The start of the new era of the Boston Celtics is not ideal but they are finally seeing light. They lost their first three games, all against Eastern Conference contenders but they have managed to enter the winning column after taking care of the New Orleans Pelicans.
It took an absence of Zion Williamson to dominate their hosts and a gargantuan effort from Anfernee Simons who led both teams in scoring with his 25 points, providing help to star Jaylen Brown who scored 41 points in their loss to Detroit Pistons two days prior.
Six players scored in double digit for the Cs to push the 122-90 victory. Peyton Pritchard had 18 while Luka Garza had 16. Both Brown and Josh Minnott poured in 15 points while Derrick White had 11. Sam Hauser has nine points.
This new era features a rag tag team after they lost several stars in the free agency and offseason trades. Most notable absence is that of their top scorer Jayson Tatum.
Team leader Brown said it is going to take time for them to figure things out.
Asked Jaylen Brown about how he processes Celtics’ fan angst after an 0-3 start, and he explained the importance of patience:
“It’s going to take some time. We lost four All-Stars from last season between Al, Jrue, Kristaps, and JT being out. And Luke’s an All-Star to me.… pic.twitter.com/t2Y95XzaNc
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) October 28, 2025
Boston Celtics rebounding can improve per Brown
The scoring is there for the Cs and they are doing it on team effort. Save for the loss to the New York Knicks, they broke the 100-point mark in all games. In two of the losses, they were beaten by just one possession.
They had a 17-point lead in the game but it melted away which Brown said is an issue of them being careless with the rebounding.
“I don’t know, but we gotta figure that out,” he told reporters after the game.
“A lot of our issues can be solved just on the defensive glass — I gotta get more involved. A lot of long shots lead to long rebounds, and some of those guys just keep pushing us underneath. But rebounding is definitely the biggest issue for us right now.”
Head coach Joe Mazzulla had the same sentiment but explained that it all boils down to effort.
“We’ve got to close the second quarter better. Obviously, the fouls and the rebounds at a certain time… I thought that our effort was there. Now we’ve got to play a complete game with effort and execution.”
Next for the Celtics are the Eastern Conference favorites Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
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