The Maine Celtics have the look of a team that can overwhelm the G League this season.
There’s already a solid base in place, and that group could get even deeper if the players currently on Boston’s Exhibit 10 deals stick around after final cuts. That would give Maine another wave of reinforcements around a roster that already has real juice.
At the center of it all is Phil Pressey. In his first season coaching at any level, he guided Maine to 18 wins and a playoff berth last year.
The former Celtics guard came away from that run with a better feel for the job - how to run practice, manage a huddle, and handle the flow of a game. Now he gets to apply that experience with a more talented roster.
Chris Cenac Jr. should be part of that mix. Boston’s first-round pick in this year’s NBA Draft is expected to spend time with the G League affiliate, where the organization can keep developing a player who, as assistant coach Amile Jefferson said during Summer League, oozes potential.
Cenac is still raw, but he’s a smart player in a strong system, and that should help him sharpen his game. Fans will need patience, but his value is obvious. As a stretch-four and small-ball five, the former Houston star gives Boston a different look at those spots, and NBA chances could open up for him during his rookie year.
Dillon Mitchell is another name Boston fans should be watching closely. The Celtics’ second-round pick is set to spend a lot of time in Maine, and his defensive résumé already stands out.
At St. John’s, he was one of the best perimeter defenders in the country, with great instincts and strong anticipation.
Those traits, along with his elite athleticism, showed up in Las Vegas.
So did the jumper. Boston’s staff worked with Mitchell on getting his shot off on the way up, and the early results were encouraging: he went from making one three in his final NCAA season to hitting three at a 37.5 percent clip at Summer League.
The six-foot-eight wing has the kind of tools, feel, and work ethic that can help Maine push for its first G League championship while also putting himself on a path to impact the NBA.
Amari Williams adds even more intrigue. He has one of Boston’s two-way deals, and after a strong showing at FIBA this summer, the seven-foot center looks likely to log significant minutes in the G League while he keeps building his game.
Williams brings passing and ball-handling ability that can lift the offense and create highlight plays. On the other end, his length and mobility give him a chance to be a dependable rim protector. He also looked more vocal and assertive at Summer League, which is a good sign for his development.
Devin Carter is the favorite for Boston’s final two-way spot, in this author’s view, and if he ends up getting that deal while spending time in Maine, the roster gets even more dangerous.
Add in Milos Uzan, Tucker DeVries, and Hayden Gray on Exhibit 10 contracts, and Maine could have the deepest rotation in the league. The talent level is real, the upside is real, and Pressey is the right coach to keep it all pointed in the same direction.
In Other News...
ESPNs Celtics Rankings Just Fueled A New Jayson Tatum Debate
ESPNs latest top-100 ranking for the 2026-27 NBA season gave the Celtics a familiar kind of national attention, and not all of it was flattering. Boston landed four players on the list, with Derrick White coming in at 47th, Paul George at 67th and Payton Pritchard at 70th, while Jayson Tatum was slotted ninth in a survey compiled by seven experts. For a team that expects to stay in the leagues upper tier, the numbers were enough to spark the usual round of debates about where Bostons key pieces belong.
The Tatum placement is the one that will draw the most scrutiny, because once a ranking pushes him outside the games very top group, every comparison becomes part of the argument. The Celtics also have reason to feel there were a few noteworthy omissions and underratings elsewhere on the board, which only adds to the sense that ESPNs list is as much about stirring discussion as settling it. For Boston fans, its another reminder that even a strong showing in the rankings can leave plenty of room for disagreement. [Read more 🡒]
Paul George Just Got The Perfect Celtics Bulletin Board Material
ESPNs early look at the 2026-27 NBA landscape put Paul George all the way down at No. 67, a placement that feels like the kind of thing a veteran star notices and files away. For the Celtics, it is the sort of outside noise that matters in a very specific way, because George has spent enough time around the league to know when a ranking reads more like skepticism than evaluation.
The case against the number is straightforward enough: George has shown in the playoffs that he still has the skill set and the shot-making to tilt a series, and the argument is that he remains capable of playing at an All-Star level. Whether that becomes motivation or just another talking point is the unresolved part, but for Boston and everyone else in the East, a player of Georges caliber being treated like a mid-tier name is the kind of bulletin-board material that tends to travel well. [Read more 🡒]
LeBron Weighs In On The Jaylen Brown Debate Celtics Fans Know Well
LeBron James added a familiar layer to the long-running Jaylen Brown conversation on his Mind the Game podcast, offering a perspective Celtics fans have heard echoed around the league for years. James said Browns mix of personality and intelligence can make people uncomfortable or even intimidated, and he pointed to the work they have done together in offseason workouts as a sign that the connection between them has been consistently positive.
For Brown, the remarks land in the middle of a career in which criticism and misconceptions about his intelligence have followed him nearly every step of the way. He has spoken publicly about it before, and James comments only reinforce how often the debate says more about the audience than the player, especially when someone with Browns profile keeps forcing people to reckon with the person behind the jersey. [Read more 🡒]