Boston’s formula has less to do with star power and more to do with precision.
The Celtics spent last season winning 56 games without another All-Star, and while Jaylen Brown drew much of the attention, the bigger story was how often Boston looked just as sharp when he wasn’t even on the floor. That’s the kind of thing that doesn’t fully make sense until you zoom in on how Joe Mazzulla has built the team’s offense.
Mazzulla gave his players narrow, clearly defined jobs and trusted them to live in those lanes. Instead of asking everyone to be something they’re not, Boston leaned hard into what each guy does best. That approach paid off in a big way, and it helped fuel the sense that some of the Celtics’ role players were producing like stars in the right setting.
That idea matters even more now, because the modern NBA keeps proving that value isn’t just about collecting superstars. It’s about getting more from a contract than the market expects. Boston had plenty of that last season, and the team is clearly betting it can keep finding it.
A breakdown from SportsRadar, using Synergy data, sorted offensive roles into 11 categories and identified the players who “starred” in those specific jobs. The chart, created by Todd Whitehead of Synergy and SportsRadar, showed Boston with four players among the 55 who stood out in those roles.
Payton Pritchard posted the highest impact of any secondary ball handler. Sam Hauser ranked fifth among dynamic shooting wings.
Hugo Gonzalez came in fifth among spot-up shooting wings. Neemias Queta was fifth among rim-finishing bigs.
Five players who are making a positive impact in each of 11 offensive roles. pic.twitter.com/QHnmOVAyk4
- Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) August 8, 2026
The takeaway is straightforward: Boston isn’t trying to force players into oversized jobs. The Celtics have identified pieces who can thrive in very specific assignments, then built around that.
Hauser and Hugo Gonzalez aren’t being asked to play like Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, or Luka Doncic, and that’s the point. The Celtics have depth, they have players who can tilt a game in their own lanes, and they have a coach willing to arrange all of it correctly.
If Mazzulla gets the mix right again, Boston has a real shot to beat expectations for a second straight season.
In Other News...
Celtics Fans Are Still Processing What This Offseason Just Changed
Ron Harper Jr. is already settling into his next chapter in Boston, and even the small details are carrying meaning. After signing a four-year contract with the Celtics, Harper said he will switch from No. 13 to No. 8 as a tribute to Kobe Bryant, a move that also opens the door for new teammate Paul George to take 13. It is the kind of roster housekeeping that can get overlooked in a busy offseason, but it says something about how quickly the Celtics are trying to stitch together a new look.
Harper also spoke about how much the long-term deal means to him, which gives this addition a little more weight than a standard end-of-summer signing. Around the same time, the broader picture in Boston is still being shaped by the Jaylen Brown trade, with Sixers president Mike Gansey weighing in on the deal and Brown set to host a public going-away party in the city. Even with the new arrivals, this is still an offseason the Celtics and their fans are sorting through in real time. [Read more 🡒]
Luka Garza Is Fighting For His Celtics Role This Summer
Luka Garza spent last season trying to carve out space in a crowded Celtics frontcourt, and the picture only got more complicated once Boston added Mitchell Robinson at center. Even so, Garza said he sees progress in how he handled his first season with the team, acknowledging both the adjustment period and the challenge of earning more consistent minutes in a rotation that kept him on the fringe.
This summer, Garza is putting in work at the new NBPA player-owned performance center in Los Angeles as he prepares for the next season. The message from his end is simple enough: keep improving, stay ready, and make it harder for Boston to leave him out of the mix when the games start counting again. [Read more 🡒]