Xavier Tillman faces a crossroads season with Boston, needing to stay healthy and offer a real three-point threat to win a steady backup role behind the frontcourt. His defense remains elite on switches and in forcing turnovers, but his offensive game lacks a credible spacer or ball-handler, keeping him on the fringe when the Celtics rotate bigs.

With Horford, Kornet and Porzingis out of the mix, a clearer path should exist if Tillman can stay durable and develop a league-average jumper. This season may define whether he can become a functional two-way big or drift into limited backup minutes elsewhere.

Boston's 2025-26 roster pivots around health and versatility, with Jayson Tatum anchoring the offense and a deep, multi-position rotation ready to push pace and space. The ranking highlights a mix of seasoned shooters and young contributors vying for minutes behind the core, while Anfernee Simons arrives as a scoring boost from the Holiday swap. Development paths for Hauser, Pritchard, White and the wings shape a dynamic, high-floor lineup with upside down the roster.

Rookies like Hugo Gonzalez and Neemias Queta push for time, while vets such as Garza, Scheierman and Minott must prove their fit. The balance of defense, pace, and shooting will determine starter roles and key bench minutes, all within a Celtics team that aims to evolve under a new chapter of the Tatum-Brown era.

Boston Celtics chatter is heavy with lineup tinkering, trade whispers, and rookie upside. Derrick White’s evolving game could lift his points, assists, and steals pace, while Al Horford’s veteran case hints at heavier rotation duties and ceiling durability. Neemias Queta’s EuroBasket growth adds intrigue for late-round dynasty bets, and Jaylen Brown’s trade rumors keep managers on edge about role stability. Historic names like Rajon Rondo and Larry Bird anchor the legacy talk.

All eyes are on whether Boston finalizes a move that reshuffles minutes, which could swing fantasy outcomes for White, Brown, and Horford. Queta’s path to minutes remains the wild card for big-man depth. In short, expect rotation shifts and a handful of surprise contributors as the season approaches.

Finland upset Serbia 92-86 at EuroBasket as Jokic poured 33, but Elias Valtonen’s final-two-minute burst—eight points, including a key 3 and a tip-in—pushed the Finns past the favorites. Lauri Markkanen led Finland with 29, and the win came on the back of late shots and productive offensive rebounding to seal a historic Round of 16 win. Finland now draws France or Georgia in the quarters while Turkey, Germany and Lithuania also advanced in a day packed with impact performances.

The day also featured Alperen Sengun (24) powering Turkey past Sweden; Germany squeezed past Portugal with Neemias Queta delivering 18 points and 11 rebounds; Lithuania’s Arnas Velicka (21 and 12) highlighted their win; Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece lurked in the background as the title defense slipped for Spain. Though Jokic shone, Serbia exited in the Round of 16 for the second straight time, and the drama kept rolling into Sunday.

Neemias Queta led Portugal with 18 points and 11 rebounds in EuroBasket knockout play against Germany, showing polished scoring, strong free-throw shooting (7-for-9) and disciplined defense in 27 minutes. Portugal pushed Germany early and Volta-like, signaling a bright future for the program and hinting at bigger things to come for Queta with Boston.