The 2025-26 NBA season is officially here, and the Boston Celtics showed some bright spots despite a 117-116 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, Oct. 24 night.

Starting with the upsides of the Celtics in the back court. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are undoubtably going to be the leaders of the team. Both players shared a 25-point showing, White’s 3-point shooting showed fans some hope while Brown’s game was more paced out. Nonetheless, the Celtics showed that they can play some team basketball with a lot of passing and chemistry.

Payton Pritchard is the starting point guard and showed that he can not only handle the ball, but create his own shot. However, towards the end of the game, he struggled to get a clean shot off to help win, but it’s clear his game has expanded.

Then there was Anfernee Simons who came off the bench and scored 13 points. I didn’t expect the former Trailblazer to come off the bench, but I don’t mind it. Truthfully, that’s where the guard play ends, there isn’t much depth.

The front court was decent. Neemias Queta showed promise with 17 points and 8 boards. However, Xavier Tillman Sr. wasn’t that good. Luke Garza may be a solid piece but his injury that made him leave the game didn’t give us a full assessment.

Another bright spot for the Celtics was their defense. At their best, the C’s were aggressive, closing out on the perimeter, contesting every shot, packing the paint on drives, and all crashing boards. In the first half, Joe Mazzulla took out any player that allowed an offensive board, and that was a good sign.

Downside

The Celtics still have the habit of allowing teams back in games. Due to shooting slumps such as nine straight missed 3’s to end the half, the Sixers were able to go on runs. The Celtics’ transition defense was poor against the speedy Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecomb.

Who’s taking the last shot? We saw Pritchard and Brown each get a share of getting their own shot down the stretch. In theory, we’d love to see Brown be that guy, but it seems like whoever has the hot hand.

With no Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, or Kristaps Porzingis this season — the C’s aren’t going to be the fantastic 3-point shooting squad that won a championship. Now the Celtics are going to have to rely on strong defense, toughness, and making timely baskets.

Overall, the C’s showed promise but had clear holes. We’ll see how they fair tonight against the Knicks.