Jayson Tatum looks absolutely fantastic after a full offseason, appearing poised for an MVP-level campaign as the 2026-27 NBA regular season tips off on October 20. Last season, the guy wasn’t even fully himself, averaging 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in 16 regular season games, and then bumping that up to 23-11-7 during six playoff games. Now, after a full summer, his drives, shotmaking, and improved playmaking have all popped off the screen in preseason action. If he stays healthy, do not be surprised if we see an MVP-level year from him.
Boston’s Defensive Identity and Paul George’s Fit
Honestly, Paul George’s fit in Boston has me pretty hyped. This is a team that wants to chuck up threes, keeps the ball moving with timely passes, and desperately needed to force more turnovers defensively. George feels like a hand-in-glove addition there. And speaking of defense, man, I’m ready to watch Derrick White fly around again. You combine him with a fun cast of young wings, Tatum’s versatility to handle those cross-matches, and a pair of absolute rim protectors in Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson, and you’ve got yourself an elite defensive unit once again. We already know Payton Pritchard can get buckets, but did you catch his comfort as a playmaker during the preseason? Take it with a grain of salt, sure, but if he’s ready to make that playmaking leap, he becomes a whole new problem for opponents. Plus, teams have to deal with 48 minutes of Queta or Robinson just owning the offensive glass. That sounds absolutely brutal for anyone trying to box out.
The Rim Pressure Question and Other Worries
Here’s the rub though: the biggest question mark for this Celtics squad is rim pressure. Beyond the obvious concern of Tatum or George staying healthy, a team that already didn’t get a ton of shots at the rim straight up traded Jaylen Brown, their best guy for driving, for Paul George, a wing who doesn’t really get to the rim anymore. That’s a lot of pressure dumped onto Tatum to “solve” the issue, and I’m not sure how fair it is to put that heavy a burden on him with everything else he’ll be asked to do. I’m just a little worried about how jumper-heavy they might become against the league’s top, switchiest defenders. And yeah, it’s obvious, but Tatum and George *have* to stay healthy for any of this to work. I’m curious what kind of maintenance plan George will be on, specifically. And while I expect a bounce back in scoring efficiency for White, it needs to happen. He needs that shot to return, otherwise teams are just gonna keep leaning into those unders and switches against him. Quietly, his rim rate has dropped in each of the last five seasons, hitting a career-low of 7.3% of his shots coming inside three feet.
Look, the double-big lineup with Pritchard, George, Tatum, Queta, and Robinson already gave us a taste in preseason, and I’m excited to see more of it. There’s plenty of creation from the Pritchard, George, Tatum trio, with multiple on-and-off ball screening partners to work with. Plus, it’s the most size you can throw out there around Pritchard defensively. This team clearly has a reasonable range to finish high in the standings, but that rim pressure issue is going to be the thing to watch for all season long.
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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