Compared to the last few seasons, the Celtics are starting 2025 in a very different situation.
The Celtics have surrounded their two young talents with veterans in pursuit of a title ever since Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown opened Boston’s championship window many years ago. Boston achieved the pinnacle in 2024, but at the expense of an oversized payroll that could not be sustained for more than a few seasons.
The Celtics are now making a bit of a lineup change as Tatum is expected to miss most of the 2025–26 season recovering from his torn achilles. Boston returned below the second tier of the luxury tax through the trades of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, which should allow them to make free agency moves.
But only around $4 million separates the Celtics from that second apron. Brad Stevens might not be done moving away roster staples to put the Celtics in the greatest position to survive until Tatum returns, especially with two (literally) large pending free agents in Al Horford and Luke Kornet, as well as other lineup flaws.
As a result, Boston felt a little more invested in the 2025 NBA Draft than it had in a while. Players that don’t immediately make the Celtics team are usually drafted by Stevens. Before a space on the NBA roster opens up, they develop in the G League for a while.
However, if Boston sells more veterans away this summer, it may be depending more on its younger players to fill out the bottom of the rotation in 2025–2026.
Here s how the Celtics roster shakes out currently
The Celtics selected seven-foot center Amari Williams and smaller guard Max Shulga in the late second round, along with guard/wing Hugo Gonzalez, who showed great promise. Boston may use one or more of those selections in their lineup in the near future.
Given the Celtics’ current paucity of big men, Williams might even start the season earning depth minutes. The only centers on Boston’s roster as of Thursday night are Williams and Neemias Queta. As of May, Horford was determined to play for at least one more season and was expected to return as a primary priority for the Celtics throughout the offseason.
However, Williams would be in line to battle with Queta for Boston’s backup center position if the team doesn’t have enough cash on hand to keep Kornet as well. Additionally, if Williams does well enough in camp, he may receive minutes regardless of the outcome of the game, as Joe Mazzulla has previously used up to four centers during a game.
Gonzalez presently has a little murkier route to receive minutes early this season, even though he was the slightly higher pick. On Boston’s depth chart right now, he is one of six guards. If they all stay with the team, Derrick White, Anfernee Simons, and Payton Pritchard will probably get the most playing time, while Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Gonzalez will compete for rotation places.
However, the Celtics front group is very thin to begin 2025, so those guards will presumably have more opportunities off the bench. The only reliable, healthy starter in that group is Jaylen Brown. Following a rise in usage for Sam Hauser, Boston’s depth forwards are Xavier Tillman, Miles Norris, and Georges Niang.
Gonzalez will especially benefit from that edge because, should the Celtics decide to use him in a forward role, his enormous 6-foot-11 wingspan will make the move easier.
Of Boston’s 2025 rookie class, Gonzalez undoubtedly has the most potential; in fact, one NBA draft analyst referred to Gonzalez as one of the draft’s steals.
It appears that Shulga is more of a developmental endeavor. At six feet four, the 57th choice in the draft has interesting offensive potential. However, if he wants to have an effect in Boston, he will need to go much more muscular and improve defensively.
However, as they get ready to play their first prolonged stretch of action without Tatum since he joined the league in 2017, the Celtics have three new rookies on their training camp roster.
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