It has been a while since the Boston Celtics entered a season as an underdog in the Eastern Conference, but that’s exactly what they are heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
The Celtics parted ways with multiple key players from their 2024 NBA championship core this offseason to shed salary and get under the second apron of the luxury tax. Jrue Holiday (trade), Kristaps Porzingis (trade), and Luke Kornet (free agency) will don new uniforms next season, and Al Horford is likely to either follow suit or retire.
In addition, the Celtics will be without their superstar Jayson Tatum while he recovers from a ruptured Achilles. That will leave Jaylen Brown and Derrick White as the leaders of a new-look Boston team that will have to lean more than usual on its complementary pieces.
Although some consider 2025-26 to be a bridge year for the C’s, NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg and Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor are entering the new season with optimism. They preached positivity while sharing their bold predictions for the Celtics’ upcoming campaign during the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston’s The Off C’season.
Forsberg: Celtics will remain competitive in the Eastern Conference
“I think at Christmas, the Boston Celtics will be a top-four team in the Eastern Conference,” Forsberg said. “I don’t know what happens from there. You’re one Jaylen Brown twisted ankle, one bad hamstring for Derrick White away from things being very difficult to stay up there. When you’re without your superstar, the margin for error gets just all that much slimmer.
“But I still think the Celtics are gonna just outkick expectations. We’re all gonna sit here and go, ‘Whoa, wait, I thought this was a gap year. I thought this was a soft tank. What’s happening?’
“They might ultimately crawl back a little bit, but they’re just too good for everyone to sit here and be all, ‘The Celtics are just gonna be like an eight seed or a play-in or in the lottery.’ Again, that might happen based on circumstances and injuries, but I really believe that this team, (if) Derrick White, Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard are healthy, they’re gonna be so much better than people expect them to be, and it’s gonna be a fun year.”
O’Connor: Payton Pritchard will look like an All-Star
“My bold prediction is that you’re gonna see Payton Pritchard put up borderline All-Star numbers,” O’Connor said. “If you look at his numbers last year with Tatum off the floor, he averaged 22 (points), six (rebounds), and five (assists) per 75 possessions in minutes without Jayson Tatum.
“I think Pritchard has shown so much with the opportunities given that this undoubtedly will be fun. It’s going to be a fun year, and it’s gonna create opportunities for guys to grow.”
O’Connor also sees Derrick White as a candidate to take another step forward with Tatum out.
“Maybe Derrick White takes a little bit of a leap,” he said. “This is a guy who’s gotten better every single season of his entire career, especially since he got to Boston. Maybe more pick-and-rolls, more on-ball stuff leads to Derrick White having an All-Star caliber season, and undoubtedly Payton Pritchard will put up bigger numbers, arguably borderline All-Star type numbers depending on his usage.”
Watch the full episode of The Off C’Season featuring O’Connor, Forsberg, and Drew Carter below:
