The Celtics are kicking off a whole new vibe for the 2026-27 season. Jaylen Brown’s gone, leaving a huge All-Star hole in Boston’s lineup. Yeah, Paul George, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard are gonna be doing some heavy lifting for Joe Mazzulla, but the whole squad’s gotta step up if they want to get back to the top.
Hugo Gonzalez: The Untouchable Talent Who’s Lighting Up Preseason
Mazzulla’s always been about trusting the young guys, and it looks like he’s going back to that well this year, especially with Brown’s minutes up for grabs. Jayson Tatum’s the anchor, no doubt, as Boston tries to climb the Eastern Conference and make a title run. But who else is gonna shine? Hugo Gonzalez is making a crazy strong case.
Get this: Gonzalez’s name was flying around in trade talks all offseason. Marc Stein even reported the Bucks were eyeing him hard as a replacement in a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo deal! But Boston shut that down. They kept the 20-year-old Spanish wing, and his preseason numbers are screaming that it was a genius move. Gonzalez has been one of the NBA’s best players in preseason, dropping 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on absolutely insane 68.8/70.0/75.0 shooting splits. Even as a rookie, he was putting up dazzling per-minute production, and he was one of the few bright spots in their Game 7 loss to the 76ers. This kid’s got a much bigger runway this season to make a real impact, and it’s gonna be wild to see what he does with it.
Baylor Scheierman Is Ready to Anchor Boston’s Attack
Then there’s Baylor Scheierman. He already carved out a legit role last year, starting 20 games and even helping anchor the offense alongside guys like Brown and Payton Pritchard sometimes. Now, heading into his third season, the 26-year-old looks primed for another leap.
Scheierman was getting rave reviews out of training camp. ESPN’s Shams Charania even linked him to a potential exit, but he held his spot in the rotation. He could totally vie for a starting spot this season. The guy is a wizard at drawing offensive fouls, and his 61.3% true shooting percentage last season was an 85th-percentile figure in the NBA. While it’s not a done deal that he’ll share the backcourt with Derrick White to start the year, his minutes are absolutely gonna swell. That means more chances to prove he’s a steady, crucial contributor for Mazzulla.
Chris Cenac Jr., the No. 27 pick in the 2026 Draft, is coming into his rookie year with some question marks, but he’s got captivating physical gifts.
The Celtics are chasing prominence in 2026-27, and these young guns are gonna be key. Watching Gonzalez and Scheierman step up is what we’re all looking forward to.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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