In an effort to give a broader perspective on the Boston Celtics upcoming season, I posed the following assignments to the CelticsBlog staff:
- Give us one safe and boring prediction
- Give us one outlandish and crazy prediction
- Give us your win total prediction
Here are their responses.
Feel free to add your own to the comments section below!
Ian Inangelo
Safe Prediction: Jaylen Brown will make an all-nba team. With Tatum out Brown averages around 25-27 PPG as the Celtics number one option.
Outlandish Prediction: Payton Pritchard is all star that averages over 20 PPG in a starting role.
Win Total: I predict the Celtics to win 45 games this season. Most sports books have them lower or at that point but I think this team has too much offense talent to be that bad. I have a feeling they’re around .500 for most of the year but go on a long win streak at some point that gets them to 45 wins.
Trevor Hass
Safe prediction: Anfernee Simons will fit in perfectly and average 18-plus points per game.
Outlandish prediction: Luka Garza will have multiple 20 and 10 games this season.
Win total: I think the Celtics will win 44 games. I expect this season to have some ups and downs, but I think the overall product will still be solid and they’ll be a fun team to watch.
Charlie Cummings
Safe and boring prediction: Jaylen Brown starts the all-star game. Overwhelming counting stats will push him into the spot Tatum vacated
Outlandish prediction: Josh Minott looks like one of the five best Celtics by years end. Given the chance to show off his defense, cutting, and transition play, he looks like a bargain contributor on the fringe of starting
Win total: 46 games. Do not underestimate the power of how bad the Eastern Conference is
Mike Dynon
Safe prediction: Derrick White will deserve to be on the All-Star team, but he might not be chosen because his talent is sometimes overlooked outside of Boston (such as White being omitted from NBA All-Defensive honors last season).
Outlandish prediction: In Jayson Tatum’s absence, the people online and on talk shows who are adamant that he’s overrated and carried by his teammates will realize how wrong they are and will publicly apologize.
Win total prediction: 44, although the number could rise slightly if Brad Stevens lands a big at the trade deadline or if Tatum returns by March.
Nate Moskowitz
Safe: There’s no safer bet than Sam Hauser shooting >40% and hitting 150+ 3’s. He’s not getting a lot of attention, but I believe he’ll have a great year.
Outlandish: Hugo Gonzalez leaps Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh in the rotation. His defense, athleticism and NBA-ready frame will help him avoid Joe Mazzulla’s usual aversion to rookies.
Win total: There’s a lot of different ways this season can go, but 44 wins feels like the sweet spot. That would’ve put them as the 6th seed in the East last season. Depending on health, I could see them finishing anywhere from a Play-In spot to the 4th seed.
Gio Rivera
Safe prediction: Anfernee Simons will emerge as the team’s third-leading scorer, behind Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. Throughout the preseason, Simons showcased flashes of seamlessly adapting to Mazzulla-ball — most notably in his 21-point performance against the Cavaliers, where he knocked down 6-of-9 shots from 3-point territory. With the offense unable to rely on Jayson Tatum’s guaranteed 26-plus points a night, that scoring void will need to be filled elsewhere. While Simons isn’t expected to replicate Tatum’s output, the eighth-year guard should have no trouble delivering a consistent and valuable 18–20 points per game in his first season with Boston.
Outlandish prediction: Boston’s second representative in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles won’t be D. White; it’ll be Payton Pritchard. P-Rabbit is going to take full advantage of the opportunity created by Tatum’s absence, entering February’s midseason festivities with a 3-point percentage that ranks among the league’s top 10. The Celtics will lean heavily on Pritchard, deploying last season’s Sixth Man of the Year as something of a platoon piece — starting some nights, leading the reserve unit on others. But the usage won’t prevent Pritchard from making his sixth campaign the best we’ve ever seen from the 27-year-old.
Win total: Despite everything thrown Boston’s way — from the inevitable payroll reduction, forced departures, and delay in Tatum’s ninth season in the league — the Celtics will win a respectable 46 games. That should be enough to secure a top-five seed in the Eastern Conference, keep them firmly in the mix, and quickly silence any Causeway Street chatter about tanking like it’s 2013-14 all over again. And yes, that means no homecoming for Brockton’s own AJ Dybantsa. Sorry, but for the second straight year, a highly touted New England prospect won’t be coming to Boston — let’s be honest, he’ll probably end up with Danny Ainge in Utah to add more salt to the wound.
Nik Land
Safe : Derrick White will finish top 3 in 3 pointers attempted per game. Finished 9th last year with 9.2 as LaMelo led with 11.2. White is looking at more shots with Tatum out and should be able to get to at least the top 3. In the preseason White shot 11 threes per game in 27 minutes a contest.
Outlandish : Celtics will still finish top 3 in 3 point attempts per game. They don’t have the same shooters but the shooters they do have will shoot. Preseason isn’t the end all be all but mostly everything the Cs have shown schematically whether it’s pace on offense, pace on defense with aggressive help and an intention on defensive playmaking, or much more screening per play, the team is looking to carry it over into the regular season. Celtics finished preseason 2nd in 3PAs with 47.
Win total: 43. I literally have no idea what this team will do but I landed at 43. More production from Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard will spearhead the efforts, but the East being weak will play a part. Also I think the Celtics will be top 5 in blocks and steals per game so forcing teams to give you the ball always help. I just don’t think they have enough talent at the moment to go significantly over that mark or sustain injuries like they have in the past.
Mark Aboyoun
Safe prediction: Payton Pritchard will average at least 18 points per game. Now that he’s the starting point guard he’ll naturally have more minutes and more scoring opportunities. He’ll be the third leading scorer on the team behind Jaylen Brown and Derrick White.
Outlandish: The Celtics will win the NBA Cup. I think this will be something Joe Mazzulla sets his sights on and would want to win to show to his own guys and the rest of the league that Boston is still going to be a hard team to beat.
Win total: 46 I think we’re going to start slow as Mazzulla finds the right rotation but we’ll finish strong. 46 wins is enough to make the postseason and will be right in the middle of the pack. The Celtics may not have the same talent as they did last year, but they still have good players on their team.
Alex Gonzalez
Safe Prediction: Jaylen Brown will average at least 26 points per game. Now, without Tatum for the majority of the year, he will have to increase his scoring. With an average of 27.3 points per game in 39 previous games without JT, this goal should be easily achievable for JB.
Outlandish Prediction: Hugo González makes the All-Rookie second team. I feel that with his polished defense and his incredible ability to guard 94 feet, Mazzulla should get some run. And if he can score consistently with a decent three-point percentage, Hugo could slide into that All-Rookie second team conversation
Win Total Prediction: I predict the Celtics will win 48 games this season. This team could get streaky from behind the arc, and with a faster-paced offense, it could keep them in more games, similar to the Pacers two years ago. Additionally, if they are around that 5-6 seed area by March, Tatum could return, only increasing the win total for the team.
Robby Fletcher
Safe Take: Jaylen Brown’s volume jumps but so does his efficiency, finishing closer to that 50% FG range we’re used to in the second All-NBA season of his career.
Outlandish Take: Even with the frontcourt questions and unproven bench, this defense extends its four-year streak of a top-10 defensive rating. The physicality, switchiness, and team rebounding will surprise everyone, even us. While we’re at it, this happens because it’s spearheaded by an All-Defensive Team season from elite rim protector and honorary big man Derrick White.
Win Prediction: I’ve been in the range of 38-41 wins as an expectation for this group, if you factor in an entire season without Jayson Tatum, and for the sake of the unknown when it comes to his availability, I’ll consider it a 41-win season. Last year that put Orlando at the 7-seed. If we see a Tatum appearance around March, I’ll push it up to 45.
Jack Quantrill
One Safe Prediction: The three point attempt record is safe (for now). I wondered prior to the start of preseason if this would be the year that Mazzulla Ball broke the fifty attempts per game barrier. Last year’s 3,952 three point attempts (48.2 per game) is a league record, and I figured that to fill the talent gap left by offseason moves and injury we might see even more margin pushing from the C’s. Now, though, I don’t think that’ll be the case.
