Celtics Given Bold Prediction That Would Make Jaylen Brown Trade Sting Less originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Bleacher Report doesn't think the Boston Celtics will take much of a step back after the Jaylen Brown trade.
Now that the full NBA schedule has been released for the 2026-27 season, Bleacher Report projected the win-loss record for each team. The publication expects the Celtics to go 52-30 and compete for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference despite losing Brown.
In fact, it thinks there's a chance the Celtics will be better this season than they were last season.
"It's really not difficult to envision the world in which the Boston Celtics are better in 2026-27 than they were in 2025-26," writes Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey.
"The infrastructure is still in place. Jayson Tatum is better than Brown and should be at 100 percent from the start of the season. Mitchell Robinson, assuming he can stay healthy, is a huge upgrade at the 5.
"And while Paul George has understandably been panned in the wake of the Brown trade, he's actually a pretty good fit on this roster. No, he's not as good as Brown right now, but he'll be willing to play more of a complementary role alongside Tatum and is a much more reliable catch-and-shoot three-point threat."
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The Celtics haven't won fewer than 50 games in a season since 2020-21. Even with Tatum sidelined for most of last season as he recovered from an Achilles tear, Boston went 56-26, powered by a career year from Brown.
Not having Brown will obviously hurt, but the Celtics replaced him with Paul George, who is still a productive two-way player. Their biggest signing of the offseason was Mitchell Robinson, who gives them some much-needed center depth and is one of the most dominant offensive rebounders in NBA history.
For comparison, Bailey projects Brown's new-look Philadelphia 76ers to finish with the same 50-32 record. He believes the defending champion New York Knicks will go 53-29.
The only other Eastern Conference team projected to win 50 games is the Detroit Pistons.