On the eve of Opening Night (Matinee?) and the 81st season of the Boston Celtics, it’s hard not to be thankful for everything that the franchise has accomplished and given to us fans.
“The people that came before you. The city. The fans. The expectation of winning. The players. The coaches,” head coach Mazzulla said when asked what makes the Celtics special.
“We only have a chance and it’s only special to have the job because of those that came before you that set the stage, set the tone, what the expectation is, what the responsibility is. I’m just really grateful to be a part of that.”
The eighteen banners that hang at TD Garden are a testament to the consistent excellence that Boston has maintained since the NBA was formed, but as Mazzulla said, it also just sets the stage for what we expect from them year in and year out: to win.
Over the offseason and now training camp, the front office and coaching staff is trying to maximize this roster by winning in the margins. That has meant trading Jaylen Brown for Paul George who called his first few months with the team a “beautiful challenge” in redefining himself in Year 17 of his decorated career. With the depth of the rotation being a major strength in this new CBA era, the team is also stressing the importance of possession maxxing by hitting the offensive glass and creating turnovers.
“We’ve done a lot of great things here in camp, things that we can continue to build on throughout the year,” Derrick White said before their final practice before playing the Pistons today to kick off the 2026-2027 season.
“Everybody is really excited right now, especially going into their first game. It’s just going to be a test for us to see if we can continue to grow, continue to get better.”
For us at CelticsBlog, I can’t tell you enough how much the staff is looking forward to this year. If our Slack channel had an AUX out, you could probably hear us from North Station to the Portland Expo in Maine. Already, this feels like a special year in the making. Here’s CelticsBlog on what we’re excited to see:
Nirav Barman: I’m excited to see Mazzulla Ball in its purest form. I’m fully bought in to the concept, Mitch and PG were perfect additions, we have healthy Tatum back, and the young wings have shown me that they are willing to outwork anyone and everyone, while also making huge strides in their own development.
Trevor Hass: I’m excited to see the Celtics carry themselves with a collective swagger, hunger and cohesiveness that never disappears throughout the season. This feels like a no drama, no excuses and no let up kind of group, and I think it will be an easy team for fans to get behind. We’ll see where it puts them in the standings and how far they ultimately go, but the 2026-27 season will be a joyous one regardless.
Grant Burfeind: I’m excited to see Jayson Tatum win Comeback Player of the Year and MVP, Payton Pritchard repeat as Sixth Man, Neemias Queta take Most Improved, Hugo González, Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr. and Jordan Walsh win Best New Boy Band at the Grammys, and the Celtics hang Banner 19. The season hasn’t started, so I see no reason to be realistic yet.
Gio Rivera: I’m excited to see Boston’s big men trio — yes, trio — flourish. Obviously, Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson will log most of the minutes, whether starting interchangeably or paired together in a double-big combination, but Luka Garza can’t be overlooked. As Queta emerged as a first-time starter last season, Garza carved out a role for himself as the best 3-point-shooting center on the Celtics’ depth chart, bringing an inspiring, hustle-first mentality that leaves him sweating like he’s just finished running the Boston Marathon every time he returns to the bench for a breather. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has plenty of flexibility with the Queta-Robinson-Garza trio. They each bring a different skill set but share a similar brand of hard-nosed, unselfish basketball, giving Boston’s frontcourt intriguing potential this season.
Jake Issenberg: I’m excited to see Hugo Gonzalez take the leap. The Spanish wing turned in a historically impactful rookie season. He followed that up with a strong summer league performance, and a near perfect preseason. Swarming defense, isolation scoring, elite catch and shoot three-point shooting, Gonzalez flashed it all in his four preseason games. I’m excited to see more.
Ian Inangelo: I’m excited to see the young guys take another step. I think Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh are in store for big seasons. I think Scheierman has the chance to be the best this season and it wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up being a starter by the end of the year. Gonzalez going into Year 2 just came off an impressive preseason and I think is going to be a huge piece off the Celtics bench with not only his effort and defense but also some improved shooting. Finally, Walsh looks to have started taking another step forward with his aggression on offense and I think his ability to cut and play elite wing defense will make him another guy who could be a big piece for Boston.
Nate Moskowitz: I’m excited to see a more forceful Celtics defense. They finished as the 4th best defense last season, but they were near the bottom of the league in forced turnovers. A lot of their process was about controlling where teams shots were coming from, and defending without fouling. With some of the personnel changes and the early signs from preseason, they seem destined to generate more turnovers. I’m looking forward to them taking more risks and being a defense that’s very frustrating to play against.
Mike Dynon: I’m excited to see how the Paul George experience plays out with the Celtics. He knows he’s here because of an unpopular trade, yet he’s completely bought in to what has been called Celtics Pride. “This locker room, the culture here, the front office, the city, the organization, the tradition, all of that is something that I’ve never been a part of,” George told the Boston Globe. “Where everything is high quality. For me, it’s refreshing. Hopefully, I can remain healthy. I think I became a journeyman along the way [of my career]. At this point, I would love to be able to call Boston home.” Fans love that sort of commitment. Moreover, George has demonstrated that he plays defense and can impact winning, qualities that will further endear him to Celtics Nation. When the trade deadline comes, will he be the next Anfernee Simons, the guy who won us over and we regret when he’s traded away? Or will he be another Kristaps Porzingis, to use one example, who will sit out some games but be a key contributor to a memorable run of success?
I’m excited to see a bounce back season from Derrick White this year. According to a whole host of advanced metrics White was a top 30 impact player last year; shooting slump be damned. I think with this roster White slots back into a comfier role for his supreme talents and provides all that impact whilst posting sexy box score and efficiency stats. Tatum is a better facilitator of flow offence than JB, Paul George provides a great supplementary skills, plus shooting, playmaking capability and I expect to see Pritchard usurp White in the usage rankings this year leaving White to do what he does best. The out of this world role player stuff. I’ll welcome a healthier diet of assisted three’s, less pick and roll responsibility and far more second chance threes coming off of Mitch’s mighty mitts.
Noa Dalzell: I’m excited to see how Payton Pritchard improves his game this season – he has the long-term extension locked up, he’s the presumed No. 2 option, and he really thrived when he wasn’t sharing the floor with Jaylen Brown last year. Could another leap be in the works?
Bill Sy: I’m excited to see what Phil Pressey and the developmental coaching staff can do with rookies and two-way players. Big Fella University alumni Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta have become more than serviceable centers in the league and the rise of Boston’s four-headed wing rotation of Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, and Ron Harper Jr. are going to be relied on as supporting role players. Those success stories will now be the blueprint for players like Devin Carter, Dillon Mitchell, Chris Cenac Jr., and Amari Williams.
Rich Jensen: I’m excited for the playoffs. Yep. I’ve seen enough of the team from last year and the preseason this year, to feel very comfortable with the quality of play we can expect in the regular season. The regular season is going to be fun, I think, but the big question is whether this team has what it takes to make some serious noise once the games really start to matter.
