Joe Mazzulla is heading into his fifth season as Celtics head coach, and it’s shaping up to be his biggest challenge yet. Fans have definitely felt the sting of early exits the last two years, first getting knocked out by the Knicks in Round 2 in 2025, then losing to the 76ers in seven games back in May. It really does feel like two straight too-early exits, doesn’t it?
The Playoff Pain and a Roster Shift
Those playoff losses had some serious context. Two years ago, the Knicks just had Boston’s number, coming back from 20 points down in Games 1 and 2 at TD Garden. To make it worse, Jayson Tatum went down with an Achilles’ tear in Game 4 of that series. Fast forward to May, and after going up 3-1 against Philly in Tatum’s return, the 76ers got red hot and JT had to sit out the series finale. Now, heading into 2026-2027, the Celtics are without Jaylen Brown, who is no longer with the team.
Why Expectations Are Off the Charts
Despite the recent playoff bumps and losing Brown, the Celtics are leaning into the same identity that unexpectedly won them 56 games last year. If you buy into CelticsBlog’s Trevor Haas theory, they should be even better this season. First, while Jaylen Brown had a terrific season last year and took his game to the next level as the clear-cut No. 1 option, Jayson Tatum is an even better all-around player. Second, Tatum looked sharp in his return and is absolutely poised to have a monster season as the new clear-cut No. 1 option. Finally, the theory points out that a healthy Jayson Tatum and a healthy Paul George pairing is more dangerous than just Jaylen Brown by himself, even with George’s limitations. Mazzulla snagged Coach of the Year for that overachievement last year, and if they’re better on paper now, the expectations are only going higher.
Nobody expected much after all the injuries and roster turnover last year, but the bar keeps getting raised. The Eastern Conference has beefed up with Philadelphia and Cleveland looking strong, and the defending champion Knicks are still in the way. This season could be the biggest test of Mazzullaball since he took the helm in 2022.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Celtics Blog.
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