2026-27 Season Preview: Boston Celtics

Jayson Tatum (left) and Derrick White look to lead the new-look Celtics to their 13th straight playoff appearance.

Offseason Recap

•

Last Season

: 56-26 (2nd in East, lost in First Round)

• Key Additions

: Chris Cenac Jr., Mike Conley, Paul George, Dillon Mitchell, Mitchell Robinson

Every Celtics move this offseason

Season Outlook

It’s a new era for the Celtics, who had the league’s best record and the most playoff wins (86) over Jaylen Brown’s 10 seasons in Boston. Brown is now in Philadelphia, leaving Jayson Tatum as the Celtics’ lone star.

The Celtics have been a regular-season machine under head coach Joe Mazzulla. Though Tatum missed their first 62 games last season, it was the fourth straight year in which they ranked in the top five on both ends of the floor, an unprecedented streak of two-way excellence. Now, they should have Tatum for a full season, while replacing Brown with Paul George and adding Mitchell Robinson to what was a thin frontline.

The last two postseasons have ended in losses to lower seeds. The Eastern Conference is seemingly deeper than it’s ever been, with the Celtics themselves making the team that eliminated them in May even stronger. But

it’s hard to believe that Boston’s time at (or near) the top of the East ends here.

Breakout Candidate: Hugo González

As the 28th pick in last year’s Draft, González was a consistent part of the Celtics’ rotation last season, logging more than 1,000 minutes over 74 games. He was the only rookie who shot better than the league average (55.0%) on at least 100 2-point attempts and better than average (36.0%) on at least 100 3-point attempts. He was given tough defensive assignments, and the Celtics were terrific (plus-11.9 points per 100 possessions) with him on the floor.

But González ranked last on the team in both time of possession and usage rate. He averaged just 1.3 assists per 36 minutes and attempted just 14 total jumpers off the dribble. In the playoffs, he logged fewer than 19 minutes over seven games.

So there’s plenty of room for growth for the 20-year-old as he enters Year 2. And there should be an opportunity for him to spread his wings a bit more.

1 Number To Know

41%

— The Celtics took just 41% of their shots in the paint last season, the third straight season in which they ranked last in the percentage of their shots that came in the paint. They’ve also ranked last in free throw rate in each of the last two seasons.

The Celtics have been the league’s most efficient regular-season offensive team (120.6 points scored per 100 possessions) over the last three years, and they won the championship in the first of those seasons where they ranked last in the percentage of their shots that came in the paint. But their lack of interior offense has hurt them in each of the last two postseasons. And as they lost the last three games of their first round series against Philadelphia this past spring, they couldn’t make up for poor 3-point shooting (28%).

Robinson is a rim-running threat who will also add some put-backs. But George is more of a jump-shooter than Brown and the Celtics may need to make some changes to their offense if they’re looking for more balance.

5 Must-See Matchups

Oct. 20: Celtics vs. Pistons —

All four meetings between Boston and Detroit last season were within three points in the final three minutes. The Celtics lost three of the four, dropping both games in Detroit, where the NBA season will tip off at 3 p.m. ET.

Oct. 23: Knicks vs. Celtics —

Going back to the 2025 conference semifinals, the Celtics have lost five of their last six games against the Knicks. The first of four meetings with the champs is the first Friday of the season.

Nov. 29: Celtics vs. Spurs —

The Spurs were one of three Western Conference teams to sweep the Celtics last season, with Victor Wembanyama scoring 39 points in a Mar. 10 victory in San Antonio. The Celtics make their return in late November.

Dec. 25: Heat vs. Celtics —

The Celtics are hosting a Christmas game for just the sixth time in franchise history (all since 2017). It will be their third Christmas game against Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will be facing the Celtics as a member of the Miami Heat for the first time.

Jan. 21: Sixers vs. Celtics —

Brown makes his return to Boston on a Thursday night in January. No two franchises have faced each other more often than the Celtics and Sixers, who made the biggest trade of the offseason and will be fighting at the top of the East.

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Complete Regular Season Schedule

Preseason Storylines

Boston had the league’s second-ranked offense last season, even though the Celtic with the most 3-point attempts (Derrick White) shot just 32.7% from beyond the arc, down from 38.7% over the previous three years. White was a terrific player otherwise, but his 3-point shooting was even worse (15-for-55, 27.3%) in the playoffs. So him rediscovering his shooting stroke early this season is critical for the Celtics.

After returning from his Achilles tear and averaging 33.6 minutes over 22 regular season and playoff games, Tatum was unable to finish the postseason. So his health and mobility will be under the microscope early on. Robinson’s minutes will also need to be monitored as the Celtics integrate him into their system.

Complete Preseason Schedule

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John Schuhmann has covered the NBA for more than 20 years. You can e-mail him

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