In an offseason full of painful departures for the Boston Celtics, there’s one change that actually might make the 2025-26 season more enjoyable than most currently anticipate: the absence of expectations.
After multiple seasons weighed down by championship-or-bust outlooks, a new-look Celtics squad is set to enter a season where it will be virtually impossible not to exceed most prognostications. The pendulum has swung so viciously that the team can endure the obvious bumps ahead in the road but embrace the little victories along the way.
You have to go back to the 2016-17 season to find the last time the Celtics were this devoid of expectations. That year, the Celtics jumped on the back of Isaiah Thomas, got a boost from the veteran addition of Al Horford, and watched a ragtag collection of role players pile up an Eastern Conference-best 53 wins before advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
It remains one of our favorite seasons, jockeying with the 2024 title team in terms of sheer enjoyment. Thomas blossoming from a Sixth Man into a top-five MVP candidate certainly injected joy, but so did watching how the likes of Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk thrived in their roles, all while Brad Stevens pushed the right buttons to get the most from a team that trekked to the East Finals against a peak-of-his-powers LeBron James.
Could the 2025-26 Celtics have a similar glow up?
OK, maybe a deep playoff trek is ambitious. But we’d submit that this year’s team with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard at the helm might have more top-end talent than that 2016-17 group. You can fret over the potential depth of this squad, but 1) We don’t suspect this is a finished roster, and 2) Gerald Green was starting key playoff games for the 2016-17 group, so it wasn’t like that team was swimming in depth, either. James Young and Jordan Mickey combined to play 54 games that year.
Sure, the 2025-26 Celtics have a rather obvious void at the big-man position after the departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and, presumably soon, Horford. But the 2016-17 Celtics squeezed 77 starts and 1,600-plus minutes out of Amir Johnson.
The margin for error for the 2025-26 Celtics is razor-thin. If Brown tweaks a hamstring or White turns an ankle, then winning games could be a real challenge. Regardless of how competitive they are out of the gates, the Celtics will lean heavier into development than they have in recent seasons with hopes that some pain points this season will aid the team when Jayson Tatum is back at full health.
Vegas prognosticators currently project the 2025-26 Celtics at 43.5 wins. That slots them seventh in the East behind the Cavaliers (55.5), Knicks (52.5), Magic (51.5), Hawks 46.5), Pistons (45.5), and Bucks (44.5).
No one yearns to be a play-in team. And there’s absolutely a case to be made that, if Boston is trending in that direction before the trade deadline, leaning even further into a youth movement and other priorities (like getting below the luxury tax) ought to be a priority.
But it is going to be refreshing to watch games and just embrace the small victories. Maybe Brown blossoms in the 1A role and returns to All-NBA form. Maybe White lands that elusive All-Star nod. Maybe Pritchard morphs from Sixth Man of the Year into a legitimate starting-level guard.
More important might be the development of role players who will comprise the future core of this team.
Can recent first-round draft picks Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman use the 2025-26 season to prove they can eventually hold rotation roles on a title-contending team? Can Neemias Queta and Luka Garza evolve their games given the void in Boston’s frontcourt? Is Josh Minott capable of thriving in an expanded opportunity with the Celtics?
A quick aside here, too: Maybe it’s time Celtics fans embrace Georges Niang. The consternation with his addition, especially given his roots here, has been a little bizarre.
Yes, he put himself in the crosshairs a couple seasons ago by grabbing at Jaylen Brown’s knee during a game. Brown and Niang crossed paths at a WNBA game at the Garden last week and there didn’t look like there was any lingering animosity.
We also love how Niang acknowledged the fan angst, noting on a podcast last week: “You know how tough Boston fans are. They don’t give a s— if I’m from Boston or not. They’re like, ‘You just took our unicorn and replaced it with a minivan. Get the f— out of here!’ I’m like public enemy No. 1. They’re like, ‘What is this? This ain’t shiny, man, this got scratches on it, man.’”
Is Niang a long-term piece for this team? Probably not. But if this team is going to outkick expectations, he could be a big part of what’s ahead. If nothing else, he has an expiring — and very tradable — salary that could help future roster constructions. His self awareness, combined with his play style, ought to win over fans quickly.
All of which is our long-winded way of saying: Enjoy the ride. Expectations are going to spike the very second Tatum is back on a basketball court. We’ve been spoiled by the success of this team over the past decade — especially in recent seasons — but there’s nothing wrong with embracing a potential gap year.
We think there’s a very real chance this team performs well beyond expectations at the start of the season. Things might go sideways due to injuries or letting younger players take their lumps, but there are long-term benefits if that happens, too.
The Celtics have created flexibility with their roster. After waiving JD Davison on Thursday, the team is back below the second apron and carries an open roster spot. The team can lean into various pathways during the season, if potential roster moves don’t materialize sooner.
It’s easy to be discouraged by the talent drain. The Celtics needed to get their finances in order, and Tatum’s injury only made that a slightly easier to embrace. The absence of expectations is going to change the way we view games. It’s less about wins and losses and more about the process.
Sit back and enjoy the ride.
