PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 16: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers guards Hugo Gonzalez #28 of the Boston Celtics in the third quarter during the preseason game at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 16, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Celtics defeated the 76ers 125-120 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images Jack Anderson Sun, October 18, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC · 10 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The preseason is over for the Celtics so here are ten things that we learned about the 2026-27 Celtics in the preseason.
The return of Jayson Tatum was a success. The end was disappointing but for him to look as good as he did that early off of the torn Achilles was a big deal for him and the Celtics.
This year is about getting back to peak Jayson Tatum and the preseason was an awesome start.
Tatum averaged 21.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game on 48% from the field and 39% from three in 28 minutes per game in the two games he played in.
His two man game with Mitchell Robinson was one of the things that jumped off the page to me.
— #LetsGoCeltics (@gobosceltics) October 17, 2026
— #LetsGoCeltics (@gobosceltics) October 17, 2026
Tatum was also scoring in all his typical ways, he has gotten really good at splitting the defense on pick and rolls and getting to the rim for a layup or dunk. His three point shot was very good, his defense was top notch, he was rebounding the ball, he was passing it well. He was doing all the things that he does when he is at his best,
Jayson Tatum is rounding into form and looks like he is ready to get back to All-NBA first team Jayson Tatum again and that is one of the reasons the Celtics ceiling could be really high.
One note I do have is that J.T. does need to get to the line more, one free throw over two games isn't nearly enough. He can very easily increase his scoring by just getting fouled more.
2. Offensive rebounding is going to be a massive advantage
I wrote about this last week but the Celtics are going to dominate the offensive boards.
In their 4 preseason games, the Celtics had an offensive rebounding rate of 38.2%, which was the best in the preseason.
Dominating the margins is something that Joe Mazzulla talks a lot about and one of those margins is the offensive glass as he wants to create extra possessions.
Mitchell Robinson will play a big part in this. His is the best offensive rebounder in the NBA and on a team that is already really good at that, Robinson will fit right in. He was 2nd on the team for offensive rebounding in the preseason, Luka Garza lead Boston in that category.
3. Boston's defense is so good and will force more turnovers
I also wrote about this but the Celtics are going go as far as their defense takes them. Boston is set up to have a defense on the level of the Thunder and Spurs. That is why I think this team has a high playoff ceiling.
The preseason only confirmed these beliefs.
In the 2 preseason games Boston played its starters, the Hornets had an offensive rating of 89.4 and the 76ers had an offensive rating of 95.5. It is the preseason and both Philly and Charolette were without some starters but the Celtics defense has looked very good.
One thing Boston has struggled with defensively in recent years is forcing turnovers. Last season, the Celtics ranked 23rd in opponent turnover percentage at 13.1%. In the two preseason games the starters played, the Sixers turnover percentage was 20.9% and the Hornets was 28.8% (they had 29 turnovers in the game).
Paul George is going to be a big part of the Celtics forcing more turnovers. In the game against the Sixers, George had 5 steals.
— #LetsGoCeltics (@gobosceltics) October 17, 2026
Forcing turnovers matters, it creates a fast break opportunity to get an easy shot on offense and it is a possession where a team doesn't get a shot up.
Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla know the Celtics need to create more turnovers and I expect them to do just that this season.
Enough is enough, it is time for Joe Mazzulla to insert Payton Pritchard to the starting lineup.
I don't know how much it really matters but starting the game with your 2nd best offensive player on the bench is just not something I think the Celtics should be doing. Pritchard is plain and simply too good to not start.
He had 25 points and 6 assists in his first preseason game and 19 points and 11 assists in his 2nd preseason game.
Let's not over think this, teams should start their best players in the NBA and Pritchard is one of the Celtics best players. He is ready to be the starting point guard so let him be the starting point guard.
With that said, he probably won't start and I will be annoyed on Twitter (I don't like calling it X) every game he doesn't.
(If they don't start Payton, I'd rather start Baylor Scheierman than Jordan Walsh, who started three preseason games.)
5. Hugo Gonzalez is really good and will probably be every national TV color guy's favorite Celtic
In the Celtics preseason finally on Friday in Philadelphia, Hugo Gonzalez had 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
For the preseason, Gonzalez shot 63% from the field and 55% from three in the four games.
He plays with such hustle, is a really good defender and is usually always in the right spot. Every national TV color analyst is going to talk about how much they love Hugo all season.
In fact, Stan Van Gundy already said as much on the Zach Lowe Show this week.
(You need to watch past the part of them talking about how to say Sandro Mamukelashvili's name to get to the Hugo love.)
Gonzalez is just really good. He makes a big impact on the game on both sides and is very quick in everything he does. His foot speed and decision making and chief among those.
I think there may be a world where Hugo gets Sixth Man of the Year love at the end of the season.
6. The Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta lineups are something I am interested in
In the Hornets game, Mazzulla unleashed a new look that had Robinson and Queta share the floor for a few minutes in the Hornets game.
Unfortunately I could not find what their plus minus or net rating was with them on the court but the eye test said it could work.
Now, it won't be a thing in the playoffs but in the regular season, I would like to see Joe try it out and see what it looks like. Both guys are good defenders and Robinson's ability to move his feet and guard on the perimeter helps that a lot.
The spacing could be clunky but there are ways to work around it.
7. Neemias Queta threes might be a thing and I am not sure they should be
I remember the days when Luke Kornet stopped shooting threes and everyone wanted him to let them fly again. There was no need for Luke Kornet to shoot threes on those teams and I don't think there is a need for Neemias Queta to shoot threes on this team.
Queta went 0/4 in the preseason however he did make the one with his toe on the line in the corner.
Let's call him 1/5, which is 20%. If Neemy is going to be shooting 20% on threes, I don't think he should be taking them. Now, it was pointed out several times in the broadcasts that Queta does take threes when he plays for Portugal in FIBA but he was 0/2 in quailfiers this year and 2/7 in Euros last year.
In a small sample size, it has not proven to be a good shot. As a result, I will remain a skeptic on Neemias Queta three point shots.
My favorite moment of the preseason is when Dillon Mitchell sank a clutch pull up three in overtime of the Sixers game on Friday night.
Mitchell was a bad three point shooter in college and if he can find that in the league, the Celtics could have a useful player. Everything else he does jumps off the screen when you are watching him.
He is a one of one athlete. How high he jumps and how fast he gets off the ground are two things that have stood out. He is also fast and has really long arms that make an impact on the defensive side of the court.
The three point shot is not promised to come but if it ever did, even if he just was consistently just above 30%, the Celtics could have a very good player on their hands.
Also, Sam Cassell used him as a small ball 5 in overtime on Friday, which is something make me raise my eyebrow.
9. Devin Carter was the right choice for the last two-way spot
Carter only played in one of the four preseason games but he was still able to secure the last two-way spot, according to Michael Scotto.
Carter was a first round pick for the Sacramento Kings in 2024 and had an impressive debut for the Celtics in the win over the Cavaliers with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. He flashed the potential that many thought he could show when he was the Big East Player of the Year for the Providence Friars in 2024.
He was all over the court in the game against Cleveland and he will have a chance to make a real impact on the Celtics this year.
He missed the last three preseason games due to an illness.
The Celtics went 4-0 in the preseason and that means they are the preseason champions (please note: I don't know if anyone else went undefeated in the preseason).
The last time the Celtics went undefeated in the preseason was 2019.
Source: Sports
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