Boston Celtics season preview: Opening schedule, win projection and everything to know for 2026-27

The 2026-27 NBA season is here! Check out our team previews, including power rankings, best- and worst-case scenarios, and fantasy advice.

2025-26 finish

Record: 56-26 (2nd in East, lost 4-3 in first round to 76ers)

Offseason moves

Draft: Chris Cenac Jr. (No. 27), Dillon Mitchell (No. 40)

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Signings: Ron Harper Jr. (re-signed for 3 years, $9 million), Amari Williams (re-signed to two-way contract), Mike Conley Jr. (1 year, $3.8 million), Mitchell Robinson (3 years, $47 million), Neemias Queta (4-year, $56 million extension), Jordan Walsh (3-year, $15 million extension)

Trades: Paul George (from 76ers)

Key departures: Jaylen Brown (traded to 76ers), Nikola Vučević (signed with Magic)

Current roster

Jayson Tatum has a new co-star in Boston. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

(Maddie Meyer via Getty Images)

Preseason Power Rankings: No. 9

What’s exciting: Could this be the best version of Jayson Tatum we’ve ever seen? There’s no ambiguity that it’s his team now, so it’ll be fascinating to see how he handles that responsibility. But it’s also possible that Tatum’s usage stays close to the same and it’s a committee of players that fill what’s lost from Brown. Will Derrick White have a bounceback year? He forgot how to shoot last year, but he could have refound it this summer. Could Payton Pritchard take a leap? Last season, Pritchard averaged 26.7 points and 7.6 assists per 75 possessions without Brown on the floor. What will Baylor Scheierman or Hugo González look like with more chances? And could George end up having a healthy season that builds on his strong finish in Philadelphia? There are a lot of paths for the Celtics to end up even better.

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What’s concerning: The big concern in Boston entering last season was the center position. Even though Robinson was signed, that’s still the case now. Queta had a good season but really struggled against Joel Embiid in the first round by logging 4.1 fouls in 21.7 minutes per game. Robinson is a historically injury-prone player and had his minutes managed by the Knicks. I have no concerns about Joe Mazzulla finding the best ways to replace Brown, but the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/boston-celtics-season-preview-opening-schedule-win-projection-and-everything-to-know-for-2026-27-132647037.html

Author : Yahoo Sports Staff

Publish date : 2026-10-15 13:26:00

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