Camp opened with no transactions and no box score to parse, so this morning's number comes from last season instead. The most reliable five-man unit Boston fielded in 2025-26 is no longer possible to put on the floor.
The most reliable five-man unit Boston could field is gone.
Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Neemias Queta, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser posted a plus-17.9 net rating in 200 minutes last season, Boston's best mark for real volume, built on a 122.6 offense and a 104.7 defense. Brown went to Philadelphia this summer in the trade for Paul George, so Joe Mazzulla opens camp without his most proven five-man combination on paper. Two smaller-sample versions swapping in Hugo Gonzalez or Baylor Scheierman also graded positive, plus-14.8 in 67 minutes and plus-11.9 in 115, short of that volume.
Nothing moved on the transaction log in a day and a half.
Two hoopsrumors roundups named Tatum and Mitchell Robinson among several teams' notes, without a line of Celtics-specific reporting attached to either. The preseason schedule is set: October 8 at Cleveland, October 10 against Philadelphia on NBA TV, October 14 against Charlotte, October 16 at Philadelphia again on NBA TV, then the regular-season opener October 20 at Detroit.
Camp coverage is already crediting a different Tatum.
MassLive's Souichi Terada reported Tatum is drawing rave reviews for his renewed role, and CelticsBlog's Bobby Manning wrote that the team has noticed a leadership leap to begin camp. Neither outlet detailed what changed in his approach.
One roster spot from September remains unresolved.
The two-way opening flagged September 12 is still unfilled after Max Shulga left September 21 and Hayden Gray and Gabe McGlothan joined September 23, with no report tying either signing to that slot. Tatum was also listed day-to-day and cleared the same day, September 24, with no cause given.
When do the Celtics play their first game of the 2026-27 season?
Boston opens the preseason October 8 at Cleveland and the regular season October 20 at Detroit.
Is Jaylen Brown still on the Celtics roster?
No. Boston traded Brown to Philadelphia this summer as part of the deal that brought Paul George to Boston.
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