3 bold Celtics predictions for the 2025-26 NBA season

The Boston Celticssuffice it to say, they are unlikely to compete for an NBA championship for the upcoming campaign. Their roster saw so many changes this past offseason, losing four valuable associates to a title-winning team in Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Cornett, and Jayson Tatumat best, he will miss most of the season.

As powerful as the Celtics have been over the past few seasons, they simply won’t have enough for next season, even though there are plenty of breakout candidates on the roster. Payton Pritchardreigning sixth man of the year, will take on a bigger rolewhile Derrick White could be in for his first All-Star appearance if he can step into a more usage role with ease.

Jaylen Brown will now experience to be the first option for the first time in his career after taking a backseat to Tatum and Kyrie Irving for years. Another question is whether he will show enough skills in the game and handling the ball to fulfill the obligations that will be on his shoulders.

This season might not be the best for the Celtics, with their high standards and all. But this will be one of their most interesting seasons yet.

With that said, here are some bold predictions for the Celtics for the 2025-26 NBA season.

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Peyton Pritchard is averaging over 24 points per game

Just to put into perspective how bold this prediction is, only 16 qualified players last year he averaged over 24 points in the NBA. Even some of the league’s best scorers, such as Tyler Hero and James Harden, have failed to break that mark. In fact, even Brown scored less than 24 points per game last year, posting 22.2 points per game.

That makes it unlikely that Pritchard will average over 24 points per game, even though there are plenty of shots with four rotation players gone and Tatum’s injury. Without those five, about 54 snaps will be spread across the roster — with the majority of those snaps going to Pritchard, White, Brown and Anferna Simmons.

Regardless, Pritchard has shown the ability to put up points, and with the high-usage void left by Tatum’s departure, the Celtics’ main point guard will be gearing up.

Now, it’s worth noting that Pritchard only averaged 14.3 points per game last year. That number rose to 19.0 in nine games without Tatum last year and 21.7 in three games as a starter last year. Getting to 24 on a nightly basis will be difficult for someone who has never had the opportunity to do so in the past.

But this is uncharted territory for Pritchard, and given the lack of offensive options on the roster, Pritchard will have every opportunity in the world to put up the numbers. Even the arrival of Simmons shouldn’t take much away from Pritchard’s usage, as the point guard they got in exchange for Holiday shouldn’t have too much of a role, especially as he prepares to come off the bench. Simmons is also in the final year of his contract and The Celtics aren’t really invested in the 26-year-old guard anyway.

However, this is not called a bold prediction for nothing. Pritchard could average over 20 points per game next season, which will be a big win in and of itself, but getting to 24 will take some needle threading.

Neemias Cueta is averaging a double-double next season

The Celtics lost three of their top center options in one offseason, and their center rotation is now in dire straits. The very idea that Chris Boucher will play a prominent role in their frontcourt speaks volumes for how thin their center depth is.

Even Luca Garza could have a huge role for the Celtics, and he barely made a run for the Minnesota Timberwolves last year as he struggled to defend in space, making his ability to score somewhat meaningless.

But Celtics brass trusts Neemias Cuetaand says that they did not address the situation in their center more urgently. They really believe in the 26-year-old center’s ability to break into a bigger role, and all signs point to him being a key player for Boston next season.

Kueta started six games last year and he did average 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game during those starts. The jump count in particular could be a concern. But who else on this Celtics team is even getting rebounds? Four of their top five rebounders last year (Tatum, Porzingis, Horford and Cornett) won’t be around to start next year.

At 7’0″, Cueta is by far the best jumper on the team right now. And that should translate into consistent production on the field, setting him up to average a double-double for the season.

The Celtics advance to the 2nd round as Jayson Tatum returns to the playoffs

Speaking of bold predictions, the projections for the Celtics to advance to the second round are certainly there. The Eastern Conference tends to be weak, but this Boston team is so far removed in quality from its teams of previous years that making the postseason could be a tough start.

Still, there are signs for the Celtics to hang on. Tatum is on the fast track to a comeback on the hardwood, and there’s a chance he could return to the Celtics near the end of this season.

When Tatum, an All-NBA forward, returns, the Celtics should have more than enough firepower to advance to the second round of the postseason, although they could end up being a lower-seeded team in the playoffs. If they end up running into a team like the Orlando Magic or Detroit Pistons in the 1st round, a Boston team with Tatum in it certainly has enough to get past them.

Of course, there is no rush for the Celtics to bring Tatum back. But if he’s medically cleared by March and he’s fit, then it might not be the worst idea to bring Tatum back.