How the Celtics Can Shock the NBA and Win It All in 2026-27 originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Celtics enter the 2026-27 season with a revamped roster but still have a winning mentality.
It may be tougher than it's been in years past for the Celtics, as the East has improved significantly, but there's still a world where they lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June.
How the Celtics Can Shock the NBA and Win It All in 2026-27The Celtics enter the season as a team people either see finishing around the #3-5 spot or in the play-in race.
I see a #3-5 range as more realistic, but at the end of the day, as long as they make the postseason, that's what matters most.
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We'd assume the likes of the Knicks and 76ers are going to be the top-2, so play-in winners will have to face one of those teams in the first round.
Whether it's in the first round or a later round, you'll likely need to go through at least one of them to get to the NBA Finals.
For the Celtics, that means finding the right roster/lineup that can match up best with Philadelphia and New York.
They're going to play those two teams at least eight times this regular season, since they are all in the same division.
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The Celtics tend to be active during NBA trade deadlines, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them active again then if they see they need a major upgrade somewhere that makes them more competitive with top teams like the Knicks and 76ers.
Of course, there are true contenders in the West as well, but the East is mostly the conference they'll be dealing with.
A lot of core players are returning, but some are new, and some are younger players absorbing bigger roles.
The start of the season is going to be a trial period for Joe Mazzulla, as he has a lot of options for how he can work out lineups and rotations. It's very hard to tell what the rotation will look like by the end of the season because of this.
The Celtics, from a personnel standpoint, will need an MVP-level season from Jayson Tatum in his new #1 option role.
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They then need a sizeable jump from Payton Pritchard as a full-time starter and top option scoring-wise. Derrick White has shown us his ceiling before, and he'll need to bounce back after a poor season on the offensive end in 2025-26.
I've discussed in a past article how Paul George fits with Boston, and he best fits in a smaller role as a #3-4 option, but still having the ability to lead units off the bench at times, as well as sometimes being the #1-2 option on a night when Boston is banged up.
Mazzulla will have to figure out how to distribute minutes between Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson, seeing who is better in certain parts of the game.
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The rest we will see unfold in the first few months of the season, as Mazzulla will be finding out who his reliable bench players are among Sam Hauser, Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, Ron Harper Jr., Luka Garza, etc.
The Celtics will need to peak in the postseason, as all teams will try to, so even if the regular season, it doesn't mean things will carry on through April and May.
Don't count them out, though, as they are one of the most consistent teams in the NBA over the past decade and are always ready to make a move that can dig them out of any hole they're in.
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