The Celtics 2026-27 identity is still being written, but the first drafts are visible. A roster reshaped by the trade of Jaylen Brown, a head coach warning against early optimism, and a lopsided preseason win over the Philadelphia 76ers have all offered pieces of the puzzle. The early evidence points to a team built around Jayson Tatum and a 36-year-old Paul George, with real questions about depth and chemistry still unanswered.
The Roster Core After The Jaylen Brown Trade
Boston’s roster looks fundamentally different after the team sent Jaylen Brown to another team in a major trade. For years, Tatum and Brown formed the engine of the Celtics’ offense. Now Tatum’s new co-star is Paul George, who according to Sporting News has not played at an elite level for a couple of seasons. That shift alone reframes what Boston can realistically expect from its top of the roster heading into the season.
What The 76ers Blowout Showed
Boston’s 144-106 win over Philadelphia on Saturday, which MassLive covered in detail, moved the Celtics to 2-0 in preseason play. It also marked the preseason debuts for Tatum, George and Payton Pritchard together for the first time. Pritchard led all scorers off the bench with 25 points and seven assists, while Tatum added 23 points, five rebounds and four assists in his return. George contributed 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals in just 25 minutes, a line that suggests his two-way impact remains intact even if his usage looked different than in his prime years.
A Starting Lineup Still In Experimentation
Boston’s starting five against Philadelphia offered one clue about coach Joe Mazzulla’s early thinking. Mitchell Robinson started at center over Neemias Queta, while Jordan Walsh started at wing alongside George, Derrick White and Tatum. That grouping emphasizes size and defensive versatility on the perimeter, though one preseason game against a single opponent is not enough to call it a settled rotation. The fact sheet does not indicate whether this lineup will carry into the regular season opener.
Mazzulla’s Warning About Early Harmony
Joe Mazzulla has been direct about not reading too much into camp chemistry. Speaking to Sporting News, the Celtics coach said every team looks unified before adversity strikes. “Every team you lead is the most together team right now,” Mazzulla said.
“Because we haven’t traveled. No one’s gotten benched. No one’s been on a losing streak.
No one’s gotten blamed in the media. No one’s had to go stand in the corner for 10 minutes and not get the ball. So, you learn those things as the season goes on, and you just learn how to work through those things together…You can’t simulate those.
It just comes with time. So, right now I would say all 30 teams feel great about themselves, and we got to wait till adversity hits.”
That quote cuts against any temptation to treat a 2-0 preseason record or a blowout win as proof of a finished identity. Mazzulla is explicitly separating what camp and preseason can show from what only a full season under pressure will reveal.
The Counterpoint: Reduced Star Power In A Loaded Conference
The strongest case against reading too much into Boston’s start is the broader conference picture. Sporting News lists the defending champion New York Knicks, a refreshed Miami Heat and the 76ers as favorites in the East for 2026-27, and frames the Celtics as a team that now lacks star power compared to its recent past after dealing Brown. A 25-point bench performance from Pritchard and an efficient debut from George are real data points, but they came against a 76ers team in preseason, not against the Knicks or Heat in games that count. Whether Tatum and George alone can match the two-star burden Tatum once shared with Brown remains unproven.
Signs Of Continuity Amid The Change
Even with the roster overhaul, some things have stayed the same. Boston moved training camp from its usual home to Charleston for three days to prepare for the season, according to Yahoo Sports, a logistical choice that predates any of the on-court results. Tatum’s return from injury and his stated confidence in leading the team, also reported by Yahoo Sports, suggest the franchise is still building around him as its foundational piece regardless of who shares the floor with him.
What To Watch Next
Boston’s preseason schedule continues as the team works through lineup combinations before the regular season begins. The Robinson-over-Queta decision at center and the Walsh-at-wing look both warrant tracking in subsequent preseason games to see if Mazzulla keeps them intact. George’s workload and health will also matter given the concerns about his recent form, as will how Pritchard’s bench scoring translates once rotations tighten for meaningful games. Mazzulla’s own framing suggests the real test of this group’s identity will not arrive until the Celtics face a losing streak or a public setback, something preseason wins cannot simulate.
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