After a disappointing first-round exit from the playoffs last season, the Boston Celtics are back with a new head coach, Ime Udoka. The Celtics had a quiet offseason, making few roster changes with the most notable being the addition of point guard Dennis Schroeder. Celtics fans were particularly hopeful for fan-favorite, second-year player Payton Pritchard after his extremely strong performance in the 2021 National Basketball Association Summer League. Pritchard was named to the All-Summer League first team, as one of the seven strongest performing players in the entire league. Sadly, other fan favorite players such as Tacko Fall and Carsen Edwards were let go from the team in hopes of clearing cap space. For the upcoming season, the Celtics look to get a foothold in the now-strong Eastern Conference, hopefully avoiding unfortunate injuries like those of last year that resulted in the Celtics’ early playoff exit to the Brooklyn Nets. 

The Celtics went against the New York Knicks on Oct. 8, a team loaded with young talent. In a double-overtime thriller, the Celtics lost to the Knicks, but a strong 46-point performance from Jaylen Brown left players hopeful for the games to come. The season-opening loss stung particularly bad for Celtics fans, with Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker both going from the Celtics to the Knicks last year. The Celtics have lost two games against the Washington Wizards so far, a team with relatively low expectations for the 2021-2022 NBA season. The second loss to Washington, on Oct. 30, came after two overtime periods where the Celtics struggled to hit clutch shots and settle into their offense. The most impressive win yet in the Celtics season comes from their Oct. 25  overtime win against the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are packed with young talent with last year’s Rookie of the Year Lamelo Ball and explosive forward Myles Bridges. Center Robert Williams III played an all-around solid game against Charlotte, but he has been day-to-day this season struggling with a knee injury. A strong 41-point performance from Tatum secured the win against Charlotte, but the Hornets will continue to compete against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference for the remainder of the year. 

In their first six games, the Celtics have found themselves sitting low in their conference at two wins and four losses. A loss against rival Toronto Raptors and the two losses against the Wizards have left fans wondering if the Celtics are on track to underperform this season. Even under new head coach Ime Udoka, glaring issues from last season’s team are still prevalent. Most notably, the Celtics are yet again relying solely on Tatum and Brown to score while a real, functioning offense is necessary this year against strong teams like the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference.