Five Biggest Questions For the Boston Celtics This Offseason

Joel Piton
12 hours ago
8 min read

The Boston Celtics achieved what many thought was impossible. After Jayson Tatum went down at Madison Square Garden in 2025, this season was supposed to be a survival year at best—a fluke season where Boston tried to resemble its two years, accepted the limitations of life without its star, and waited patiently for Tatum’s recovery. Instead, they won 56 games, had the best record in the Eastern Conference at one point, and watched Tatum make an early return in what became one of the most inspiring seasons in recent NBA memory. Then, in the cruelest twist imaginable, the injury bug struck again at the worst possible time.

A Game 7 loss. A first-round exit. A season that once felt miraculous ended suddenly with everything Boston had fought for feeling painfully unfinished. Now, the Celtics enter the offseason with more questions than answers. How do they get back to what they accomplished just two years ago? How do they maximize a roster that still has Hall of Fame talent? What direction does the coaching staff need to take? Which contracts should the front office move off of? And the obvious one, is this team still one piece away, or is it time for a real transformation?

With so many questions surrounding the future of the franchise, let’s break down the biggest ones the Celtics must answer this offseason:

Is Jaylen Brown a Number One Option?

Jaylen Brown had an All-NBA First Team-caliber year in what was easily the best campaign of his career. With Jayson Tatum sidelined, Brown stepped into the role of Boston’s sole leader and proved he could be the best player on a playoff team. He carried the Celtics to 56 wins, finished fourth league-wide in scoring, and set new personal bests in points, rebounds, and assists per game. Brown was on a different planet for most of the season. So what went wrong? The postseason exposed the limits of the “lone star” model. Boston blew a 3-1 lead against Philadelphia, the eighth instance in NBA history where a No. 7 seed upset a No. 2 seed. To make matters worse, that same Sixers team was swept by the Knicks the following week. Rough.

The collapse obviously isn't solely on Brown. Derrick White was a non-factor all series so Brown carried an enormous load. By Game 7, his efficiency dipped under the exhaustion of being Boston’s primary scorer, primary ball-handler, and more. Running an entire team through Jaylen Brown for 82 games and then asking him to survive the brutality of the postseason was always going to lead to burnout eventually.

Brown can be enough in stretches, he proved that. But asking him, alongside Derrick White, to cover every offensive gap without Tatum was too much. A Tatum-less version of this roster doesn't have the firepower, depth or shot creation to win at the highest level. Fifty-six regular-season wins is impressive. Maybe even great. But if the Celtics were truly going to build a roster around Brown as the No. 1 option, this would not be it. So yes, Brown can carry Boston at times. But over the course of an entire postseason? That's a hard sell.

Is Joe Mazzulla not Evolving?

Joe Mazzulla is one of the youngest head coaches in the NBA and one of the few coaches in league history to lead his team to a championship by his second season. He's passionate, intense, fully devoted to the game, and already has the ultimate accomplishment. But he isn't above criticism. If there was one word that continues to follow Mazzulla, it is stubborn. His commitment to “Mazzulla Ball”—Boston electing to heave threes and focus on floor spacing and size advantages—has helped the Celtics win at an elite level. But when the threes aren't falling, or when opponents are exploiting specific matchups, the Celtics can look painfully predictable. Too often, it feels like Mazzulla is willing to let the team live or die by the same formula regardless.

When the postseason comes it's the same gameplan. The playoffs are not the regular season. You can't treat a seven game series like another night. Adjustments matter. Matchups matter. Against Philadelphia it was more of the same: questionable timeout usage, slow reactions to momentum swings, and a lack of timely defensive adjustments once Joel Embiid started punishing Boston inside, especially against Neemias Queta. Fans and analysts were frustrated watching leads disappear in Games 5 and 6 while Mazzula did little to stop the bleeding. There's also the issue of trust. Mazzulla has shown a willingness to throw young players into high-pressure situations, but the question is whether those decisions are maximizing the roster depth or simply forcing inexperienced players into moments they are not ready for.

That does not mean the Celtics or the fans should give up on him. Far from it. This is the same coach who helped bring Banner 18 to Boston after barely more than a year on the job. But if the Celtics are going to get back to championship form, Mazzulla has to evolve. The passion is there. Now, the adjustments have to be there too.

Do the Celtics have a Playoff-Caliber Frontcourt?

Short answer: no—the Celtics do not currently have a playoff-caliber frontcourt. The 76ers series made it painfully clear that this specific rotation wouldn't get far in the playoffs.

