How Every Boston Celtics Player Did in Their Preseason Win Over Cleveland

The Boston Celtics first preseason game was not exactly what we anticipated, with Boston resting almost half the team, including most of their regulars. Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Paul George, Mitchell Robinson, Neemias Queta, and Sam Hauser all rested, while Ron Harper Jr. sat out with a minor shoulder injury. Joe Mazzulla even took the night off.

The rest of the guys played really hard and did some nice things on their way to a 124-113 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. They were certainly the harder-playing team, which stands to reason because most of the guys they threw out there were fighting for something while the Cavs started their regulars. Cleveland just came back from Spain, and they're also probably pacing themselves as they prepare for what they hope is a long season.

That showed up in the offensive rebounding numbers which Boston dominated 21-6. Here’s a look at how the guys did.

Luke Garza (22 pts, 10 reb (4 offensive), 2 ast, 3 blk)

He led the charge on the glass, and all that work inside got him to the line eight times (he hit seven). He was hoisting threes (3-10), so he wasn’t exactly shy about his shots in this one. The three blocks were necessary to make up for some tough defensive mistakes early on as the Cavs feasted at the rim.

Baylor Scheierman (16 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast)

Scheierman was playing a little too fast to start but he settled down. He ended up shooting really well from three (4-7), and he did a good job with the ball in his hands. Maybe he felt like he had to do a little too much early on, but once he got into the flow of the game, he played well.

Devin Carter (17 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 5 TO, +22)

He’s trying to earn a spot and it showed in this game. He was the best player on the floor for a long stretch in the first half, drawing fouls on drives, finding teammates, grabbing rebounds, and making great defensive and hustle plays.

I don’t think this is a Lonnie Walker situation. I think he’s a lock for the last two-way spot

Devin Carter with some huge defensive plays

Shows that wingspan and quick jump blocking a Mitchell jumper

Then acts as a free safety getting the steal leading to a 3 pic.twitter.com/TDy3t1vmPC
— Nik Land | NikNBA🏀 (@NIKNBAYT) October 9, 2026

Hugo Gonzalez (15 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast)

The biggest takeaway of the night was the flashes of “wow” plays that really make people like me get borderline irresponsible about who he’ll be in the long run.

WHAT a sequence by Hugo Gonzalez

Phenomenal pass with his off hand to Garza after the Flare - poked the ball loose and finishes on other end pic.twitter.com/DexuYlSdNI
— Nik Land | NikNBA🏀 (@NIKNBAYT) October 9, 2026

That was his best sequence of the night. The pass was incredible. To catch the deflected inbounds pass and immediately turn it into threaded-needle bounce pass to Garza is the kind of basketball instincts that will make him indispensable in a very short while.

Jordan Walsh (16 pts, 2 reb, 1ast, 1 blk)

He’s clearly been working on his offense, and he had a few dribble moves that demonstrated that. He shot with confidence, so he was able to put up a decent scoring night. Defensively, he made some of his typically great plays, but the fouling was still an issue (5 fouls).

I don’t think he’s far enough along offensively to surpass Scheierman and Gonzalez, but the improvements are noticeable. The one thing with Walsh is that he could be a different player surrounded by Boston’s best rotation. When the defense has to pay closer attention to everyone else, we might see a different Walsh because he gets more space to operate.

Dillon Mitchell (10 pts, 9 reb (4 offensive), 4 ast, 2 stl)

He’s a super athlete. He might have helium in his veins instead of blood because he floats so easily when he jumps. Defense is definitely his strength, but he is a good cutter who sees the floor well. There's a natural ease to his game that makes me think there's real strong potential to develop into a meaningful contributor someday.

Chris Cenac, Jr. (7 pts, 8 reb (4 offensive), 1 ast, 4 blk)

He showed some flashes of what could be in the midst of looking pretty lost for stretches. He shot 3-13, but I’m not worried about that. I’m also not worried about the times he seemed to play too fast. Everything will settle down for him eventually.

The bigger thing is some of the dribbling he showed off, which was pretty special for a guy his size. He had one play where he crossed over Jarrett Allen and drew a foul.

Like man look how low Cenac gets on this cross - gets the foul call but sheesh man pic.twitter.com/O6fHd0DkAe
— Nik Land | NikNBA🏀 (@NIKNBAYT) October 8, 2026

Both Cenac and Mitchell have some growing to do in Maine, but they both have strong potential.

Mike Conley (3 pts, 4 ast)

He was fine in his minutes. The three points came off his best play of the night:

Cenac working hard on the offensive glass.

Nice finish from Conley too pic.twitter.com/Muy0V0vymB
— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) October 8, 2026

I think he looked fine, but he didn’t do anything to make me rethink any of my stances. He’s a depth piece at guard, and he shouldn’t play too much during the regular season.

The Celtics now have Friday off before taking on the Sixers at home on Saturday night at 8 p.m.

The Rest of the Players

There really wasn't much standout play from anyone else. Milos Uzan did fine in 15 minutes, but didn't do anything that would push him past Carter for the last two-way spot. It was fun to see Tucker DeVries shoot every time he touched the ball. Hayden Gray hit a couple of shots. Amari Williams and Gabe McGlothan played about five minutes each without scoring.

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