Celtics’ New-Look Era Gets an Immediate Test Against the Team That Beat Them Three Times image
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The Boston Celtics don’t get an easy runway into the new NBA season. Their opener sends them to Detroit on Tuesday to face a Pistons team that won 60 games last year, claimed the East’s top seed and beat Boston three times in four regular-season meetings. All four games were still within three points in the final three minutes. The season starts with a matchup that already has some bite.
Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena, or 2 p.m. CT, with coverage on NBC and Peacock. It is also the first game in a league-opening tripleheader: Philadelphia visits the defending champion New York Knicks at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Oklahoma City at San Antonio at 9:30 p.m. ET.
There’s plenty riding on Boston’s first game. The Celtics went 56-26 last season and finished second in the East, but their campaign ended in the first round against Philadelphia. Now they open a new chapter with Tatum back after missing most of last season, and with a retooled roster that has a very different look from the group fans have watched for years.
Jayson Tatum Returns to Center Stage
Tatum is expected to suit up after resting in Boston’s preseason finale. He gave fans a glimpse of what he can bring in the two preseason games he played: 23 points against Philadelphia, followed by 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists against Charlotte. NBA.com reported that the Celtics went unbeaten in the preseason, averaging a league-best 126 points per game, with Tatum averaging 21 points.
That’s an encouraging start, but the bigger question will unfold over the season. Tatum missed the first 62 games last year, then returned from his Achilles injury late in the regular season. Boston will need him to shoulder a larger role now, and Tuesday gives him a formidable first test: Detroit’s defense, on its home floor, against a team that has already shown it can make Boston work for every possession.
The Celtics’ Biggest Change Is Sitting Right Beside Him
Boston traded Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George and draft picks, ending a partnership that helped deliver a championship in 2023-24 and a Finals appearance in 2022. George, Mitchell Robinson and veteran guard Mike Conley are among the new faces. The roster still has familiar names such as Tatum, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, but the roles around Tatum will need to settle quickly.
George gives Boston another experienced two-way forward, while Robinson adds size and a rim-running presence to a frontcourt the NBA’s season preview described as thin last season. But replacing Brown’s production is a significant assignment. Boston’s offense may need to create more through Tatum and George, while finding ways to keep White, Pritchard and the supporting cast involved.
The matchup with Detroit provides an early look at whether those pieces fit. Boston will be asking Tatum to lead a reconfigured group against a team that finished ahead of it in the East last season. This is only the opener, not a verdict on the roster, but it is a meaningful first measuring stick.
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Detroit Has Its Own Reasons to Be Confident
The Pistons’ 60-win season was their best in two decades, according to the NBA, and they return with Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren leading the way. Detroit’s season ended with a Game 7 home loss to Cleveland in the conference semifinals, so the Pistons enter the opener with something to prove, too.
The recent head-to-head record adds another layer. Detroit took three of four from Boston last season, including both games in Detroit. Yet the close finishes show how narrow the gap was: Boston had chances in each matchup, and the teams repeatedly found themselves in tight games late. That history doesn’t decide Tuesday’s result, but it makes the opener more revealing than a typical first-night tune-up.
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What Boston Needs to Show on Opening Night
The Celtics don’t need to have every rotation question answered by the final buzzer. They do need to show that Tatum can take the lead without the offense becoming predictable, and that George can fit beside him without the team losing its defensive edge. Robinson’s impact around the rim and Boston’s outside shooting will also be worth watching as the new group faces a Detroit team that made life difficult for them last season.
Boston’s unbeaten preseason is a positive start, but exhibition wins don’t carry over to the standings. The Celtics’ real challenge begins Tuesday against a team with home-court advantage, 60 wins behind it and a recent record of making Boston sweat. For Tatum, it’s the first step toward showing that the Celtics can still contend in a changed East. For the team, it’s an early chance to prove that the changes made this summer can work when the games count.
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