Nikola Vucevic was brought in at the trade deadline to give Boston a veteran who could pass, shoot and rebound—all things the former All-Star has proven he can do. But defensively, he became a target. He doesn't defend at a high level, and after averaging career lows in points, rebounds, and blocks, the concern is obvious. To be fair, it's a new system and injuries were involved. But at thirty-six, if he is going to be part of a playoff rotation, we have to pray it was rust. As for Neemias Queta, he deserves credit. He came out of his shell and helped anchor a Celtics frontcourt that many people laughed at before the season. He averaged a career-high 10 points and finished top 10 in field goal percentage at 65%. But the playoffs require a level of defensive discipline he has not mastered yet. Queta is too often in foul trouble, and because he can't space the floor, his offensive role is predictable.

Then there's Luka Garza, Boston’s stretch four option. Garza is consistent but the Celtics need to see him take on a larger role if he's going to matter in the playoffs. The issue is that defensively, he remains a non-factor. That puts Boston in a pick your poison situation. Vucevic gives offense but can be hunted defensively. Queta gives size and finishing but struggles with fouls and spacing. Garza gives shooting but does not solve the defensive problem. That is not a championship frontcourt formula.

In the modern NBA, a team cannot survive a deep playoff run if its big men can't either switch comfortably on the perimeter or provide rim protection. Right now, Vucevic, Queta, and Garza collectively offer neither. Boston doesn't necessarily need a superstar big, but it absolutely needs a frontcourt identity—because this current mix is NOT built to last four rounds.

Is Boston's Bench too Young?

You've got to respect the young guys for what they contributed to a 56-win season. Boston doesn't get far without it's rooks stepping up. But the concern surrounding the Celtics’ bench is glaring. Let’s be real about the CBA and what it's done. With massive extensions kicking in for Boston’s two stars, the Celtics have become incredibly top-heavy financially. In order to avoid the roster-paralyzing penalties of the second apron, Brad Stevens had to fill out the bottom half of the roster with rookie-scale contracts and role players. That's how Boston ended up leaning on guys like Chris Boucher, Josh Minott and Luka Garza, and then young players like Jordan Walsh and Hugo González instead of a bench built for playoff survival.

The result? The lineup falls off a cliff after the starting five.

Behind Brown, the Celtics did not have enough reliable offensive ground to make up for. Derrick White shot 32% from the field and 27% from three and no one off the bench could come in and shoulder the bad efficiency. In the regular season, you can survive with one-way players. Luka Garza can get you buckets against a lottery team. Neemias Queta can be the rim-runner you love. A young wing can give you a few strong defensive possessions. But in the playoffs, every weakness gets exposed. Boston’s youth was useful during the regular season, but when the postseason demanded a steady balance of offense and defense, the Celtics looked thin. The bench wasn't necessarily untalented. It just wasn't ready.

Now the front office has a serious decision to make. Do the Celtics stay patient and help these young players grow into their potential, or do they flip some of them for veterans who can help immediately? Either way, Boston cannot enter another title-chasing season with a bench that feels more developmental than dependable.

Are The Celtics Building Around a What-If?

Could it be that the Celtics are building around a “what if” team that banks entirely on a healthy Tatum? After the way this season ended, Boston has to ask it. We really planning on "running it back" with Tatum as the gameplan? Because there are some serious powerhouse teams in the West that have been formed since 2024. In the wake of Tatum’s injury, this team did NOT look like it could be taken seriously as a true contender. Then the Celtics shocked everyone, won 56 games, and turned what looked like a lost season into one of the most impressive campaigns in recent memory. But when Game 7 hit and Tatum was out, the truth hit hard: this roster did not look durable enough to survive a playoff battle without him.

It's starting to feel like this roster was never truly built to be taken seriously without Tatum. Instead, Boston has created a system almost entirely driven by him alone. Tatum is the engine. He bends defenses, forces rotations, creates open shots for the specialists, and helps cover up the limitations of role players. When he is on the floor, the entire roster makes more sense. When he isn't, the structure crumbles.

That's dangerous, especially when two players command such a massive percentage of the salary cap. You can't easily build a durable eight player playoff team when so much money is tied up at the top. Because of that, the front office has had to surround Tatum and Jaylen Brown with lower-cost role players who fit specific jobs.

Brown played his heart out, but empty volume is not enough in a do-or-die scenario. A roster built around two stars requires the supporting cast to step up when one of them goes down. The Celtics have to ask themselves if they're building a roster that only works if everything goes exactly right.

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Boston already proved they could exceed expectations this season, but it's time to turn belief back into reality. In a recent interview, Tatum has made it clear that he's still chasing another Finals MVP and believes he can accomplish that in Boston. But confidence alone won't fix the flaws. If the Celtics want to return to the mountaintop, this offseason has to be about action. We don't know what that could look like this offseason, but the championship window is still open.

What changes do you see being made this offseason? Should Boston run it back with minor adjustments, or is this the summer where the franchise needs a real transformation? How do the Celtics turn Tatum’s Finals MVP expectations into reality?

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Thanks for reading!

-Joel Piton

(@jpiton7)