A Potential Dynasty Over After One Year: What Next For The Boston Celtics?

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 In 2024, the Boston Celtics looked to have every needed to become a future dynasty in the NBA. A young and up-and-coming coach. An irreplaceable duo. Dynamic defense. And unstoppable three-point scoring. The Celtics were dominant in the NBA 2024 playoffs, losing just two games – despite the offensive struggles of their superstar Jayson Tatum. But after all of the criticism shown towards the Celtics, banner 18 was raised – beating Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, and the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

Next came the off-season after glory, and Boston seemed to cope perfectly, bringing back all of their key assets and remaining a familiar and threatening roster as they looked ready to repeat. Showing an NBA-record number of three-pointers in an opening week clash against the New York Knicks, the Celtics looked inevitable and as a giant that sat above the rest of their competition in the NBA.

However, the Cleveland Cavaliers would put the first bullet into the Celtics armour, claiming the top seed in the Eastern Conference, following a special season from Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. But despite finishing as the two seed, Boston seemed to enter the playoffs playing their best basketball, consecutively defeating the Charlotte Hornets in their final matches of the regular season.

The Orlando Magic were first up in the playoff, a phenomenal young scoring duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in the way for the Celtics, but Tatum picked up the phone and answered the calls of any doubter. The power-forward leading his team - despite having a wrist injury and scoring an impressive 37 points in Game Four.

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The second round meant an old-school rival with the New York Knicks – two of the NBA’s proudest and loudest fanbases, and that is exactly what this tie produced - noise. Within the first two games, the Celtics had large leads going into the defining quarters of the game, blowing their advantages on both occasions to go down 2-0 to Jalen Brunson’s Knicks. The Celtics answered back in Game Three, finally moving the ball better in offense and having a more efficient night from beyond the arc – the Celtics have lived and died by the three in the previous two games.

What came next for the Celtics was season-ending and maybe even season-defining for 2025/26. The Celtics remained to have a puncher's chance in the fourth, with the Knicks narrowly leading at Maddison Square Garden. However, Tatum went down in an off-ball incident after scoring an excellent 42 points. Mazzulla would later find out that Tatum had suffered an Achilles injury, the Boston star now expected to miss the majority of next season, with the Knicks winning the game 121-113.

It was win or go home without Tatum at the TD Garden for the Celtics in Game Five, but Jaylen Brown stepped up with one of the best games of his career, providing 12 assists. Nevertheless, while they had protected home court, Boston’s season ended in dismay, in one of the worst playoff performances in Celtics history, embarrassingly losing 119-81, with Brown fouling out in the third quarter.

Going into the off-season, there are several questions to be asked about the Celtics, with the approaching new owners, potential financial troubles, and the glooming absence of Jayson Tatum.

However, below are some of the ways that the Boston Celtics can repair what seems to be a sinking ship and provide optimism for Joe Mazzulla’s team going into next year.

Every Batman Needs His Robin: Time To Step Up For Jaylen Brown

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By every right, Jaylen Brown is already a star in the NBA. An NBA Champion. An NBA Finals MVP. And an Eastern Conference Finals MVP. Brown is a very good player, but maybe not a great one. Since being drafted by the Celtics in 2016, the wing has been the second option for the Celtics, standing hand-in-hand by narrowly behind the superstar that is Jayson Tatum.

A steady scorer and a fantastic defender, you do not get many better two-way players in the NBA than Brown – contributing to the Celtics ethos under Mazzulla of having guys that can defend and shoot from deep. Last season, Brown averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 63 regular season games in a solid campaign.

But now, without Tatum, several parts of Brown’s game need to be leveled up as he becomes the team’s first-choice scoring option. Three-pointers, as previously mentioned, are the be-all and end-all for the Boston Celtics. If three-pointers are not falling – the Celtics are probably not winning, and since being drafted into the league, the three-point shot is something that Brown has struggled with.

Shooting 32.4% from beyond the arc in the regular season but had a tough shooting slump in the playoffs - Brown is an average three-point shooter, if not below in the modern landscape of the game. Under Mazzulla, if Boston are to have success and be a real threat in the playoffs, Brown will have to develop his jumpshot consistently.

