3 Celtics With Most to Prove in 2026-27 Season

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The 2026 offseason has been a busy one for the Boston Celtics, but their roster has gone through quite the transformation since they won the title in 2024.

Only a handful of players remain in Boston from that championship roster, and a couple of them are among those who will need to step up in this upcoming season.

Here are a few players (in no specific order) that the Celtics will need to rely on having a great season.

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3 Celtics With Most to Prove in 2026-27 Season

Payton Pritchard

This most recent season was the best of Pritchard's young career, as he absorbed a new role as a more frequent starter.

He averaged a career-high 32.4 minutes and 17.0 points, continuing the positive season-to-season progression he's been on in recent years.

He may have to continue that progression because even though he's done pretty much all you could ask him to do up to this point, his role as a Celtic will now be bigger than ever.

With Jaylen Brown gone, Pritchard is arguably the second/third option, scoring-wise, on the roster.

People have predicted his potential jump this upcoming season to be like the one Jalen Brunson had when he joined the Knicks. While Pritchard may not replicate that to the extent Brunson did, he can do something similar.

Even a jump to 20.0 points would be key for the team, as Pritchard could excel with even more opportunities.

It would be a stretch to say he needs to play at an All-Star level, but with how talented he is and the situation he's walking into this upcoming year, Pritchard should certainly put himself in a position where he's at least putting up near- All-Star numbers.

Aside from scoring, he will have a lot of responsibilities as a playmaker and guard running the offense, which is why how he plays this year can have the biggest impact on how Boston does as a team overall.

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Derrick White

By no means was the 2025-26 season awful for White, but it certainly could have been better.

He came off two quality seasons where he established himself as one of the best two-way guards in the league, but offensively, his game took a major dip.

He was still the elite shot blocker and defender we know him to be, but his efficiency on the other end was arguably one of the reasons that Boston was sent home early in the postseason.

In a Joe Mazzulla offense that's centered on 3-point shooting, White's 32.7 percent from the perimeter last season hurt Boston badly.

White also shot 39.4 percent from the field, which was the only time in his career that he's been under 40 FG% in a season. The series against Philadelphia was even worse, as he shot 32.1 percent over the seven games.

With Jayson Tatum back for a healthy season, some pressure could be lifted off White on the offensive end, as he plays better when he's not one of the main options. However, he'll still have to navigate not having Brown on the court, and spacing might be a challenge, with White no longer playing off two all-NBA-level players.

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Mitchell Robinson

Other Celtics could be argued to be under more pressure than Robinson, but the Celtics made a decision to improve their center depth this offseason, and now we'll have to see how that plays out.

Robinson was a member of the Knicks' recent title team and will likely become a starter in his first year in Boston.

The Celtics got great production from Neemias Queta this past season, but it was evident they needed more depth at the center position, especially a bigger body who could defend the likes of Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Robinson has had a career filled with injuries, so it was a risky move to add him, but the upside is there if he can stay healthy.

Rebounding was a major issue for Boston last season. They hope the addition of Robinson can somewhat solve that problem.

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3 Celtics With Most to Prove in 2026-27 Season

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