Sometimes, NBA preseason basketball can really feel like a little bit of a snoozefest. For groups with a set-in-stone beginning lineup and rotation, these exhibition video games are a approach to shake off the rust and get the roster warmed up earlier than Opening Night time arrives.
Nevertheless, for the Celtics, their preseason had its highest degree of intrigue in years.
Boston’s offseason — pushed primarily by the necessity to ease the pressure of its hefty payroll — pressured the group to half methods with Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Vacation, and Al Horford, three premier items of its championship core. In flip, Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens scoured the open market and July’s 2025 NBA Draft for reasonably priced methods to replenish the staff’s depth. It was in contrast to any offseason Stevens had been tasked to guide, or any the group has confronted beneath the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown period, nevertheless it was crucial nonetheless.
In got here a bunch of newcomers, or as Stevens dubbed them throughout Celtics Media Day, the “unproven” crew, every getting a priceless alternative to carve out a task for head coach Joe Mazzulla. All through the preseason, everybody from new faces to these returning with a higher diploma of accountability to shoulder this go-around, strived to make a robust impression inside the four-game stretch — and several other, in truth, did simply that.
Listed here are 5 who had been most spectacular throughout Boston’s 3-1 preseason run:
5. Josh MinottAmong those that battled for a rotation spot, Minott submitted presumably essentially the most convincing case.
The 22-year-old, who inked a two-year, $5.5 million cope with Boston this previous offseason, showcased his contagious sparkplug vitality on the ground. Minott’s athleticism, which options an explosive bounce and a robust probability of main the staff in jaw-dropping highlights this season, was an on the spot consideration grabber. His potential to assault the paint, threaten defenders on the rim, and ship an affect on the defensive aspect of the ground didn’t go unnoticed by means of Minott’s 4 preseason showings.
Recognizing Minott’s potential, the staff has continued to push the younger ahead towards reaching a brand new ceiling in his first season with the Celtics.
“(Mazzulla) is simply making an attempt to push me to my restrict,” Minott mentioned throughout Monday’s staff observe. “Simply making an attempt to get me to play more durable. Even after I assume I’m enjoying onerous, he’s at all times making an attempt to get me previous that time.”
Minott added: “I perceive that it’s a number of new folks and he’s making an attempt to only instill that Celtics mentality for these of us which are new.”
Preseason stats: 11.5 factors, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks (24.9 minutes)
4. Hugo GonzalezWhen the Celtics used their lone first-round decide (twenty eighth total) on Gonzalez, Stevens described the 19-year-old as a hard-working defender with a knack for slicing to the basket. The outline was imprecise, mundane, and, if something, undersold Gonzalez’s true potential.
Teammates, together with Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman, shortly took discover of Gonzalez’s defensive depth throughout coaching camp, which carried over into the preseason. The Spain native unleashed the fierce, aggressive edge he honed throughout his stint with Actual Madrid within the Liga ACB, instantly changing into a disruptive presence on that finish of the ground. Chase-down blocks, steals, and seemingly countless vitality turned his trademark, turning the 6-foot-6 ahead right into a must-watch preseason standout.
“I believe that’s the largest factor from his sport that we’ve taken is his defensive instincts,” Mazzulla mentioned after Wednesday night time’s preseason finale versus the Raptors. “Particularly when he’s off the ball, he’s achieved an excellent job of simply studying the sport — his potential to rotate, deflections. So I’ve been very happy together with his defensive instincts, and he simply has to proceed to get higher at these.”
Now the (very untimely) dialog has shifted to, “Did Stevens fleece the tip of the primary spherical?”
There are apparent areas in want of enchancment, most notably Gonzalez’s 3-point shot, however the spark is current and introduces itself every night time. That alone is promising.
Preseason stats: 5.5 factors, 2.8 rebounds, 0.3 steals, 1.0 blocks (16.3 minutes)
3. Payton PritchardLast season, Pritchard took the largest leap of his profession, and it netted the undersized guard the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Yr Award when it was all mentioned and achieved.
Pritchard’s contributions off the bench had been second to none. However this season, no matter whether or not Pritchard stays a member of the reserve unit or is upgraded to a full-time beginning function, the accountability load will enhance. The Celtics are going to want Pritchard’s environment friendly 3-point set off able to go on Opening Night time and past for Mazzulla Ball to be sustainable amid Tatum’s absence.
The work ethic Pritchard put forth final offseason paid its dividends for Boston, and the identical may be mentioned heading into 2025-26.
Pritchard’s ball-handling and talent to work with the second unit, stacked with newcomers, pose constructive indicators shifting ahead. The 27-year-old was aggressive attending to the basket, making up for an uncharacteristic 23.8% capturing clip from three, and stuffed the function of a ground common seamlessly to assist get guys like Luka Garza and ex-Oregon teammate Chris Boucher going.
Preseason stats: 14.3 factors, 4.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.7 steals (26.9 minutes)
2. Chris Boucher Boston took a flyer on Boucher after the two-time NBA champion slipped out of the rotation final season with the Raptors, and up to now it’s proved to be a more-than-worthy funding.
Boucher’s earlier eight seasons of expertise not solely present a plethora of knowledge, however they’ve additionally molded the 32-year-old’s management qualities. When Gonzalez discovered himself in a mid-game scruffle with Grizzlies middle PJ Corridor within the preseason opener, Boucher rushed to defend his rookie — one thing he claims he discovered beneath the management of former Toronto teammates Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka.
Cracking a spot within the beginning lineup isn’t Boucher’s major incentive as he will get acclimated in a Celtics uniform for the primary time, even with a essential want for frontcourt depth. As a substitute, Boucher is extra involved with doing his half in serving to preserve a tradition that enables for the locker room’s youthful gamers to develop and flourish in ways in which’ll profit them down the road.
“I’m solely specializing in serving to this staff in no matter place that I’m in,” Boucher mentioned throughout Tuesday’s observe. “Simply do what I can to be disruptive or have the ability to pace up the sport or no matter we’d like throughout the video games. So I believe that clearly we have now a number of gamers who can play a number of completely different positions and all of us gotta have the ability to fill out the function that Joe places us in.”
Preseason stats: 10.3 factors, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 0.8 blocks (18.2 minutes)
1. Anfernee SimonsThe spotlight of Boston’s offseason was as a lot a spotlight within the preseason as Simons left a robust first impression on the franchise and its followers.
Simons didn’t take very lengthy to search out consolation in embracing the Mazzulla-ball philosophy as soon as the 26-year-old debuted at TD Backyard in opposition to the Cavaliers. He related on 6-of-9 threes, a number of of which had been closely contested and had Simons launching from unbalanced angles. It was as if Simons had been making ready himself to play beneath Mazzulla for years, and the introductory efficiency left the eight-year veteran feeling particularly optimistic about Yr 1 in Boston.
“(TD Backyard has) at all times been an enviornment that I seemed ahead to enjoying in, and I at all times thought it was capturing health club for me,” Simons mentioned after Boston’s preseason win over Cleveland. “So I really feel prefer it’s the identical factor — nice capturing health club, for positive.”
With out Tatum, the Celtics will want a dependable high-volume scorer who can hit threes effectively. Simons supplied a preview of that potential, seamlessly doing each whereas coming off the bench and integrating with a brand new group of teammates.
Preseason stats: 17.7 factors, 40% from three (27.6 minutes)
