Predicting the Celtics' starting 5 after Jaylen Brown's departure

Who will the Celtics start next season? Three spots are spoken for. Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Paul George will be in Boston's first unit.

At center, the initial plan is for the incumbent, Neemias Queta, to hold onto his spot. That leaves one opening. It could go several ways.

When it comes to who gets that fifth and final opening, Payton Pritchard is the central figure in the conversation. The prediction here is that he rounds out a first unit featuring White, George, Tatum, and Queta. The Celtics must ensure he's in a position that best serves him and the team.

Celtics' predicted starting 5

PG: Payton Pritchard
SG: Derrick White
SF: Paul George
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Neemias Queta

Should the Celtics start Payton Pritchard?

This author would rather see him on the floor to open the game. He plays with a fire and energy that the first unit would benefit from. The sixth, soon-to-be seventh-year guard would also allow Joe Mazzulla's club to get more out of Derrick White as a catch-and-shoot threat.

In the two seasons before his shooting struggles in 2025-26, White knocked down over 40 percent of his 3-point attempts on those opportunities. Taking advantage of that more would boost Boston's offense and help maximize a core member of their roster.

Furthermore, bringing the ball up less would also benefit a 32-year-old All-Defensive first team selection with a significant workload on both ends of the court.

The Celtics also got great results from pairing Pritchard and Jayson Tatum last season. That duo registered 46.1 points in 18.5 minutes together. They had a +7.3 plus-minus rating, per NBA Stats. This combination generated a 123.2 offensive rating. Defensively, they kept opponents to 104.7 points per 100 possessions. That translates to an 18.5 net rating for this highly productive tandem.

Starting roughly the first six minutes of the game with one of their top options on the bench isn't appealing. And if it's not working, Pritchard proved last year that he has no problem handling a return to the second unit.

The case for the Celtics not starting Payton Pritchard

Keeping the former Sixth Man of the Year in the role he ended last season in is a great way to manage the non-Tatum minutes. Offensively, the former Oregon star would be the tip of the spear in those lineups.

Pritchard has proven to be among the most effective scorers when bringing the ball up.

It's easier to empower him to attack as a scorer in that role and utilize a high volume of dribbles on a possession when he's not sharing the floor with the trio of Tatum, White, and George.

And while Boston will have a plan to maximize Mike Conley without asking too much from him, Pritchard coming off the bench would make it easier to navigate their point guard rotation.

The latter is good enough and will have a significant enough role that he could come off the pine and be this team's second-leading scorer. And what matters most isn't who starts the game; it's who finishes it. Pritchard should be a regular in their closing lineup.

Who starts for the Celtics if Payton Pritchard doesn't?

Mazzulla has an abundance of enticing alternatives to choose from. In this scenario, it makes sense to go with Hugo Gonzalez.

If role and usage do steer Pritchard to the second unit, then why not go with someone who can excel without needing the ball? The burgeoning wing from Spain would provide the starting lineup with an infusion of athleticism and energy.

Gonzalez is a defensive menace; he'll generate extra possessions and will get plenty of quality looks from beyond the arc, which he's plenty capable of capitalizing on.

Another clean fit is Baylor Scheierman. He's a dynamic offensive threat, one who can function as an effective connector and reliable catch-and-shoot option. In a breakout second season, the former Creighton star capably handled a high degree of matchup difficulty on defense. His physical transformation, continuing this summer, is just one reason to be excited about how he'll build on the previous campaign.

If the fifth starting spot is up for grabs, someone could hold onto it throughout the year. However, it's more likely that a few players get a chance to join the first unit.

One of them is Jordan Walsh, who started in 25 tilts in a breakthrough season of his own. Another is Sam Hauser, who earned playoff starts in 2025-26.

These options speak to how many talented wings Boston has. It would be easier to manage their minutes if one of them were starting instead of Pritchard.

Why should Neemias Queta start over Mitchell Robinson?

This could change. And hack-a-Robinson is a factor. However, the former New York Knicks center has proven he is effective coming off the bench. It just earned him a three-year, $47.4 million contract.

More importantly, it's better to empower Queta after the year he just had. In this author's opinion, he was a top-10 player at this position in the regular season.

The Lisbon, Portugal, native, who continues to shine on the FIBA stage, averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 2025-26. He produced the fourth-highest net rating in the Association [13.2] among those who played at least 60 games and 25 minutes or more, per NBA Stats. He was also fifth in win shares per 48 minutes and in the top three in field-goal percentage and screen assists.

That netted Queta a four-year, $56 million contract extension. Now let him build on the season he just had as a starter. Whether he can handle beginning the upcoming campaign off the bench isn't the issue. In that role, he was one of the Celtics' best players in Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

But rather than asking him to navigate moving to the second unit, it's easier for him and Robinson to open the year with Queta starting. Like with Pritchard, if a change is needed, the Celtics can always pivot.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow