Last season, the Celtics spent a lot of time proving they belonged in the spotlight. That opened the door for a string of individual jumps, and Boston is banking on those gains carrying over into the new campaign without anyone forgetting the job description.
That balance - expanding the game while staying plugged into the team’s structure - is the thread running through this group. For Joe Mazzulla’s roster, improvement isn’t just about adding moves. It’s about adding value, because if a player can’t fit the ecosystem, his minutes can disappear fast.
Neemias Queta is a good place to start. The seven-foot center made his first career three last season and talked at training camp about showing more from deep.
He’s also spent time working on handling the ball more often, including during Mazzulla’s visit to Portugal. Queta finished in the top three in screen assists and field goal percentage in 2025-26, and he blocked 1.3 shots per game, so the baseline production is already there.
Now he wants to do more with mismatches, be more dangerous when the ball finds him in the seams, and flash the underrated ability to attack off the dribble from the perimeter.
Baylor Scheierman is in a similar spot, though his path looks different. The third-year wing could push for a starting job, and whether he’s in the first five or off the bench, his energy and hustle remain central to what he brings.
He also sees the floor well, has some quarterback-like feel from his high school days, and is comfortable creating off the dribble. He wants to lean into that more, especially with his on-ball reads.
His body also continued to change this summer, which should help him absorb the difficult defensive assignments he often draws. Offensively, he’s trying to stretch a versatile game that already fits the Celtics’ habit of taking what the defense gives them.
Payton Pritchard may be the most important scoring piece in that next layer behind Jayson Tatum. The former Sixth Man of the Year could finish as Boston’s second-leading scorer, and he’s coming off a season in which he produced the third-most iso points per possession, according to NBA Stats, among players with at least 60 games and at least one such attempt per game.
He also averaged 5.9 points in the paint. The next step is obvious: keep using that downhill burst to get to the line more often.
Right now, he averages fewer than 1.0 free-throw attempts per game, which leaves room to grow after a 17.0-point season. He also wants to do more as a playmaker and take on more leadership, a role those around him are ready to hand over.
Jordan Walsh is chasing a different kind of offensive upgrade. The 22-year-old, entering his fourth season, has been clear about wanting more than defense and energy.
He’s worked on his handle, his self-creation, and his ability to make shots off the bounce. He also went looking for advice quickly, turning to new teammate Paul George for help as he works on a reliable pull-up jumper.
Walsh knows his defense is still his calling card, and he understands the value of keeping his catch-and-shoot 3s falling and cleaning up the glass for extra possessions. But if he can become more dangerous with the ball, he gives himself a better shot at winning minutes in Boston’s crowded wing rotation.
That’s the Celtics’ broader theme as they head into the season: the growth is real, but the role discipline has to be real too.
In Other News...
Neemias Queta Is Chasing A Celtics Role Change Fans Will Notice
Neemias Queta has spent the offseason and training camp trying to expand the part of his game that could change how the Celtics use him. Already a useful interior big with rebounding, screening and finishing strength around the basket, Queta has focused on improving his 3-point shot so he can offer Boston a little more floor spacing when hes on the floor.
It would be a notable shift for a player who has rarely taken threes in the NBA or college and has only made one at the pro level. But for the Celtics, the appeal is obvious if Queta can make that shot a real part of his package, because even a modest threat from deep would make it harder for opponents to ignore him and easier for Boston to keep its offense moving. [Read more 🡒]
First Look At A Very Different Celtics Team Tonight
The Celtics open preseason play tonight against the Cavaliers, and the first look comes with an unusual setup on the bench. Assistant coaches Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay will handle the game in halves while Joe Mazzulla takes a back seat, a reminder that this stage is less about the final score and more about sorting through a roster that looks meaningfully different from last springs version.
Bostons group has undergone some real turnover, with Jaylen Brown out of the picture and Paul George, Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley now part of the mix. Cleveland is also using October to sift through tweaks of its own after a quiet offseason, and both sides are treating this as an early evaluation night, even if the Celtics have not yet fully revealed who will actually be available to suit up. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Mazzulla Is Letting Celtics Assistants Face A Real Test
The Celtics first preseason game against the Cavaliers will come with a different look on the sideline, as Joe Mazzulla is stepping back and handing the coaching duties to two assistants. Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay will share the workload in Cleveland, giving Boston a chance to see how the staff functions when the head coach is not directing things in the usual way.
Mazzulla said the move is meant to give the assistants a real developmental opportunity, which matters for a bench that has already been asked to grow alongside a championship-caliber roster. It also adds a little extra meaning to the preseason opener, since both Dobbins and MacLeay have been on the radar for bigger roles and now get a live-game setting to show how they handle them. [Read more 🡒]