Celtics’ frontcourt overhaul adds to challenges without Jayson Tatum
The Celtics will spend the upcoming season without six-time All-Star Jayson Tatum as he recovers from an Achilles tear. But his absence is not the only major change in Boston.
The team’s center rotation looks entirely different from the one that helped power last year’s playoff run.
As relayed by ESPN’s Zach Kram , via Cleaning the Glass, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet combined for 99.5 percent of Boston’s postseason minutes at center outside of garbage time. All three players are now gone.
In their place, coach Joe Mazzulla will rely on a mix of Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman.
Each brings different skills, but the group does not match the production or experience of Horford, Porzingis and Kornet.
That leaves Boston with a major adjustment in the frontcourt and adds another question mark to its outlook in what many view as a gap year without Tatum.
So, playoffs? Maybe. Maybe not. But for the first time in a long time, it feels weird to be saying that about Boston.
NBA Notes: Cavs, free agency, Warriors, Stephen Curry, Grizzlies, Ja Morant https://t.co/tXC3QAFpqh
— Hoops Wire (@WireHoops) August 24, 2025