Jayson Tatum and the Celtics are making irrational optimism feel rational

Through two preseason games, the 2026-2027 Celtics look like the 2020-2021 bull market. It didn’t matter what you bought — it was going to the moon. Bitcoin, Dogecoin, gold, Tesla, it didn’t matter; everyone thought they had found the infinite money glitch. That’s what the Boston Celtics feel like two preseason games in. Jayson Tatum, Baylor Scheierman, Dillon Mitchell…everyone is playing wonderful basketball.

Now bear with me as I keep making barely sensical financial metaphors about this season’s Boston Celtics.

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The Bitcoin Bros:

Celtics fans know these names. The chaos wing contingent of Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, and Dillon Mitchell are foundational to how this era of the Celtics wants to play basketball. Mash people on the offensive glass, move the ball, play with pace, and make life for opposing offenses a living hell. Celtics fans are like Bitcoin investors in the early 2010s: no one thinks internet gold is anything but a scam, or, in this case, the rest of the league is dubious that a tsunami of late-round draft picks is coming to terrorize the league.

They showed last season that they can impact winning and over two preseason games, these chaos agents appear to have levelled up. It shouldn’t surprise anyone, given their work ethic, age and tenure in the league.

LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 14: Dillon Mitchell #20 and Chris Cenac Jr. #12 of the Boston Celtics poses for a portrait during the 2026 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on July 14, 2026 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Sydney Bezelik/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

This is before we mention rookies Dillon Mitchell and Chris Cenac Jr. It’s hard to envision a path for Mitchell to earn playing time with the glut of aforementioned chaos agents of Baylor, Hugo and Walsh (and Ron Harper Jr.), but Mitchell is a special athlete. He combines…

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Publish date : 2026-10-13 10:00:00

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