The Celtics open the 2026-27 season on Tuesday in Detroit with a very different look. Jaylen Brown was a franchise cornerstone prior to being traded to the 76ers this summer, and Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens brought in forward Paul George, center Mitchell Robinson, guard Mike Conley, and draft picks Chris Cenac and Dillon Mitchell, both forwards, in a significant reshaping of the roster.
Jayson Tatum is back for his first full season since returning from a major Achilles injury, and he will be the leader of a team that features a number of players who have experience together, including Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Baylor Schierman, and Jordan Walsh.
Here’s a look at how Globe reporters and columnists think the season will go.
Adam Himmelsbach
Celtics: 55-27, first in the East.
Eastern Conference: Knicks over Celtics in seven. It might be a mistake to pick against the 76ers, but there are just too many players I don’t trust. The Celtics remain an elite regular-season team, but when rotations condense and stars shine in the playoffs, New York’s edge in firepower — led by the fearless Jalen Brunson — wins out.
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Western Conference: Thunder over Spurs in 7. Victor Wembanyama will soon capture his first title, just not yet. Last season, the Spurs barely escaped against the Thunder despite injuries to OKC standouts Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell. A full season of Jared McCain will help, too.
NBA Finals: Thunder over Knicks in 6. With all the focus on Wembanyama and Brunson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander quietly wins his third consecutive MVP award and Oklahoma City captures its second title in three years behind a historically dominant defense.
Related: The Globe’s Celtics writers discuss key storylines ahead of the new season
Gary Washburn
Celtics: 49-33, fourth in the East.
Eastern Conference: Raptors over Celtics in seven. There’s been some good things happening in the North this offseason. Toronto is a rising power and Kawhi Leonard’s addition brings them back to the Finals, barely topping a Celtics team that was able to get to the conference finals with depth and an MVP-type season from Jayson Tatum. The East is a total crapshoot this year and two overlooked teams reach the finals.
Western Conference: Spurs over Thunder in seven. San Antonio should be angry about not winning the title last year because of its fourth-quarter collapses and the Spurs should be quite motivated to get back to the championship round. OKC will be healthy and motivated after being thumped by the Spurs in the conference finals. But they may not have enough to overcome the Spurs, even with Jalen Williams at full strength.
NBA Finals: Spurs over Raptors in six. Call it the Kawhi Leonard Bowl with his former team and current team meeting in the Finals. San Antonio amassed a bevy of lottery picks for this purpose, for all this young talent to run away from the competition and win its first title in 12 years — since Leonard led the Spurs over the Heat. This time it’s Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper leading the way.
Related: Paul George thankful for chance to reset career with Celtics
Dan Shaughnessy
Celtics: 54-28, second in the East.
Eastern Conference: 76ers over Celtics in seven. Just like the great old days, boys and girls. Drama and theatrics all over the place. For sure the 76ers experiment could be a disaster ― On Golden Pond-by-the-Schuylkill with Joel Embiid on the shelf and LeBron looking older than Morgan Freeman. I choose to go the other way simply because it would be so much fun. No disrespect to the Knicks. It’s just more fun if it’s JT vs. JB ― Kendrick Lemar vs. Drake ― in the conference finals.
Western Conference: Spurs over Thunder in seven. It’s tempting to put the Nuggets in here, but let’s stick with Victor Wembanyama vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the conference finals. At some point the NBA is going to be Wemby’s World and last spring hinted that we are just about there right now.
NBA Finals: 76ers over Spurs in seven. It’s all about LeBron ― first guy to win NBA titles in four different cities. It’s all about Embiid ― finally fulfilling his Wilt Chamberlain destiny. Its all about Jaylen Brown ― named MVP of the Finals for the second time in four years. It’s all about Philadelphia ― winning its first NBA title since 1982 when Moses and the Doc ruled the world.
Related: Brad Stevens sizes up his Celtics for 2026-27
Christopher L. Gasper
Celtics: 55-27, third in the East.
Eastern Conference: Cleveland over Philadelphia in seven. The analytically observant Cavaliers and underappreciated superstar Donovan Mitchell show LeBron James that he should’ve returned to The Land for an encore instead of choosing to boost his legacy by going ring-chasing with the NBA’s version of the Monstars in Philadelphia. But I’m sure Jaylen Brown will get the blame.
Western Conference: Spurs over Thunder in seven. The NBA’s next great rivalry is already here. Watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City and Victor Wembanyama duke it out for Western Conference eminence offers some Patriots-Colts vibes with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
NBA Finals: Spurs over Cavaliers in six. It’s Wemby’s world, and we’re all living in it. The Spurs’ freakishly talented Frenchman and coach Mitch Johnson learned some tough lessons coming up short in last year’s Finals. But they and the talented young Spurs grow from the experience.
Related: The Celtics are Jayson Tatum’s team, whether he wants to be leader or not
Chad Finn
Celtics: 56-26, second in the East (exactly like last year).
Eastern Conference: Celtics over Knicks in seven. The East is wide open, so why not go green? The caveat: Jayson Tatum must remain healthy, and Paul George reasonably so. The Sixers will be nowhere near the conference Finals, by the way. The game is played with one basketball, not four.
Western Conference: Spurs over Thunder in six. Presumably at some point this season Spurs coach Mitch Johnson will realize Dylan Harper is his second-best player.
NBA Finals: Spurs over Celtics in six. Le règne de Wemby a commence.
Related: Brian Scalabrine will be ‘On the Bench’ with the Celtics for the season opener — as an NBC analyst
Amin Touri
Celtics: 53-29, second in the East.
Eastern Conference: Knicks over Celtics in six. I’m a believer in the Jaylen Brown-less, Paul George-ful version of the Celtics, but not enough to topple the Knicks, who pieced together a historically dominant run to the NBA Finals to end a 53-year drought. A salary cap reckoning is coming for New York, but it won’t sink the champs just yet. (And I think there will be too many health concerns and not enough basketballs for the star-powered Sixers to take out either, for what it’s worth.)
Western Conference: Spurs over Thunder in five. The arrows are pointing in opposite directions for the two giants out West. The Spurs returned every major contributor and their young stars — Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper et al. — are another year older, wiser, and better. The Thunder, defined by their ludicrous depth over the last two seasons, were forced to jettison key pieces to get under those dang aprons. If the torch wasn’t already passed across the Red River (and across, like, half of Texas) last year, it will be come spring.
NBA Finals: Spurs over Knicks in five. Yeah, it’s an NBA Finals rematch for the first time since in almost a decade (but in my defense, we had nothing but rematches for half of the 2010s!). And yeah, I picked the Spurs over the Knicks in five last year, only to be undone by an OG Anunoby tip-in, a San Antonio collapse, and New York’s apparently unstoppable power of friendship. But maybe I was just early rather than wrong, eh?
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