The wait is nearly over for Boston Celtics fans. At 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the season will officially tip off as Atlantic Division rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers, visit TD Garden.
After another deep playoff run last year in hopes of going back-to-back, the Celtics fell short in the second round, losing 4–2 to the New York Knicks in the Conference Semi-Finals. While the early exit was disappointing for many fans, the sting was overshadowed by superstar Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear in Game 4. Although Tatum has made remarkable progress in his recovery, he is not expected to return to the parquet until at least 2026.
In addition to losing Tatum, the team said goodbye to several key contributors this offseason. Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet and Al Horford all found new homes, leaving Boston with a noticeable lack of depth at the power forward and center positions.
In the final preseason game, head coach Joe Mazzulla fielded a starting lineup that may not inspire much optimism among fans. Payton Pritchard is expected to start at point guard. The sharpshooter averaged 3.2 made 3-pointers per game last season at a 40.7% clip and was named the 2024–25 Sixth Man of the Year. While Pritchard’s shooting and energy are valuable, he brings a very different skill set than Jrue Holiday, a six-time All-Defensive Team selection and former starter.
Both the shooting guard and small forward spots will offer continuity for the retooled roster. Fan favorite Derrick White and 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown will once again anchor the wings. White has evolved into one of the league’s premier two-way guards, ranking fourth in 3-pointers made and first among guards in blocks last season.
Brown, entering his 10th NBA season after being drafted by Boston in 2016, will step into a role largely unfamiliar to him. With Tatum sidelined, Brown becomes the unquestioned focal point of the Celtics’ offense. This season should offer him the opportunity to showcase his ability to lead and take over games as the team’s primary star.
With the departures of Porziņģis, Horford and Kornet, the Celtics are thin in the frontcourt. It appears Mazzulla will rely on the tandem of Chris Boucher and Neemias Queta to start alongside Pritchard, White and Brown. Boucher, signed to a one-year, $3.3 million deal this summer, shot 36.3% from the three-point line last season and could fit well in the team’s “Mazzulla Ball” system, which emphasizes spacing and perimeter shooting.
Queta, entering his third season with Boston, has shown steady improvement — appearing in 62 games last season after playing 28 the year prior. The Portuguese big man spent much of the offseason starring for his national team in EuroBasket, leading them in points, rebounds and blocks. However, Queta has yet to attempt a 3-pointer in the NBA and remains limited offensively, which could cap the ceiling of a Celtics squad that, over the past two years, has thrived on five-out offensive versatility amplified by Porziņģis’s shooting. Defensively, Queta will be thrown into the fire immediately, tasked with guarding 2023 MVP Joel Embiid on opening night.
The rest of the roster will be filled out by a mix of familiar faces and new additions. Anfernee Simons should serve as a spark plug off the bench and could find himself in a similar position to Pritchard last season, competing for the Sixth Man of the Year award. Sam Hauser will reprise his role as a floor-spacing sharpshooter, while returning forwards Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh are expected to contribute meaningful minutes. Former Minnesota Timberwolves teammates Luka Garza and Josh Minott will also have opportunities to carve out roles in this reworked second unit.
One name to watch is rookie Hugo González, the 19-year-old first-round pick out of Spain. Drafted 28th overall, González flashed promise throughout the preseason, showing poise and energy that could make it difficult for Mazzulla to keep him off the court.
Overall, it will be hard to gauge the true ceiling of this Celtics roster until real games are played — and until there’s more clarity on Jayson Tatum’s recovery timeline. Still, with the reigning Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers expected to be without Tyrese Haliburton all season due to an Achilles injury, Boston may find a path back to playoff contention sooner than many anticipated in mid-May.
