Where the Celtics roster stands heading into training camp

There was a point this summer when keeping track of the Celtics roster started to require an unreasonable amount of concentration.

Jaylen Brown is in Philadelphia. Paul George and Mitchell Robinson are in Boston. Mike Conley is somehow beginning Year 20 in a Celtics uniform. Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell joined through the draft, while Brad Stevens spent part of July locking up several young players already in the system.

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Boston will also enter camp with one standard roster spot and one two-way spot unclaimed. For the five guys coming in on Exhibit 10 deals, there are actual chairs left when the offseason music stops.

So, before Media Day next week, let’s sort through who’s here and what any of them are actually competing for.

The sure things

Joe Mazzulla can probably write these seven names in pen.

On nights when they’re healthy, Tatum, White and George are locks to start. Queta should have the inside track at center after earning a new deal this summer. Robinson gives Boston a second real center and, more importantly, an offensive rebounder who can turn a missed shot into another possession by himself.

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The fifth starter is less obvious.

Pritchard started plenty last season, but his scoring and sparkplugability (am I the first to use this word?) also make him valuable as a sixth man. Hauser has started alongside Boston’s core plenty of times before, and several younger wings will have a chance to make their case, too.

To me, it feels like Hauser probably has the most fragile grip on “sure thing” status here. The shooting will keep him around, but if González or Walsh gives Boston enough offense alongside better defensive versatility, or Scheierman starts bringing comparable shooting with more creation, his minutes could get squeezed pretty quickly.

George is the sure thing with the biggest asterisk. He won’t be expected to replicate Brown’s game despite being the return in the trade for him (plus picks), and at 36, Boston probably doesn’t want him trying. What the Celtics need is a healthy secondary creator who can shoot, defend and take some pressure off Tatum.

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The center…

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Publish date : 2026-09-24 22:58:00

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