Who Starts Alongside Jayson Tatum? Celtics Insiders Weigh In on a Wide-Open Lineup Battle

The Boston Celtics enter the 2026-27 NBA season with one lineup question essentially settled and four others very much in flux, according to a recent discussion on NBC Sports Boston’s “Celtics Talk” podcast.

Hosts Chris Forsberg and Kayla Burton broke down the projected starting five on the Comcast-owned regional network’s YouTube channel, agreeing that star forward Jayson Tatum is the lone near-certain starter. Beyond the St. Louis native, the depth chart remains unsettled heading into training camp.

The Frontcourt Question

Point guard Derrick White has what the hosts described as arguably the strongest case for a starting role after Tatum. In the frontcourt, center Neemias Queta is viewed as a candidate, though newly acquired big man Mitchell Robinson presents a legitimate alternative for the starting spot at the five.

On the wing, the competition appears most crowded. Youngsters Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman are both expected to battle for minutes — and potentially a starting job — at shooting guard, giving Boston’s coaching staff several directional choices as the season approaches.

Media Context

The discussion aired on “Celtics Talk,” a staple of Comcast Corporation’s NBC Sports Boston, the regional sports network that holds local rights to Celtics games. Regional sports coverage like this has become an increasingly important engagement driver for media companies, with team-focused podcasts and YouTube segments extending game broadcasts into daily content. Comcast shares recently traded at $26.65, down 0.86% from the prior close of $26.88, valuing the telecom and media conglomerate at roughly $94.4 billion.

For Celtics fans, the conversation also ties into the franchise’s broader audio ecosystem. The analysis was promoted alongside the network’s “Havlicek Stole the Pod,” which is distributed through Blue Wire, iTunes, and YouTube — a distribution spread reflecting how team coverage now lives across multiple platforms rather than a single broadcast window.

Why the Battles Matter

Lineup decisions this fall will shape Boston’s identity early in the season. Whether Robinson or Queta anchors the middle, and whether Gonzalez or Scheierman claims the backcourt spot next to White and Tatum, could influence how the roster develops over an 82-game grind. Preseason rotations, once they arrive, will offer the first concrete evidence of the coaching staff’s thinking.

Until then, the starting-five debate — a staple of any offseason — continues to fuel local coverage in one of the NBA’s most engaged media markets.

What to watch

• Training camp roster announcements and early practice reports on the center competition between Queta and Robinson.
• Preseason lineups, which typically preview regular-season starting combinations.
• Upcoming Celtics Talk and network segments as NBC Sports Boston ramps up season preview coverage.
• Comcast’s next quarterly earnings report, which may touch on regional sports network performance.

Source: original release