BRIGHTON, Massachusetts — The Boston Celtics polished their roster by bringing in a slew of new faces, including some renowned names, but there is still room for several other players to shine.
In addition to Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has Al Horford, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday who can easily start. It’s then up to the reserve unit members to build a name for themselves.
Marcus Smart, Grant Williams, Robert Williams III, and Malcolm Brogdon’s departures left a number of (important) vacancies to be addressed. There are plenty of opportunities for practically every squad member to take a step forward, whether it’s the defensive identity Boston wishes to re-establish or the great outside shooting that has helped the C’s rack up blow-out victories.
With that said, these are the four Celtics players who will have the most opportunities on Opening Night on Oct. 25:
Pritchard, Payton
Payton Pritchard’s season last year was anything but smooth.
The tenacious small guard has built a career out of defying the odds, despite his 6-foot-1 frame. But that didn’t preclude Pritchard from filling a role as an outside shooting supplier off the bench in his early career.
That progression, however, was halted when Boston deployed the premium trio of Smart, White, and Brogdon ahead of Pritchard, leaving the Oregon product scrambling for minutes throughout the season.
With Brogdon and Smart gone and few assurances coming off Boston’s bench, Pritchard’s opportunity to establish himself is once again open.
Sam Hauser
Getting a chance to fill an outside sharpshooter role in place of former Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari, third-year veteran Sam Hauser fizzled out after having a red-hot touch.
Hauser shot 50% from the field and 46.2% from 3-point range while averaging 8.3 points in the month of November, showing promising potential. But those numbers dipped down and didn’t recover until Hauser averaged nine points in February, wrapping up an inconsistent campaign that came with inconsistent ineffective time off the bench in the playoffs.
Like Pritchard, the Celtics are fairly aware of what Hauser can offer, but with less depth, the 25-year-old can truly work to mesh into Boston’s 3-pointer-fueled offense.
Oshae Brissett
Playing for the Indiana Pacers last season, Oshae Brissett never got the experience of playing for a legitimate NBA Finals contender.
That all changed when Brissett inked a two-year deal with the Celtics in free agency, well aware that Boston brought him aboard to fill a selfless role off the bench.
“I felt a sense of excitement on their end and, to me, that’s very refreshing,” Brissett said. “Hearing a winning team excited that I’m available to be a potential Celtic, I just felt they were very authentic with what they were saying and, for me, that goes a long way. … They made it very clear: we don’t need star players, we have star players. We want guys like you who can come in and make a quick change or add what we feel like we’re missing.”
Jordan Walsh
In college, Jordan Walsh’s most valuable asset fits in perfectly with one of Boston’s biggest needs: defense.
After the Celtics drafted Walsh 38th overall in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft, the reviews came in raving about Walsh’s defensive intensity. Eric Musselman, Walsh’s head coach at Arkansas, even described the 19-year-old as a “violent defender.”
Walsh, who is 6-foot-7, was a star performer for Boston during its five-game Summer League run in Las Vegas. He led the squad with 16 points per game on 42.2% shooting from the field, along with 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
“Getting stronger is a major priority right now.” “Of course, I can guard bigger, stronger guys,” Walsh explained. “But also being able to shoot the ball and make open shots, particularly wide open shots.” Being able to make room for guys like Tatum and Brown.”
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