We’re one step nearer to the beginning of the 2025-26 NBA season. On Thursday, August 14, the NBA launched the regular-season schedule for each crew within the NBA. In fact, the one schedule we actually care about is the one for the Boston Celtics.
When you haven’t seen the total schedule but, the Celtics posted it on their Twitter account yesterday…
1: A brutal begin to the season
The Celtics face a gruelling eight-game stretch to open the season. They’ve:
Out of these groups, solely the Sixers and Pelicans didn’t make the playoffs final season. The difficulty is, the Sixers are a greater crew than they confirmed final season, and if wholesome, must be a tricky opponent (though, I don’t anticipate them to be wholesome, not less than to start the season).
Whereas the Pelicans have made some strikes this summer season, they possible hope these strikes will present some stability to the rotation.
If we’re being life like, maybe with a facet order of pessimism, there’s a very good probability the Celtics may begin the 2025-26 season with a 3-5 document. I’d hope they’ll beat the Sixers on each events – assuming no Joel Embiid and Paul George – after which overcome the Pelicans. However exterior of that, wins will probably be powerful to come back by.
Not the simplest of begins by any stretch, however we’ll study rather a lot concerning the crew and the mindset we are able to anticipate from them for the remainder of the season.
2: A season-defining stretch
I’ve earmarked December 26 (which right here within the UK, we name Boxing Day, don’t ask me why) to January 26, as what could possibly be a season-defining stretch for the Celtics.
Throughout that one-month interval, Boston embarks on a five-game highway swing towards the Indiana Pacers, Portland Path Blazers, Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings and LA Clippers.
Apparently, there’s little relaxation after the crew lands again in Boston, as they face the Clippers on January 3 after which are on the TD Backyard towards the Chicago Bulls on January 5. That recreation towards Billy Donovan’s crew begins a five-game house stand earlier than the crew embarks on a four-game journey across the Japanese Convention.
In complete, the Celtics will play 17 video games in the course of the Dec. 26 – Jan. 26 stretch, with two highway journeys sandwiched in for good measure. This may even be across the time we begin to see Mazzulla cement his lineups, after what is going to possible be a couple of months of experimenting with rotations, substitution patterns and lineup mixtures.
We must always have a very sturdy concept about what Mazzulla’s core rotation goes to appear like, what kind of crew they’re attempting to be, and whether or not they have a shot at making the postseason (or making noise within the postseason) by the point this stretch involves an finish.
There’s rather a lot to study on this one-month run..
3: An ideal run to spice up Anfernee Simons’ commerce worth
Final season, because the commerce deadline started to attract nearer, we noticed Jaden Springer earn an even bigger function inside Mazzulla’s rotation. And whereas Springer had some spectacular performances, it was clear Boston had a transparent motive: increase his commerce worth earlier than exploring his market.
So, it is smart that we may see the Celtics do the identical with Anfernee Simons, too. Fortuitously for Boston, there’s a very good stretch of video games the place they may enhance his utilization fee to showcase his scoring skill. That stretch would begin on Jan. 30 towards the Sacramento Kings, and comply with that with the Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, with the sport towards Ime Udoka’s crew coming 24 or 48 hours earlier than the commerce deadline, relying on when it falls.
If Simons can have some sturdy showings towards a trio of playoff groups, two of which see themselves as contenders, whereas additionally placing up numbers towards the Kings, his worth may actually take a leap. Then, it will be as much as Brad Stevens to attempt to leverage Simons’ ability set and expiring deal into some viable property (participant and/or draft).
I’m, nevertheless, making that each one sound far simpler than it truly is.
4: The standard, and brutal, West Coast swing
It’s inevitable that not less than as soon as in a season, the Celtics will face a treacherous highway stretch. This season, that may come within the type of a four-game stretch out on the West Coast between Feb. 19 and Feb. 25. Throughout that run, Boston will play the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets.
Lately, I’ve used this powerful highway swing to gauge how shut the Celtics are to reaching their peak by way of manufacturing and postseason preparations. The hope is normally that they not less than cut up these video games.
Once more, if we take a practical strategy, with a pleasant facet of pessimism, Boston could possibly be again on a flight house with a 0-4 document from this journey. All 4 opponents are more likely to be playoff groups, and three of them (sorry, Phoenix) are potential championship contenders. That’s a tricky run for a Celtics crew that’s missing in depth and high-end rotation expertise.
Nonetheless, I’d very very similar to a win towards the Lakers on the Crypto.com area…If Mazzulla’s crew can pull that off, the remainder of that highway journey gained’t maintain a lot emotional weight, not less than for me.
5: The Depth Check Home windows
I’ve three depth-test home windows circled on the brand new schedule. What I imply by that is lengthy stretches of video games with minimal relaxation and/or a excessive stage of competitors, the place Mazzulla might profit by going deeper into his bench rotation at instances.
The primary and most arduous window comes throughout a 17-game stretch in a single month between Dec. 26 and Jan. 26. The window opens with back-to-back video games towards the Miami Warmth and Toronto Raptors. There’s additionally a tricky five-game highway swing, and restricted relaxation days regardless of a major quantity of journey. This stretch is especially brutal as a result of it hits proper when the season’s bodily toll begins mounting, and an damage to a key rotation participant may shortly spiral into catastrophe.
The second window is available in March, when the Celtics have six video games in 12 days, towards the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies. This window will happen between March 10 to March 22. By this level within the season, legs are sometimes at their heaviest, which may make the deep bench look reasonably tantalizing to the teaching employees.
My third and last window comes between April 1 and April 12, because the Celtics finish their season with six video games in twelve days, 4 of them being on the highway. And contemplating that it is going to be the ultimate run, it’s truthful to imagine some drained legs and a number of guys taking relaxation days, particularly if Boston finds itself in a play-in match state of affairs.
Throughout these stretches, I’ll be holding a detailed eye on rotation minutes, substitution patterns and the way prepared Mazzulla is to belief his deep bench.
CelticsBlog graciously allowed this text to be cross-posted from my rising “Celtics Chronicle” publication.
