Devin Carter has barely settled in with the Boston Celtics, and he’s already drawing attention. A training camp invite usually doesn’t come with this much chatter, but Carter’s path makes him easy to watch.
He was a lottery pick. He’s a clear project for Joe Mazzulla.
And from the start, he’s made it obvious that Boston is the place he thinks can unlock him.
That feeling showed up again at Celtics Media Day, when Carter said he will wear No. 99 in honor of Celtics alum Jae Crowder. Crowder noticed and responded with his own approval on his personal X account.
The jersey choice fits a connection that goes beyond Boston green. Carter and Crowder were teammates during Carter’s rookie season, back when Crowder’s NBA run was nearing its end. It has been almost a decade since Crowder last played for the Celtics, but his two years in Boston left a real mark.
Crowder’s arrival in Boston did not come with much certainty attached. He was part of the Rajon Rondo trade in 2014, and the Celtics later moved Brandan Wright and Jameer Nelson, which made it seem like Crowder might not be around long. Instead, he forced his way into the picture.
Over time, Crowder showed he was more than an afterthought. He was never a star, but his toughness, energy, and two-way play made him better than most expected. He eventually became a starter on a Celtics team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston became the place where Crowder’s game took shape. He had already shown some ability in Dallas, but the Celtics were the team that let it fully come through. Under Brad Stevens, he turned into one of the NBA’s premier 3&D wings, and even after his career moved on, he never quite reached that same level again.
That is the kind of arc Carter is now chasing. He signed with Boston because he believes the Celtics can sort out what he is as a player. Crowder didn’t have the same choice, but Boston gave him enough runway to prove he belonged.
Carter may not reach the same level Crowder did, especially with more competition at the wing spot than Crowder faced early on. But the bigger story is the chance to show why he was a lottery pick two years ago.
Crowder helped keep the Celtics’ mystique alive when plenty of people thought it had faded after the Rondo trade. Carter does not have that burden. Still, if Boston finds a Crowder-like player in him, it adds another winning piece to the roster and pushes the team a little closer to Banner 19.
In Other News...
Celtics Still Carry One Surprising 2026-27 Ceiling After Major Change
Stephen Nohs latest projection for Boston still leaves plenty of optimism on the table, even after a major roster change. He has the Celtics winning 54 games and claiming the No. 1 seed in the East in 2026-27, a forecast built around Jayson Tatum getting back to All-NBA form after injury and Boston finding useful production from Paul George and Mitchell Robinson.
For a team that just moved on from Jaylen Brown, that kind of ceiling says the framework in Boston is still viewed as strong enough to survive a jarring shakeup. The bigger question is whether the Celtics can keep the important pieces on the floor long enough for that upside to matter, because the outlook hinges just as much on health and availability as it does on talent. [Read more 🡒]
NBA Officiating Change Just Put An Ex-Celtics Star In Focus
The NBA is heading into the 2026-27 season with a fresh officiating focus, and it could have a familiar feel for Celtics fans. The league says it will pay closer attention to how offensive players use their off-arm, with referees instructed to crack down on illegal push-offs while still allowing legal contact that helps a scorer create space. Monty McCutchen, the NBAs senior vice president of referee development and training, used examples involving Jaylen Brown and Paul George to draw the line between what officials should and should not call.
The broader emphasis also reaches straight-line pathway plays and freedom of movement around screens, two areas that have been central to how offenses get organized and how defenders try to fight through traffic. For Boston, it is the kind of change that could matter on both ends, especially in a league where a few borderline whistles can shape how a wing scorer attacks and how much room a teams movement offense gets to operate. The real question now is how quickly players and officials adjust once the season actually starts. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Suddenly Hold A Pick Swap Fans May Start Obsessing Over
The Clippers latest injury wave has only added to the uncertainty around a franchise already trying to navigate a delayed rebuild, and that matters in Boston because the Celtics still control a 2028 first-round pick swap with Los Angeles. With Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Yanic Konan Neiderhauser and Jordan Miller all among the players sidelined, the long view around the Clippers has started to look even murkier, which is exactly the kind of backdrop that can turn a future asset from interesting into intriguing.
For Celtics fans, the appeal is obvious: a swap tied to a team dealing with both health issues and NBA sanctions suddenly feels less like a distant footnote and more like something worth tracking. The value of that 2028 pick will depend on how much the Clippers can stabilize over the next few seasons, but for now the picture points in one direction - and it is enough to keep Bostons front office inventory looking a little more useful than it did before this latest stretch of bad news. [Read more 🡒]