The Celtics enter the 2026-27 season with a revamped roster, but still harbor a winning mentality that could propel them to dethrone the NBA champions.
The Celtics may face a tougher road to the top, with the East having improved significantly, but there's still a world where they lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June.
The Celtics are expected to finish around the #3-5 spot or in the play-in race, but their goal is to make the postseason, which is what matters most.
They will face tough opponents in the Knicks and 76ers, who are likely to be the top-2 teams in the East, and will need to find a roster/lineup that can match up best with them.
The Celtics will play those two teams at least eight times this regular season, since they are all in the same division, and will need to be active during NBA trade deadlines to upgrade their roster if necessary.
The team's core players are returning, but some are new, and some are younger players absorbing bigger roles, which will be a trial period for coach Joe Mazzulla.
Mazzulla will need to figure out how to distribute minutes between Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson, seeing who is better in certain parts of the game.
The Celtics will also need an MVP-level season from Jayson Tatum in his new #1 option role, as well as a sizeable jump from Payton Pritchard as a full-time starter and top option scoring-wise.
Derrick White has shown his ceiling before, but will need to bounce back after a poor season on the offensive end in 2025-26, and Paul George will best fit in a smaller role as a #3-4 option, but still having the ability to lead units off the bench at times.
The rest of the roster, including Sam Hauser, Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, Ron Harper Jr., and Luka Garza, will also need to contribute to the team's success.
The Celtics will need to peak in the postseason, as all teams will try to, so even if the regular season doesn't go as planned, they can still make a move to get to the NBA Finals.
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.
The Celtics will need to navigate a challenging schedule and make key adjustments to their roster and lineup if they want to dethrone the NBA champions.
Source: Yahoo Sports