Alongside this, an underrated part of Tatum’s game is his playmaking, and with his absence, that now becomes the role of Brown. The four-time All-Star is not exactly a crafty dribbler or facilitator, with his dribble and handle of the basketball being particularly loose. Despite an extraordinary Game Five, the small forward’s playmaking ability was exposed at MSG in the series’ defining game, with Brown recording seven turnovers. The Celtics will go into next season with another guaranteed playmaker from the bench in Payton Pritchard, but the C’s remain without a true point guard and a general who can get downhill, meaning the ball will be in the hands of Brown, who will need to improve.

Brown has all of the attributes to lead a playoff team, but next year will be a truly telling season in his career, answering all questions about his ability and status as a star.

Trade Time: The End For Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday?

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In the NBA, with great players comes big contracts, and that is exactly the case for the Boston Celtics after maintaining their ring-winning core and running it back. Now as new ownership looms, the Celtics are in major financial trouble, projecting to come into next season, way over the tax limit and potentially losing a future draft pick. This means that movement is needed, and players are likely to leave the Celtics.

Fans in Boston quickly fell in love with Kristaps Porzingis, the stretch-five playing a large role in last year’s Championship win, but after missing the majority of the 2025 playoffs with a mystery injury. Porzingis’ time at the TD Garden seems to be approaching its end. With the Latvian earning $30.7m next year, with just one season remaining on his deal – Porzingis sits as a prime contender to be traded. The Lakers are prime contenders, but the center could be a valuable piece for any team, wanting a stretch-five that can shoot the ball from deep.

Similarly to Porzingis, Jrue Holiday is also a player who is tipped to depart Boston in the summer, an influential guard on the defensive end, Holiday could be a great pick-up for any contending team’s backcourt. On $32.4m, with 3 years left on his deal, as a 34-year-old guard, Holiday might be difficult to shirt. However, if Boston were to include an additional incentive for another team in the trade, such as a second-round quick, a deal could materialise.

Trading either one of Porzingis or Holiday will be tough for Boston, both on the court and in sentimental value. But with the salary cap issues that lurk around the corner, it simply is a decision that they have to make.

The Tactical Adjustments That Joe Mazzulla Needs To Make

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The youngest coach in the NBA, the Boston Celtics’ head coach Joe Mazzulla is an incredibly polarising figure, despite leading the team to a Championship last season. Straight up. Aggressive. Outside of the box. It’s hard to describe the personality and methods of Mazzulla with his team. But after glory last season, the head coach has brought himself some time in Boston.

However, the 2025 playoffs were the complete opposite for Mazzulla, exposing his stubbornness as a coach and hesitance to move away from shooting the three-ball. In Game’s One and Two against the Knicks, the Celtics were awful from the three-point line, missing the height amount of three-pointers in NBA playoffs history. But that being said, the Celtics continued to shoot threes, hoping to beat New York in the maths game, but that eventually led to the downfall of the Celtics and the advancement of the Knicks.

Without Tatum, the Celtics need to find a new way of igniting their offense and while the three-point shot is a valuable asset when players are open, the Celtics need to utilise their entire team. Fewer players will be open without the presence of Tatum, drawing two bodies, meaning that rather than relying on ISO-ball, the Celtics need to move the basketball, finding Payton Pritchard or Derrick White in the corners to shoot a three or moving inside to Luke Kornet for a dunk.

Alongside moving the basketball sits the need for the Celtics to play quicker and with more pace, but that will come with relying less upon the three and utilising steals and turnovers. Overall, as a young coach who is very much in the limelight, Mazzulla is always going to have questions, but after three years in the job, he has both strengths and weaknesses. Following their Championship win, the Celtics' philosophy to shoot an increased number of threes works but the team just needs to work out - how to move the basketball more and get their entire team involved on offense.

Therefore, the Celtics have plenty of work to do in the off-season, with a difficult season without Tatum ahead. But if they can make several moves and re-adjust their roster, with Brown picking up as the team’s leader, Boston could be in playoff contention come May.