Ron Harper Jr. has put himself in position to matter for the Celtics, and Boston has made that pretty clear with the way it handled his contract. The team moved him from an Exhibit 10 deal to a four-year contract, a sign it sees him as more than just a camp body and more than a short-term flier.
That doesn’t mean the path is clean or guaranteed. Harper is still the kind of player some around the league would label a longer-range project. But with Boston looking for offense and some rotation spots up for grabs, there’s a real opening for him to carve out meaningful minutes in 2026-27.
Harper, 26, played in only 29 games for the Celtics in 2025-26, which makes his exact place in the pecking order tough to pin down. Still, there were signs of traction. He hit 35.0 percent of his threes and finished with two 20-point games in his final 11 regular season appearances.
He also sounded like a player who knows the door is open. In a recent interview with Taylor Snow of NBA.com, Harper said he believes he can become a “real contributor” in Boston.
“I feel like after that game where I started - I played all those minutes, and I played well - I felt like after that point, I could be a real contributor to this team and a part of bringing this team back to a championship,” Harper said. “So that’s something I look forward to doing next year.”
The Celtics’ guard situation is part of what makes this interesting. Beyond Payton Pritchard and Derrick White, there isn’t much settled. Those two are the only high-volume guards on the roster, and the only returning guards who logged at least 20.0 minutes per game.
That leaves a lot unresolved. Mike Conley, Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman are all in the mix, but nothing looks locked in. If Harper shows well in training camp, he could absolutely force his way into that conversation.
For him, the formula is straightforward: defend, make shots, and make it impossible to sit him. Boston has already seen enough to believe in the physical tools. At 6'5" and 233 pounds, Harper ranked in the 65th percentile in perimeter isolation defense and the 71st percentile in off-ball chaser defense, according to Basketball Index.
The length stands out too. His 7'1.5" wingspan gives him a real chance to be disruptive on that end, and the Celtics have the film and the frame to believe he can help there.
The shot is the other key. Harper connected on 35.0 percent of his threes in 2025-26, taking 2.8 attempts per game. And while it came in a much earlier 2021-22 season, he also hit 39.8 percent from deep in his final college year.
If that jumper holds up in Boston, the minutes should follow. After that, the bigger questions about his ability to create shots will come into view. For now, though, the mission is simple: become too useful to keep on the bench.
In Other News...
Payton Pritchards Jaylen Brown Reaction Says A Lot About Bostons Next Step
Payton Pritchard did not spend much time dwelling on Jaylen Browns move to Philadelphia, at least not publicly. Speaking after the trade, the Celtics guard framed it the way players often do when the business side of the league lands hardest: as part of the job, and as another chance to absorb what a teammate like Brown taught him along the way. Pritchard also said the teams group chat has not turned into a postmortem on the deal, which is usually a sign that the roster is already shifting its attention to the next phase.
That next phase arrives quickly, with Boston set to open preseason against the Cavaliers on Oct. 8 before hosting the 76ers two days later. Pritchards focus on his own game fits the moment, because the Celtics are about to find out what their new shape looks like in real time, and one of the first chances to measure it will come against Brown in a Philadelphia uniform. The early days of camp and preseason tend to reveal what a team is ready to say out loud and what it is still sorting through quietly. [Read more 🡒]
Payton Pritchards Celtics Reaction Says Plenty About Bostons New Reality
Chris Cenacs arrival at No. 27 gave the Celtics another young piece to think about, and his college coach, Kelvin Sampson, made the fit sound pretty straightforward. Boston also has a lot more going on around the edges of the roster, with owner Bill Chisholm saying there are no immediate plans for a new arena and veteran point guard Mike Conley already sounding energized about landing in the mix.
Still, the clearest window into where things stand may have come from Payton Pritchard, whose reaction to Jaylen Browns move to Philadelphia said plenty about how different this version of the Celtics feels. Between a fresh draft pick, a veteran addition, and the franchises long-term building questions, Boston is entering a stretch where almost every comment seems to hint at a bigger reset still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Payton Pritchard Could Gain Something Huge From Mike Conley
Payton Pritchard has already grown into an important part of Bostons rotation, but the Celtics summer moves suggest there is still room for him to sharpen the finer points of running an offense. After trading Jaylen Brown, the front office went into the offseason looking to build a better support system around Jayson Tatum and Paul George, and the addition of Mike Conley Jr. fits neatly into that plan. Conley brings the kind of veteran steadiness and point guard know-how that can help a player like Pritchard keep expanding his game.
For Boston, this is about more than just filling out the depth chart. Conley is expected to provide leadership and mentorship to younger players, and Pritchard stands out as one of the clearest beneficiaries because of how much he can still absorb about the position. The Celtics do not need him to become a different player, but if Conley can help him see the floor a little better and manage the offense with more control, that is the sort of quiet upgrade that can matter once the games get tight. [Read more 🡒]