Joe Mazzulla has said since training camp that anyone on the Celtics’ roster is capable of making an impact on any given night.
Over 82 games, they proved it.
Nine different players appeared in at least 68 games (Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Neemias Queta, Juan Gonzalez, Jaylen Brown, Luka Garza, and Jordan Walsh), powering a 56-win season built on depth and development. And now that it’s the playoffs, the Celtics aren’t straying from that identity.
If anything, they’ve only reinforced it.
In Game 1, a 123-91 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, 10 different Celtics saw the floor in the first half alone. By the end of the night, all 10 had played at least 14 minutes, and all 10 made an impact.
Every player scored. Every player grabbed at least two rebounds. Every player finished at +5 or better. Six (Brown, Tatum, Queta, Hauser, Pritchard, and White) reached double figures.
“Everyone’s got to [stay ready],” Mazzulla said after the game. “We just have a bunch of different ways that we can play. Everyone’s got to be ready. It’s a credit to them for understanding that.”
The 32-point win, Boston's largest playoff-opening win in franchise history, was led by the stars: Tatum (25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, two steals) and Brown (26 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals), who combined to score or assist on 72 points. It marked the 19th time they’ve each scored at least 25 in a playoff game.
But it took a collective effort, and pride in roles across the roster.
“I think that’s kind of been our M.O. all year,” Hauser said. “Every night, it could be someone else’s night, and we’re all here for that. I think in the playoffs, roles are really defined, and it’s just more of starring in your role. Like, what can I do on the floor to help our team be successful? And I think everybody’s bought in.”
Whether it was Luka Garza and Nikola Vucevic providing steady backup center minutes with Queta (10 points, 5 rebounds) in foul trouble, Sam Hauser knocking down four 3-pointers while grabbing a playoff career-high seven rebounds, Derrick White (10 points, six assists) impacting the game on both ends, or Payton Pritchard adding 12 points and six rebounds, the Celtics got production everywhere.
Even in shorter stints, Walsh and Scheierman brought energy that didn’t go unnoticed.
“We just need guys to be ready to make plays,” Mazzulla said. “They did that tonight, and we’ve got to be able to do that.”
That professionalism and ability to make plays have been shown consistently. All season, the Celtics have gotten production from across the roster, no matter the moment. For Queta, Walsh, Garza, and Scheierman, it was their first taste of playoff minutes, and they were ready.
“That was Celtic basketball. We’ve been the harder-playing team all year. That can’t change now that the playoffs have started,” Brown said. “It’s just focusing in, honing in on the details, and just winning the fight.”
It’s a luxury for the Celtics to trust their roster from top to bottom, knowing anyone can step in, uphold the standard, and make an impact. That depth gives them the flexibility to adjust and change looks on the fly.
It’s part of their identity, and a clear advantage they can lean on as necessary as the playoffs progress.
“We play our rotation. We play our guys. That’s what we’ve done the entire year. It’s what we’ll continue to do,” Mazzulla said. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to win, using everybody that we can.”
