The Boston Celtics have been as advertised to start the 2025-26 NBA season. They have been hovering around .500 and have had some impressive wins, as well as a few desultory losses. Without Jayson Tatum, this is as good as the Celtics can realistically expect to be.
This was always going to be a developmental, transition season. The Celtics are trying to see who can be a long-term part of this team when they are ready to contend. With over a month into the season, we have a good idea about who has firmly established themselves as valuable pieces, and who are at risk of being elsewhere before the end of the season.
Thanksgiving is this week, and it's safe to say the Celtics would be grateful if this trio stepped up and got off thin ice. Or else, they could be shopped before February's trade deadline.
1. Xavier Tillman, C
Trading for Tillman at the 2023-24 trade deadline has been one of the misses of the Brad Stevens era. The Celtics were hoping that the 26-year-old center would be a part of the rotation as a solid, versatile big man off the bench. Over the last two years, Tillman hasn't been able to carve out a role for himself, even when the Celtics desperately needed more frontcourt depth.
Neemias Queta suffered an ankle injury this week and will be sidelined for the next few games. This could offer Tillman a chance to turn his season around, but the odds of him sticking around in Boston are quickly dwindling. He has been behind Luka Garza and Chris Boucher in the rotation, and barring an unexpected development, that will continue to be the case.
2. Baylor Scheierman, SF/SG
Head coach Joe Mazzulla has been searching for the fifth starter next to Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and Neemias Queta all season. He has tried several options, including Jordan Walsh, Josh Minott, Sam Hauser, and even 19-year-old rookie Hugo Gonzalez. The fact that Baylor Scheierman wasn't considered an option speaks volumes to where the franchise sees him in the pecking order.
Scheierman has been in and out of the rotation through the first 17 games of the season, playing in only 13 of them, averaging 10.3 minutes per game. He has a team-low 8.5% usage rate, suggesting how minuscule a role he has had every time he has stepped on the court. The 25-year-old has been making his shots, hitting 10/19 from downtown and averaging 79% True Shooting. This almost makes the team's lack of trust in him worse. If he can't get consistent minutes when he is making his shots, it's hard to see his future in Boston for much longer.
3. Anfernee Simons, PG/SG
Categorizing Simons as someone on thin ice may be unfair, but in his circumstances, it's difficult to imagine him as a long-term piece for the Celtics. Simons has had his moments. He has helped this team off the bench as a shot creator and maker. His off-the-dribble shooting certainly makes things easier for the rest of the team.
At the same time, Simons' contract expires at the end of the season, and Boston is going to be in a financial crunch once again. Simons has not shown nearly enough to justify an investment from the Celtics. With White and Pritchard in the backcourt, Simons is expendable, and the Celtics would be better off with having a big man or another wing making the $27.6 million salary Simons is on right now.
Unless something drastically changes, this could be Simons' first and only Thanksgiving in Boston.