Celtics 2025-26 Regular Season Discussion

[Jiri Welsch]

82 games is a long season, so I think they are bound to win some games just by out working their opponents on a given night.

Between that method and the occasional night when they are shooting lights out from 3 (hasn?t happened yet besides part of the Cavs game ? but is bound to) I anticipate them being a .500 squad.

My question is: How can they best set themselves up to actually compete next year?

[mobilija]

82 games is a long season, so I think they are bound to win some games just by out working their opponents on a given night.

Between that method and the occasional night when they are shooting lights out from 3 (hasn?t happened yet besides part of the Cavs game ? but is bound to) I anticipate them being a .500 squad.

My question is: How can they best set themselves up to actually compete next year?

I think they are setting themselves up. By 1) giving developmental players reps and 2) establishing a culture of frenetic effort and defense. Brad still needs to increase the talent pool externally but internal growth is heading in a positive direction so far.

[slightly biased bias fan]

82 games is a long season, so I think they are bound to win some games just by out working their opponents on a given night.

Between that method and the occasional night when they are shooting lights out from 3 (hasn?t happened yet besides part of the Cavs game ? but is bound to) I anticipate them being a .500 squad.

My question is: How can they best set themselves up to actually compete next year?

This is the issue I have been raising.

I said before the season started, that this roster is a play-in level team with an insanely competitive head coach. Nothing about this season will help the Celtics challenge next season. Mazulla will not play the rookies consistently to help them develop, he is only concerned with winning as many games as possible.

Look at the 76ers, if they do not get V. J. Edgecombe, what does their future look like? Dallas benched their stars at the end of the 2022-23 season and were able to draft Dereck Lively. The next season Dallas makes the Finals, with Lively significantly contributing.

[Neurotic Guy]

82 games is a long season, so I think they are bound to win some games just by out working their opponents on a given night.

Between that method and the occasional night when they are shooting lights out from 3 (hasn?t happened yet besides part of the Cavs game ? but is bound to) I anticipate them being a .500 squad.

My question is: How can they best set themselves up to actually compete next year?

This is the issue I have been raising.

I said before the season started, that this roster is a play-in level team with an insanely competitive head coach. Nothing about this season will help the Celtics challenge next season. Mazulla will not play the rookies consistently to help them develop, he is only concerned with winning as many games as possible.

Look at the 76ers, if they do not get V. J. Edgecombe, what does their future look like? Dallas benched their stars at the end of the 2022-23 season and were able to draft Dereck Lively. The next season Dallas makes the Finals, with Lively significantly contributing.

I'm curious why you wrote this today after it seems pretty clear that Mazulla IS playing his youth consistently.  Minott and Hugo are the biggest stories so far for the Celtics. Hugo is averaging 15 mpg and that is on the rise. Minott 22 mpg also heading upward.  Mazulla is also playing youth in crunch time.  There are things to complain about but not playing the young this year (other than Walsh) has not been one of them.

[slightly biased bias fan]

82 games is a long season, so I think they are bound to win some games just by out working their opponents on a given night.

Between that method and the occasional night when they are shooting lights out from 3 (hasn?t happened yet besides part of the Cavs game ? but is bound to) I anticipate them being a .500 squad.

My question is: How can they best set themselves up to actually compete next year?

This is the issue I have been raising.

I said before the season started, that this roster is a play-in level team with an insanely competitive head coach. Nothing about this season will help the Celtics challenge next season. Mazulla will not play the rookies consistently to help them develop, he is only concerned with winning as many games as possible.

Look at the 76ers, if they do not get V. J. Edgecombe, what does their future look like? Dallas benched their stars at the end of the 2022-23 season and were able to draft Dereck Lively. The next season Dallas makes the Finals, with Lively significantly contributing.

I'm curious why you wrote this today after it seems pretty clear that Mazulla IS playing his youth consistently.  Minott and Hugo are the biggest stories so far for the Celtics. Hugo is averaging 15 mpg and that is on the rise. Minott 22 mpg also heading upward.  Mazulla is also playing youth in crunch time.  There are things to complain about but not playing the young this year (other than Walsh) has not been one of them.

