’s looking more and more likely! — or next, he’ll be joining a team that has been forced to evolve in his absence. The Celtics will be faster, they’ll be more creative in the halfcourt and his teammates old and new will have improved individually. 😎
Celtics skeptic: I wish I could talk myself into the Celtics “evolving” without their best player. They’ll change, for sure, but not for the better. Even if Tatum were 100% healthy right this moment, he’d be returning to an environment that can’t function the way that it used to. They dumped Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis! Al Horford and Luke Kornet walked! Dating back to its 2022 Finals run, Boston’s roster construction afforded the coaching staff lots of luxuries. It could play double-big or super small. It could go 5-out without sacrificing size. It could hide a shot-blocker on a non-shooting wing and stick Tatum on a big man. Derrick White wasn’t its only all-world defender at the point of attack. It could switch as well as any team in the league. Now all of that is gone, and what remains is a shallow team that will be overmatched defensively. If you thought a 61-win season was a slog, I’m so sorry for what you’re about to experience.
Celtics believer: You can stuff your sorries in a sack, mister! I have no expectations when it comes to wins and losses, and I’m more than prepared for the Celtics to have their struggles. Superstars like Tatum make the game easier for everyone around them, so, naturally, it’s going to be harder without him. In the big picture, though, is that really such a bad thing? This is a rare chance for a perennial contender to temporarily act like a rebuilding team. Throw Baylor Scheierman and Hugo González into the fire! Challenge Josh Minott and Luka Garza to earn the roles they didn’t get in Minnesota! When Spurs players were deferring too much, Gregg Popovich would tell them, “Get your name in the paper!” That should be the message Mazzulla is sending, even to the more established players. Let’s see what Jaylen Brown can do as a No. 1 option. Let’s see what Anfernee Simons can do with a featured role on a good team. Let’s see how much usage Payton Pritchard can handle.
Celtics skeptic: I am stunned that you just referred to this year’s Celtics as a “good team.” They have a handful of good offensive players, but you’re vastly overestimating how far that’s going to get them. The problem with the development angle is that it’s not like the next Tatum or Brown is on the bench, waiting for an opportunity to spread his wings. Their young guys are complementary players, and I can’t think of a single player on the team who needs to hear Pop’s message. Pritchard and Simons are going to get shots up, and I think Brown was completely correct to say that he needs to trust his teammates and play good basketball. I really hope he sticks to that plan and improves as a playmaker for others this season, but I’m honestly terrified to see what happens with his shot selection. Let me guess: You think he’ll play every game like Game 5 against the Knicks, right?
Celtics believer: I said “good team,” not “championship contender.” I see them pushing the pace, trying to break the record for 3-point rate and putting up a ton of points. If the offense is as efficient as I think it will be, then as long as they aren’t horrendous on defense they can still make the playoffs in the East. As for Brown: I don’t expect 26-8-12 on a nightly basis, but there’s no reason the process can’t be similar. He is in Year 10, he’s turning 29 this month, he’s already won a championship and he’s on a supermax contract. He knows the deal. I’m not saying he won’t take a questionable jumper from time to time, but he won’t give anybody Antoine Walker flashbacks. I’m sure he’s already thinking about Tatum coming back in the second half of the season, and he’ll want that to be seamless.
Celtics skeptic: The scenario you’re imagining, in which the team is just competitive enough to justify bringing Tatum back, is exactly what I’m afraid of! As low as I am on this version of the Celtics, I’m actually pretty bullish on their chances of building another title contender around Tatum. That means they can’t afford to take any risks when it comes to his health, and it means they must bottom out right now. If you want this franchise to bounce back as quickly as possible, you should be rooting for Brown and White to miss time due to short-term, non-serious injuries. You should be rooting for Simons to either be productive enough that they can dump his contract or be straight-up harmful to Boston’s chances of winning games. And you should absolutely not be deluding yourself into thinking this is still a playoff team.g