The 2025-26 Boston Celtics will have a significantly different look than in recent years. This offseason, the team traded point guard Jrue Holiday and center Kristaps Porzingis. Additionally, forward Jayson Tatum may miss the entire season due to a torn Achilles.
With Holiday, Porzingis, and Tatum all having strong defensive backgrounds, the Celtics will need to adjust their team philosophy this year.
The Athletic’s Jay King believes the Celtics’ offense may adopt a new vision, aiming to play at a faster pace with point guard Payton Pritchard and shooting guard Derrick White running the show.
“The vision for this team is probably to run at a much faster pace while scoring and scoring and scoring some more,” King wrote Thursday. That could work, but the guards will need to be great.”
Last season, the Celtics had a pace factor of 98.3, according to ESPN’s Hollinger team statistics. This stat indicates the number of possessions a team uses per game, which ranked last in the NBA.
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If the Celtics want to play faster this season, they must increase their possessions per game. More possessions lead to more scoring opportunities.
Boston’s projected win total is set at 42.5 games, according to Odds Shark. If the Celtics can maintain a fast pace and wear down their opponents, they will have a strong chance of exceeding this win total and competing for a playoff spot.
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