After a weeklong layoff for the NBA All-Star Recreation, the Celtics will return to motion Thursday night time in San Francisco, tipping off a four-game West Coast swing towards Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and the Golden State Warriors.
Listed below are the most important questions and storylines surrounding Boston because it pushes towards the postseason:
When will Jayson Tatum return?
Tatum already appeared to be trending toward a return within the coming weeks. Then, NBC revealed throughout All-Star weekend that it’ll broadcast a five-part docuseries chronicling the Celtics star’s restoration from Achilles surgical procedure.
That present, titled “The Quiet Work,” will air throughout NBC’s “Sunday Night time Basketball” protection and comply with Tatum “by means of essentially the most difficult stretch of his profession as he fights to return to the NBA,” in keeping with the trailer description.
Would Tatum take part in such a collection and launch it in the midst of the season if he wasn’t planning to return till the autumn? No likelihood. This announcement was additional proof that, barring any late setbacks in his rehab, he’ll be back in a Celtics uniform earlier than lengthy.
“How lengthy?” continues to be an open query, as the one public affirmation Tatum has given is that his first sport again shall be at TD Backyard. His new NBC partnership doesn’t assure he’ll make his comeback in a sport the community is broadcasting, however it’s actually price noting that Boston’s Sunday, March 1 matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers not too long ago was flexed to an 8 p.m. tipoff on NBC/Peacock.
A primetime weekend sport towards a longtime Celtics rival? That will be fairly the stage for a season debut.
Celtics-Sixers is a part of a stretch of 4 house video games in eight days that additionally contains ones towards Brooklyn (Feb. 27), Charlotte (March 4) and Dallas (March 6). The Mavericks sport shall be nationally broadcast on ESPN.
Boston additionally will play on Causeway Road six instances in a seven-game span later subsequent month, together with a Peacock sport vs. Phoenix (March 16), an ESPN sport vs. Golden State (March 18) and a Sunday NBC sport vs. Minnesota (March 22).
If and when Tatum does return, the questions will shift to the on-court selection: Will he initially come off the bench or be on a minutes restriction? How will Joe Mazzulla must tweak an offensive system that was reworked to account for his absence? What affect will his return have on Jaylen Brown, who’s loved a profession 12 months as Boston’s clear chief and No. 1 choice?
How will Nikola Vucevic slot in?
The Celtics’ large transfer on the NBA commerce deadline was including the 35-year-old Vucevic, whom they consider will add a brand new dimension to their overachieving frontcourt.
After struggling towards the New York Knicks in his second sport with Boston, the veteran heart was much better in his third, tallying 19 factors, 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in a blowout win over Chicago.
“I feel (that sport) was a very good step ahead of the place we will get to, and I felt much more snug on the market,” Vucevic stated afterward. “I feel the blokes felt extra snug round me, and we had been in a position to construct some good chemistry, so it was a very good step ahead.”
Vucevic, who got here from a Bulls crew that performs a a lot faster-paced model, deliberate to commit further time to movie examine in the course of the All-Star break to rise up to hurry on his new teammates’ tendencies and the nuances of Boston’s system. It’s unclear whether or not Mazzulla plans to proceed utilizing him off the bench behind Neemias Queta — thus giving the Celtics two potent second-unit scorers in Vucevic and Payton Pritchard — or transfer him into the beginning lineup sooner or later.
The Fifteenth-year professional stated he’s fine with either, so long as he’s contributing on a contending crew. Vucevic hasn’t superior past the primary spherical of the playoffs since his rookie 12 months in 2012.
How will roster be stuffed?
The Celtics nonetheless have three open spots on their 15-man roster after delivery out Josh Minott, Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman on the commerce deadline. They need to fill at the very least two of them by Thursday, as NBA guidelines bar groups from rostering fewer than 14 standard-contract gamers for greater than 14 consecutive days.
How will Boston plug these holes? President of basketball operations Brad Stevens offered a few hints in his post-deadline information convention. The Celtics count on so as to add one other ball-handler, he stated, after buying and selling away third guard Anfernee Simons. And although they’re now eligible to signal any participant on the buyout market after dropping beneath the primary apron, anybody they bring about in “won’t be someone that we’re going to ask to return in and be part of the on a regular basis rotation once we’re totally wholesome.”
Stevens additionally spoke extremely of the Celtics’ two-way gamers, particularly Ron Harper Jr., whom he referred to as “a stud” and “probably the greatest gamers within the G League.” Changing Harper’s contract to a normal deal, because the crew did with rookie heart Amari Williams earlier this month, appears seemingly. However the crew may wait to make that transfer, because it should fastidiously trip and construction its signings to avoid reentering the luxury tax. The Celtics sit lower than $1 million beneath the tax line after their flurry of deadline strikes.
Rookie guards Max Shulga and John Tonje, the latter acquired from Utah within the Boucher commerce, are Boston’s different two-way gamers.
Hardest matchups?
The Celtics’ post-All-Star schedule consists of 10 video games towards present playoff groups, 11 towards play-in groups and 7 towards lottery groups.
There aren’t many matchups with the opposite prime contenders within the East — Boston performs the remainder of the convention’s prime six simply 4 instances complete, with no dates remaining towards first-place Detroit — however they’ll see many of the prime canines out West, together with two showdowns with defending champion Oklahoma Metropolis. And people 11 video games towards groups in play-in place embody three towards red-hot Charlotte, which, underneath the course of ex-Celtics assistant Charles Lee, boasts the NBA’s second-best web score for the reason that begin of 2026.
Total, the Celtics have the league’s fifth-toughest remaining schedule (.518), per Tankathon. Their trickiest stretch? A 3-game highway journey by means of Cleveland on March 8, San Antonio on March 10 and OKC on March 12.
Different video games to circle: Feb. 25 at Denver, March 25 vs. OKC and April 9 at New York. The Celtics, Knicks and Cavaliers are separated by simply 1.5 video games within the East standings, in order that April tilt at Madison Sq. Backyard may affect playoff seeding.
Celtics’ ceiling is …?
We’re nicely previous “hole 12 months” discuss. The “contenders or pretenders?” query has been answered. Fifty-four video games in, the 35-19 Celtics have been one of many NBA’s finest groups by nearly any metric, from file (fourth-best) to level differential (third) to web score (third). They personal the second-best offense and ninth-best protection — all with one of many league’s finest all-around gamers watching in avenue garments.
However there’s a transparent distinction between a crew able to, say, reaching the convention finals and one that may legitimately win an NBA championship. That are the Celtics? We’re about to search out out.
