The Celtics still belong in the championship conversation heading into the 2026-27 NBA season, but ESPN says the biggest issue staring them down is a familiar one: who picks up the offensive load Jaylen Brown leaves behind?
That was the central question in ESPN’s preseason look at the biggest under-the-radar concern for the NBA’s top title hopefuls, and Boston made the list. The issue is simple enough on paper, even if the answer is not. Brown’s production has to come from somewhere.
“But who will be the offensive threat that Brown was alongside Tatum?” wrote ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk.
"Paul George averaged more than 20 points per game in 2023-24 with the Clippers, but he hasn't played more than 41 games in either of the past two seasons. Payton Pritchard could be the biggest winner of the Brown trade for the Celtics.
Can he continue his offensive progression and become a 20-point-per-game scorer? Derrick White also could see an uptick in scoring.
And perhaps Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh will take advantage of the void left by Brown."
Brown’s value has been a hot topic all offseason, but last season made the case hard to ignore. With Jayson Tatum out, Brown put together the best scoring year of his career, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He added a fifth All-Star nod, earned All-NBA recognition for the second time and landed on the MVP ballot for the first time.
Still, Youngmisuk’s point is that no single player is walking in and replacing that output. George is the obvious name in the mix, but the fit comes with obvious questions.
He posted more than 20 points per game in 2023-24, yet availability has been a problem, with fewer than 41 games played in each of the last two seasons. Boston needs more from him than just name value.
The Celtics will also be counting on internal growth. Pritchard and White are both candidates to take another step, while Scheierman, Gonzalez and Walsh could use the opening Brown’s departure creates.
And there’s one more reason Boston still feels dangerous: Joe Mazzulla.
"Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is one of the brightest minds in the game and certainly will be looking forward to the challenge of keeping the Celtics in contention in the East," wrote Youngmisuk.
In Other News...
NBA Passed On A Celtics Reunion Fans Expected Right Away
The NBAs early look at the 2026-27 schedule gave fans a first glimpse of opening night, the opening week and Christmas Day, but it did not deliver the kind of reunion many around Boston might have penciled in. With the Celtics and 76ers both reshaped by recent roster changes and carrying a rivalry that still draws attention, an early-season meeting between the two looked like an obvious showcase candidate.
Instead, the leagues preview pointed both clubs elsewhere for those marquee dates, leaving the anticipated Boston-Philadelphia spotlight matchup off the board for now. Bostons holiday stage belongs to another Eastern Conference opponent, and the full schedule release later on will be the next chance to see where, and when, the Celtics and Sixers finally land on each others calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Just Got An Opening Night Spotlight Few Teams Ever See
The Celtics are set to get a rare kind of showcase to open the 2026-27 NBA season, drawing the first game on the league calendar against the Pistons in a Tuesday matinee. A 3 p.m. ET tip-off is unusual by any standard, but it was chosen with a specific purpose in mind, as NBA and NBC executives wanted the opener to feel like an event while also reaching international viewers.
For Boston, it is another sign of how often the franchise is placed in the leagues brightest spotlight, even before the season has fully begun. The opener will lead into a packed night slate as the Knicks host the 76ers and the Thunder meet the Spurs, but the Celtics-Pistons game gets the first turn in front of the cameras, with the afternoon slot giving it a different kind of stage than the usual opening-night routine. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Just Made Their Title Bet Impossible To Misread
The Celtics have made it clear this offseason that they are not chasing talent in a vacuum. Under Brad Stevens, the front office has leaned into basketball fit and team identity, a direction that stands in sharp contrast to Philadelphias talent-heavy approach. Bostons latest moves were built around that idea, with the club reshaping its roster to better match the way it wants to defend, manage possessions and play when the margins tighten in the playoffs.
There is still a reason the move feels so dramatic, though, because Boston did not just tinker at the edges. The Celtics dealt Jaylen Brown for Paul George, then followed with another addition meant to reinforce the same formula, bringing in Mitchell Robinson to help on the glass and at the defensive end. It is the kind of roster bet that says the Celtics believe cohesion can matter as much as star power, even if the real test of that theory is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]