The Celts are second in threes attempted per game this preseason with 47.0, but last year they were firing up 52.6 in the warm up to the regular season. A notable drop like that isn’t coincidence and while preseason stats only tell you so much, it feels like a sign that Boston could be forced to pivot away from the success of last year’s formula.
I’d be surprised if Boston don’t play faster this season. Pushing the pace in a similar way to Chicago last season does create efficient shots particularly from the corners because you’re attacking defenses before they’re fully set. In the slog of a regular season there will be nights were opposition teams can’t keep up with the track-meet Celtics and that will lead to a lot of three point volume, but with Holiday, Horford and Porzingis in new situations and JT a mystery box, I don’t think there’s quite the same shooting talent or confidence in this version of the C’s to usurp that lethal 24/25 team.
One Bold Prediction: There’ll be a new starting center in town before season’s end. If Boston punch above their weight until the All-Star break and find themselves in a playoff race with Jayson Tatum on the verge of returning, I’d be really surprised if we don’t see a new five-man acquired at the deadline. It’s not out of the realms of possibility that one of Queta, Garza, Boucher, or Tillman stands out above the rest, asserting themselves as a member of the rotation ready to contribute in the playoffs, but I think a pretty monumental jump would be required from any of those guys to truly deserve a starting spot in the postseason.
Hugo Gonzales and Josh Minott have excited to no end this preseason, and their promise could make Sam Hauser expendable once Tatum is ready to tread the parquet again. His $10,044,644 salary fits nicely into a host of teams’ mid-level exceptions, and the likes of Goga Bitadze and Day’Ron Sharpe could be brought in to shore up the center spot while getting Boston all the way out of the tax this year.
On the other hand, if things aren’t working out, I think Simons could be a $27,678,571 sacrificial lamb, used to replace Kristaps and Al for good. If Steve Ballmer isn’t harbouring title aspirations by the deadline, then John Collins could be brought in and extended at a number that suits Boston for next season. He’s a little undersized at the five but profiles similarly to Horford and Porzingis as a true above-the-break spacer, while also maintaining vertical pop and the ability to play the handoff game.
If Brooklyn are looking to open up more cap space next year (because it worked so well this offseason), they could be tempted to take on Simons’ expiring money, letting go of Nic Claxton’s descending three-year deal. Both of those guys are starter-level players in my mind and once again get the C’s below the tax line.
Win Total: I closed my eyes, blindfolded myself and threw the dart at the board of Celts possibilities that I have hung up at home and landed on 38-44. There is a lot of talent on this team, they have world class coaches but I’m concerned that the competency we’ve seen in pre-season is fragile. If one of Brown, White, Pritchard, Simons miss significant time this year I worry that we’ll start to see a real drop off in offensive efficiency when end of rotation players are forced to play more meaningful minutes. Couple that with owning our pick this year and I just think there are more scenarios where lottery odds become more interesting than play-in games at the end of the year.
Robbie Hodin
Safe prediction: Payton Pritchard will have a career high in assists per game. PP will have the ball in his hands more than last year and will have more creation and facilitation responsibilities, but he’s more than ready for the challenge. Early signs in preseason suggest Pritchard has refined his pick and roll game and is even more ready to take on the physicality and ball pressure of opposing point of attack defenders. Big year ahead for Point Guard P.
Outlandish prediction: Derrick White makes all NBA. Yes, I said it. I hate to over-index on preseason, but White looks as comfortable as he’s looked and is primed to have a massive year. His shot is as smooth and consistent as ever, and you can already tell he’s taken on a new attack mindset offensively. Oh, and he’s still the best shot blocking guard in the league. Absolute 2 way stud who is going to turn heads with his offensive package this year.
Win total: 42-40. I think the Celtics go just above 500, but their lack of front court depth and talent will be hard to overcome. They have maybe the weakest big man rotation in the league, and despite their strengths at the guard and wing positions, they just don’t have enough to be a contender in the East. That being said, if Tatum comes back, you never know.
(@NIKNBAYT) 
