After the Boston Celtics won the 2024 National Basketball Association Championship this past June, all eyes are on the team as they are expected to dominate the upcoming season once more. Given that no team has won back-to-back championships since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, it will be no easy feat to replicate the historic season the Celtics had last year. Of course, the preseason does not count towards anything, but it is a time to see if players have improved over the summer. The preseason also allows younger players to have the opportunity to show coaches that they can provide beneficial talent and depth to the roster. 

 The Celtics did not need to boost their roster much in preparation for this season. In fact, they cut the only new player of note, Lonnie Walker IV, who had proved himself a solid guard. Especially capable of slicing through opposition, he is incredibly difficult to defend and played very well for the Celtics in the preseason. Walker IV was easily the best bench guard besides rookie Baylor Scheierman, who was selected as the 30th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, but he was let go due to budget cuts before the regular season started. 

 In the preseason, the Celtics won four out of their five games played. Forward Jayson Tatum garnered substantial attention as he aspires to win the Most Valuable Player award this year. Tatum showcased his new and improved shooting form, which was noticeably less wonky. Playing an average of 24.8 minutes, he also averaged 17.3 points per game and 3.5 three-point shots made per night, with a 39% shooting average overall. 

Payton Pritchard earned considerable playing time during the preseason as well, and he demonstrated the ability to be a solid guard not only in the NBA but also on the best team in the league. In my opinion, he could be an early candidate for sixth man of the year. Pritchard played about 22.1 minutes per game, the third most on the Celtics. He averaged 16 points per game and 8.6 three-pointers made on 49% shooting — phenomenal stats. 

The last player worth mentioning for this preseason is Drew Peterson, a somewhat underwhelming player out of the University of Southern California who did not get any notable playing time during the last year’s regular season as he was on a two-way contract with the Maine Celtics. He averaged 12.7 points per game in an average of 15.8 minutes. 

 The Celtics have a lot to look forward to in the coming season. If there was anything the preseason showed us, it is that there are a lot of bench players capable of much more than what people may expect.