The Celtics’ penultimate preseason game comes with a little less mystery than usual. Boston hosts Charlotte tonight at 7:30, and with Joe Mazzulla already saying Sam Cassell will coach Friday’s finale in Philadelphia, this could be the last chance for the regulars to get meaningful preseason run.
That matters because preseason, in Mazzulla’s view, is less about showcasing a full rotation and more about seeing whether the work from practice holds up in live action. Before Boston played Philadelphia last weekend, he laid out the goal this way:
“A lot of it is you're looking just to see carryover from the things you emphasize in practice,” he said. “Being able to do those in another competitive environment, and I think conditioning … I think that helps us a lot too. So I'd say those are the two biggest things.”
With that in mind, tonight should tell us a few things about where Boston is headed.
One area worth watching is the group Mazzulla puts on the floor with Jayson Tatum. He’s not likely to give away the actual starting lineup, but the combinations he uses around Tatum should offer some clues. After the preseason, the minutes and most frequent pairings may make it a little easier to piece together what Mazzulla has in mind.
Then there’s the biggest individual storyline: Neemias Queta Robinson’s growth. Mazzulla has already said Robinson has to be more dynamic in this system, and Robinson understands that request. He’s trying to undo long-standing habits and build something new into his game, so even a small sign of change would be worth noticing.
A possession here, a read there, a moment where he resists the old instinct and tries something different - that would tell us he’s actively working on the adjustment. If he does more than that, even better. For now, the bar is simply to see evidence that the message is getting through.
The other thing to monitor is Boston’s defense after its 16 steals against the Sixers. Was that a sign the Celtics are going to keep attacking passing lanes that aggressively, or was that more of a one-night approach? The alternative is a more controlled style, one that leans harder on contesting shots and finishing possessions on the glass.
However it shows up, the defensive approach will say something about how Boston intends to play and how it might shape those rotations once the games start to count.
In Other News...
Payton Pritchard May Be Headed For A Very Different Celtics Role
Payton Pritchard is already drawing a different kind of attention around the league, and it points toward a much larger role in Bostons next chapter. NBA.com recently surveyed general managers, and the Celtics guard was among the players identified as a breakout candidate for 2026-27. With Jaylen Brown no longer in the mix, the path opens for Pritchard to do more than just provide steady bench production, especially if Boston wants more scoring and creation from the backcourt.
The early signs of that transition have been encouraging. Pritchard has shown he can handle more than spot-up duty, and his preseason work against the Charlotte Hornets offered a look at a playmaking load the Celtics may need to lean on more often. Sharing the floor with Jayson Tatum, he gave Boston a glimpse of a facilitator who can help organize the offense, which makes the coming season feel like a possible bridge to something even bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Hugo Gonzalez May Be Forcing His Way Into A Bigger Celtics Role
Hugo Gonzalez has given the Celtics something they could not count on when he arrived: real confidence from the outside. Through three preseason games, the young wing has been knocking down threes at a clip that stands out even in a small sample, and it matters because shooting has long been the part of his game that lagged behind the rest. For a player trying to carve out a place in Boston, that kind of early progress can change how a coach thinks about his minutes and his fit.
The broader context is just as important. With the roster having changed around him, there is room for someone like Gonzalez to play his way into a larger role if he can offer more than energy and athleticism. The Celtics do not need him to become a finished product overnight, but if this preseason version is closer to the real thing, he suddenly becomes much harder to leave on the fringe of the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics May Have Found A Rotation Wrinkle Teams Wont Love
A preseason look against the Hornets offered a small but interesting glimpse into how Joe Mazzulla might keep opponents guessing this fall. Boston has built its identity around spacing, movement and perimeter skill, so any move toward a bigger look stands out, especially when it comes with two traditional centers on the floor at the same time. The Celtics are still sorting through lineup combinations as they head toward the regular season, and this was one of the more notable wrinkles to surface.
Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson shared the court in a way Boston does not usually deploy its front line, but the pairing gave the Celtics a different kind of presence inside. The team used the look in a stretch that worked well enough to keep in the back pocket, and that is the real intrigue here: not whether it becomes a staple, but whether it gives Mazzulla another situational answer when matchups call for something less conventional. [Read more 🡒]