Boston enters the new season with a familiar place near the Eastern Conference’s front line but a very different roster around Jayson Tatum. Jaylen Brown is now in Philadelphia, Paul George has arrived as the headline replacement, and the Celtics will be trying to turn another elite regular season into a longer postseason run after two straight early exits.
A reshaped contender around Tatum
The Celtics finished 56-26 last season, good for second in the East, before a first-round loss. Over Brown’s 10 years in Boston, the club posted the NBA’s best regular-season record and collected 86 playoff victories, but the organization has moved into a new phase with Tatum as its undisputed centerpiece.
Joe Mazzulla’s teams have remained remarkably stable in one important way: Boston has ranked among the league’s top five teams offensively and defensively in each of the past four seasons. That continued last year despite Tatum missing the first 62 games.
The front office added George to help absorb Brown’s departed scoring and wing responsibilities. It also brought in Mike Conley, Chris Cenac Jr., Dillon Mitchell and center Mitchell Robinson, whose size addresses a frontcourt that lacked depth.
- Last season: 56-26, second place in the Eastern Conference, eliminated in the first round.
- Major arrivals: Paul George, Mike Conley, Mitchell Robinson, Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell.
- Core question: Can Boston remain a two-way power while adjusting to life without Brown?
- Conference backdrop: The East has added depth, and Philadelphia, the team that ended Boston’s season, became stronger through the Brown deal.
Tatum’s availability changes the ceiling. He played only 22 combined regular-season and playoff games after returning from an Achilles tear, averaging 33.6 minutes, and he was unable to finish the postseason. His movement and overall health will be watched closely from opening week onward.
Hugo González has room to grow
Second-year wing Hugo González is positioned as Boston’s leading internal growth candidate. The No. 28 pick in last year’s draft was already a steady rotation piece, appearing in 74 games and clearing 1,000 total minutes.
González was the only rookie to beat league-average marks on both meaningful two-point and three-point volume: better than 55.0% inside the arc on at least 100 attempts and above 36.0% from three on at least 100 tries. Mazzulla also trusted the 20-year-old with difficult defensive matchups, and Boston outscored opponents by 11.9 points per 100 possessions with González on the court.
His offensive role, however, was narrow. He ranked last among Celtics in both usage rate and time holding the ball, produced only 1.3 assists per 36 minutes and took just 14 pull-up jumpers all season. His playoff workload was even smaller, totaling fewer than 19 minutes across seven games.
With Brown gone and George joining a new environment, González has a clearer opening to handle more responsibility. The next step is not simply making shots; it is creating enough on the ball to make opponents account for him in a larger role.
Paint pressure remains Boston’s offensive issue
Boston’s offense has been the NBA’s most efficient over the last three regular seasons, scoring 120.6 points per 100 possessions. It won a championship during that stretch despite taking the league’s smallest share of its shots in the paint.
That profile persisted last season. Only 41% of the Celtics’ attempts came in the paint, placing them last in the league for a third consecutive year. They have also finished last in free-throw rate in each of the past two seasons.
The concern is magnified in the playoffs. Boston’s lack of interior scoring hurt in each of its past two postseason runs, and its first-round collapse against Philadelphia included a 28% three-point mark over the final three games of the series. When the perimeter looks stopped falling, the Celtics did not have enough easy offense at the rim or at the foul line.
- Robinson supplies vertical spacing as a dive man and should create extra possessions through offensive rebounds and put-backs.
- George’s game is more perimeter-oriented than Brown’s, making a broader offensive adjustment possible.
- Derrick White is another early watch point after shooting 32.7% from three last season, following a 38.7% mark across the previous three years.
- White’s slump carried into the playoffs, where he made 15 of 55 attempts from deep, or 27.3%.
Robinson’s workload will require management as Boston works him into its system. Still, his presence gives the Celtics an element they badly needed: a true rim-running big who can pressure the basket without needing plays built around post touches.
Five dates that will frame Boston’s early calendar
- Oct. 20, Celtics at Pistons: Boston opens in Detroit at 3 p.m. ET. Every meeting between the teams last season was within three points during the final three minutes, and the Celtics lost three of four, including both road games.
- Oct. 23, Celtics at Knicks: The first of four games against the reigning champions comes on the season’s first Friday. Boston has dropped five of its last six contests against New York dating to the 2025 conference semifinals.
- Nov. 29, Celtics at Spurs: San Antonio was one of three Western Conference clubs to sweep Boston last season. Victor Wembanyama scored 39 points in the Spurs’ March 10 win in San Antonio.
- Dec. 25, Heat at Celtics: Boston will host on Christmas for the sixth time in franchise history, with all six home Christmas games occurring since 2017. Giannis Antetokounmpo will meet the Celtics on the holiday as a Heat player for the first time; it will be Boston’s third Christmas matchup against him.
- Jan. 21, Sixers at Celtics: Brown returns to Boston on a Thursday night. The Celtics and 76ers have played one another more often than any other pair of NBA franchises, and the teams that made the offseason’s biggest trade should again be fighting near the top of the East.
Boston has enough established two-way infrastructure to stay in the conference race. Its season will hinge on whether Tatum returns to full form, whether George’s arrival fits cleanly around him, whether White finds his shooting touch, and whether Robinson can give the Celtics a more reliable answer when postseason defenses take away the three-point line.
