The Celtics are heading into 2026-27 with a major hole to fill, and Jaylen Brown’s exit changes the whole shape of the roster. Boston will lean on Paul George, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard to help carry the load, but Joe Mazzulla is also expected to keep digging into his younger players as the season unfolds.
That opens the door for a few breakout candidates. Jayson Tatum remains the centerpiece, but the real question is who else can rise with him and give Boston enough depth to push back toward the top of the Eastern Conference.
Hugo Gonzalez is one of the most intriguing names in the mix. His name surfaced in offseason trade chatter, with Marc Stein reporting that the Bucks had interest in him as a possible piece in a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal. Boston held onto the 20-year-old wing, and the early returns suggest that decision may pay off.
Gonzalez has been one of the standout performers of the preseason, putting up 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 68.8/70.0/75.0. He also turned in a sharp showing on October 11, 2026, when he went 4-for-4 from three and finished with 17 points, 6 boards and 2 assists. For a player who barely saw the floor as a rookie, that kind of production jumps off the page.
Even with limited minutes last season, Gonzalez flashed strong per-minute numbers. He was also one of the few bright spots for Boston in its Game 7 loss to the 76ers. The Celtics don’t yet know exactly what his ceiling looks like, but he should get a much bigger chance to find out in Mazzulla’s system.
Baylor Scheierman is another player who looks set for a larger role. Last season, he worked his way into the rotation, started 20 games and at times helped drive the offense alongside Brown and Payton Pritchard. Now heading into his third year, the 26-year-old seems positioned for another jump.
Scheierman drew strong reviews in training camp and was also mentioned in trade rumors, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Still, he remained on the roster and may even get a look in the starting group when the season begins.
One reason Scheierman matters so much: he knows how to draw offensive fouls, and he posted a 61.3% true shooting percentage last season, which ranked in the 85th percentile in the NBA. Whether he opens the year next to Derrick White or not, the expectation is that his minutes will rise. That should give him more chances to establish himself as a reliable piece for Mazzulla.
Then there’s Chris Cenac Jr., Boston’s No. 27 pick in the 2026 Draft. He arrives with a lot of physical upside and plenty to learn. The former Houston big has a 7-5 wingspan, a 9 foot and 1/2 inch standing reach, a 33-inch standing vertical and very good footwork for his position.
Cenac’s rebounding stands out right away. He averaged 7.9 boards per game at Houston, which ranked seventh in the Big 12.
He’s also very much a work in progress, which is no surprise for a 19-year-old big man. He showed some touch as a shooter in college, but more than 75 percent of his attempts came away from the basket, according to Owen Jury.
He also has the tools to defend at a high level, though his effort and time at the five were inconsistent.
He is expected to begin the season on the bench, but there’s a path to minutes as the year goes on. Mitchell Robinson has gone over 66 games only once in his eight-year career, and neither Robinson nor Neemias Queta looks likely to make it through all 82. If that happens, Cenac could become a needed frontcourt option later in the season.
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 🡒]