Sorry, I misspoke.

What I was trying to get across is that Mazzulla is not playing the youth to develop them, he is playing only to win. Some young guys like Hugo are getting solid minutes but it is in a limited capacity.

Usually on a rebuilding team, you let the young players grow and develop by allowing them to make mistakes and develop their skills. Gonzalez & Scheierman should be bringing up the ball, attempting to run the offence.

When Giannis was a rookie, Jason Kidd played him at point guard (something he is doing now with Flagg). Giannis has alluded to how this helped him greatly into developing as a playmaker & seeing the floor better. Obviously at the time Milwaukee struggled to win games, but it was more important in the long run.

I do not blame Muzzulla for focusing on winning, it is his job. I blame ownership and the front office for not looking at the long term ramifications of this season.

[radiohead]

Simons doesn?t seem happy being in Boston. He must be bothered by the playing time. I mean, his past Portland teams were not really winning but he had the license to do whatever he wanted. I think Joe should at least make him start in a game to see if that makes him play better.

[Atzar]

Simons doesn?t seem happy being in Boston. He must be bothered by the playing time. I mean, his past Portland teams were not really winning but he had the license to do whatever he wanted. I think Joe should at least make him start in a game to see if that makes him play better.

In fairness to the guy, I think he's well aware that he's a rental.  We weren't subtle about the fact that we were looking to move his contract.  He probably doesn't even feel like part of the team. 

Honestly he's still getting plenty of playing time and on-ball opportunities.  So if he's unhappy, I don't think it's the playing time so much as the fact that he's in limbo right now. 

[Goldstar88]

Boucher stinks. 

[Phantom255x]

Boucher stinks. 

I had high hopes for him but yeah he hasn't shown much. Minott definitely has though

[slightly biased bias fan]

[Celtics4ever]

It is going to be a roller coaster season.   The making shots is even more important with the loss of Tatum.  We will live and die by the three.   Some games are good, some games I find myself yelling at the screen.

[slamtheking]

need to flip this for last night

[Vermont Green]

There are several players who are here to define roles for themselves on next season's team, as much as they are here to help this season's team win.  Trying to demonstrate that they have some ceiling.  Minott, Hugo, and Queta are all pretty solid to have roles next season, at this point,  Scheierman and Walsh, not so much.  Tillman and Garza are kind of at their ceilings.  Walsh may have changed this though with a good game last night.  Hope he keeps it up.

I would like to see more of Amari Williams.  2 games, 7 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds.  I understand that he has not earned minutes at this point.  Even Tillman and Garza are better.  But is it still worth playing Tillman and Garza?  I struggle with this.  Garza may still carve out a role for himself as a bench big but would it be better to play Williams over Tillman?

[Redz]

There are several players who are here to define roles for themselves on next season's team, as much as they are here to help this season's team win.  Trying to demonstrate that they have some ceiling.  Minott, Hugo, and Queta are all pretty solid to have roles next season, at this point,  Scheierman and Walsh, not so much.  Tillman and Garza are kind of at their ceilings.  Walsh may have changed this though with a good game last night.  Hope he keeps it up.

I would like to see more of Amari Williams.  2 games, 7 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds.  I understand that he has not earned minutes at this point.  Even Tillman and Garza are better.  But is it still worth playing Tillman and Garza?  I struggle with this.  Garza may still carve out a role for himself as a bench big but would it be better to play Williams over Tillman?

I really miss Kornet.  The player and the character.  I think he would have been a much better complementary piece to Queta than what they have.  Maybe Garza can grow into that role like Luke did, but I think what you see is what you get. 

[Celtics4ever]

Williams shot is horrible and needs built up from scratch.    I don't think Williams is much of a better athlete than Garza, neither is a good leaper.  Williams is a skilled passer and connector.