Four Critical Things I'm Watching For in Boston Celtics-Detroit Pistons Season Opener

The Celtics and Pistons christen the 2026-27 NBA season in Detroit, and there are few things to really focus on as the games finally mean something

Feb 26, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles the ball against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics take on the Detroit Pistons in the season opener Tuesday afternoon. Here’s what you need to know about the game, including four critical things to watch for. 

Celtics at Pistons, Little Caesars Arena, 3 p.m.
TV: NBC/Peacock
Boston projected starters: Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Mitchell Robinson
Detroit projected starters: Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Duncan Robinson, John Collins, Jalen Duren

Injuries: Devin Carter (out, illness)

Four Things I’m Watching For

The first test: The preseason shows us less and less every year, so the first thing I’m looking for is what Joe Mazzulla is actually going to do with this team this year. He has kept his cards close to the vest for weeks, but now these games finally mean something, so he’s going to have to actually show us something. 

I’m almost certain that the starters I’ve projected are wrong. I’m also almost certain that whatever lineup Mazzulla opens with is one we’ve seen play very little, if at all, this preseason. After all the guessing, we’ll finally get an answer. 

Depth: Mazzulla wants to win, but he needs to protect his guys ahead of a grueling November. This means leaning into the 10 or 11 guys worthy of playing meaningful minutes. 

“You have to be able to play different ways, and you don't get to dictate the matchups that you play against,” Mazzulla said on Monday. “You have to be able to go to different things. So it's really just continuity and awareness to what gives us the best chance to win at that moment. How do we execute it, and how do we build on that?”

Tatum the distributor: I’m very curious to see how the Pistons approach defending Tatum. I don’t think they want to reveal all of their tricks right away either, but each of these games is much more meaningful now. With the East as even as we’ve ever seen it, this game already has added meaning. Every loss to a division or conference opponent is already a potential tiebreaker lost, so the Pistons need to test Boston’s weaknesses right away.

That probably means selling out on Tatum right away and daring someone else to beat them. Tatum has to elevate his teammates to make the Pistons pay. 

Chemistry with Robinson: We saw it improve greatly between the two games all the regulars played, and it needs to grow rapidly in the regular season. Whether it’s Tatum finding Robinson on rolls to punish extra attention from blitzes, or using Robinson’s gravity to open things up for shooters, pick-and-roll actions needs to result in positive outcomes quickly. Also, Robinson needs to build the chemistry on the perimeter so he can properly read the game in the dynamic way Mazzulla is looking for.