The Boston Celtics have a lot to like on paper heading into next season. That much is easy to see. But the longer you sit with the roster, the clearer it becomes that this whole setup depends on a dangerous amount of things breaking right.
There’s real upside here. The Celtics were the No. 2 seed last season, Paul George looks like a strong fit alongside Jayson Tatum, and there’s at least a chance George is finally healthy enough to deliver a full impact year.
Tatum is also set to become the unquestioned No. 1 option for the first time in his career, which gives the whole offense a different shape. Payton Pritchard is positioned for the biggest role of his career, Mitchell Robinson is in the mix as a major addition, and Baylor Scheierman plus Hugo Gonzalez are candidates to take big steps forward.
That’s the optimistic version, and it’s not hard to see why Celtics fans would buy into it. This is a team that has been dismissed before and outperformed expectations. It wouldn’t be shocking if that happened again.
But that’s where the catch comes in: for Boston to actually hit its ceiling, basically everything has to go right.
George is the biggest swing. He still has plenty left in the tank and can absolutely be the kind of sidekick Tatum needs.
But he’s also 36, and since 2018-19 he has reached 55 more games in a season only once, when he played 74 for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2023-24. No matter what he says or how he feels, the durability question is real, and because he matters so much to Boston’s success, that risk looms large.
Robinson brings a similar kind of uncertainty. He has played 60 or more games in only three of his eight NBA seasons, and yes, that includes last year.
If Boston needs real center minutes in a playoff series, the options get thin fast. Are you really trusting Luka Garza, even after a fun season, to be the backup big behind Neemias Queta in that setting?
I’m not.
Then there’s the younger group Boston seems to be counting on. Pritchard, Gonzalez, and Scheierman are all being asked to grow into bigger roles, and that’s fine in theory.
In practice, there isn’t much room for error. The Celtics have already invested heavily in those players, which means there aren’t many easy fallback plans if they stall.
Pritchard has had trouble in big moments at times. Gonzalez still can’t shoot.
Scheierman may not yet be the shot-creator Boston needs, especially if Pritchard moves into the starting lineup and the bench needs more scoring punch.
Derrick White is another question mark. Last season was one of the least efficient years of his career, and he was a nonfactor offensively in the playoffs.
He could certainly bounce back if his offensive burden drops, but he’s also 32 now. The arrow is not exactly pointing up forever.
Still, the Celtics’ case isn’t dead on arrival. It just hinges on a lot of good fortune.
What if George and Robinson both stay healthy? What if Pritchard makes something close to the Jalen Brunson-type leap Boston seems to be hoping for?
What if Gonzalez and Scheierman prove the team was right to keep them out of trade packages for Giannis Antetokounmpo and turn into real assets? And what if White finds his shot again?
That’s the tension with this roster. The upside is obvious, but so is the fragility. Fortune favors the bold, as the anonymous former NBA GM said, and Boston is clearly betting on that being true.
So yes, the Celtics look good on paper. If the pieces click the way they’re hoping, they could surprise people and make a deep run. But they’re also asking for a lot of luck to show up at exactly the right time.
In Other News...
Celtics Preseason Will Be The First Test Of Bostons New Core
The Celtics are headed into preseason with a roster that already looks and feels different, and that alone makes October worth watching in Boston. After the trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia, the team is set to open camp with Paul George, Mike Conley Jr. and Mitchell Robinson among the new faces trying to fit quickly into a group that will be judged almost immediately on how well the pieces come together.
Preseason games will air on NBC Sports Boston and stream on DIRECTV, giving fans an early look at how the new core functions before the real games start to count. The schedule also offers a first glimpse at the Celtics' opening run of regular season games, and with the training camp roster now set for 2026-27, this stretch should tell a lot about which roles are already taking shape and which ones are still very much up for grabs. [Read more 🡒]
Mitchell Robinson Is Already Stirring Emotions Beyond Boston
Mitchell Robinsons move to Boston has already sent a ripple through the rest of the East, especially in New York, where the Celtics latest big-man addition now has to be processed as both a loss and a new challenge. Boston brought Robinson in on a three-year, $47.4 million deal after his role in helping the Knicks win the NBA Championship, making him one of the more notable changes to a roster that keeps trying to stay in the title mix.
The Knicks answered by bringing in veteran Andre Drummond on a one-year deal, a move aimed at filling the gap while keeping the frontcourt steady. Former Knicks teammates have sounded split on Robinsons exit, with some still feeling the sting of losing him and others taking a hopeful view of Drummonds arrival, which only adds another layer to a transaction that already carries more emotion than a typical free-agent signing. [Read more 🡒]
Paul George Just Became A Real Celtics Decision Point
Paul George has become one of those names that can linger around a roster long after the obvious offseason chatter has moved on. An Eastern Conference executive recently suggested the Celtics could still find real trade value in him if he is healthy, which is notable given the contract and the long view Boston has to take with every major move. His deal still carries two years of salary commitment, so any discussion around him is as much about flexibility and timing as it is about talent.
The health piece is where the conversation gets complicated. George has played limited games in recent seasons, and Boston has not signaled any desire to move him, but that kind of uncertainty always changes how teams evaluate a players market. If he can stay on the floor, the Celtics may at least have a meaningful decision to make, especially if the return resembles the kind of protected first-round pick an executive believes is still possible. [Read more 🡒]