There were a lot of contributing factors to the Celtics’ incredible regular season, which saw the team defy the odds and finish 56-26, good for 2nd-place in the Eastern Conference. Jaylen Brown’s MVP leap played a big role, Joe Mazzulla’s elite coaching played a big role, Neemias Queta’s ascension to high-impact starting center played a big role, and Derrick White’s spectacular defense played a big role.
But a constant theme of the season that really defined the Celtics was their depth and the ‘next man up’ mentality that seemed to permeate throughout the organization, highlighting the culture and player development.
Still, depth like that is usually reserved for the regular season, and it was assumed that many of the players who stepped up this season may be cast aside once the playoffs started. But in Boston’s big game one win over the 76ers, they leaned on their depth just like always.
Walsh, Scheierman, and Garza shine
Jordan Walsh had some impressive showings guarding Tyrese Maxey in the regular season, and sure enough, Mazzulla wasted no time before dusting Walsh off as one of the first players in off the bench. Walsh brought great energy on both ends and proved the coaching staff’s trust in him to be warranted.
Jordan Walsh checks in and immediately hypes up the crowd with a tough offensive rebound. pic.twitter.com/x212WaOlfW
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) April 19, 2026
Similarly, Baylor Scheierman and Luka Garza came in to start the second quarter, and all three players ended up playing right around 15 minutes. They all played well and gave the team solid two-way minutes, looking just as poised and ready for the moment as they have all season long.
Celtics’ depth blowing the Sixers away
Those performances are, of course, on top of the contributions from Payton Pritchard and Nikola Vucevic, the proven veteran reserves. Playing 10 guys may not be sustainable throughout the playoffs, and it may not have happened without some serious foul trouble, but it’s great to see that these guys were up to the task.
If Joe needs to turn to the end of his bench, he can do so with confidence, as these guys have been earning minutes all season long, and nobody looked like the lights were too bright for them, even in meaningful playoff minutes.
Even with some garbage time stat-padding, the Celtics’ bench outscored the Sixers’ bench, 37-27, and won those minutes significantly. Again, we’ll see if this holds up against stiffer competition in later rounds, but that’s not the point. The point is that when called upon, these guys have delivered time and again, and in Game One of the playoffs, that didn’t appear to change one bit.
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