The 0-2 Boston Celtics are facing a potential crisis ahead of their third game of the season against the 1-1 Detroit Pistons on Sunday. According to Noa Dalzell of CLNS, the team could be without up to four key players, including six-time All-Star power forward Jayson Tatum, who is likely to miss most or all of the 2025-26 season.
Joining Tatum on the injury report are four-time All-Star small forward Jaylen Brown and new center signing Luka Garza, both listed as questionable. Brown has been nursing a left hamstring strain but has yet to miss a game this season. Garza, meanwhile, sat out Boston’s 105-95 loss to the New York Knicks on Friday due to a concussion. Additionally, two-time All-Defensive Team guard Derrick White is probable to play despite a sprained right wrist.
Boston’s winless start to the season could extend to three straight games if Brown and White, the team’s top available stars, are unable to suit up. Brown, a 6-foot-6 University of California at Berkeley product, has been a bright spot, averaging 24.0 points on .500/.455/.700 shooting splits, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists (despite a career-high 4.5 turnovers), and 0.5 steals per game. White, also 6-foot-6 and 31 years old, is posting a career-best 20.0 points on .316/.292/.900 shooting, along with 4.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game.
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Luka Garza, 26, has seen limited action, playing just six minutes in the Celtics’ season-opening 117-116 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. In that brief stint, he recorded one rebound and one block.
The Celtics’ roster took a significant hit over the summer when general manager Brad Stevens traded away starters Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday and allowed reserve centers Al Horford and Luke Kornet to leave for more lucrative free-agent deals. With Tatum sidelined and key pieces gone, Boston has leaned heavily on Brown and White as offensive cornerstones, while guards Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons have been given expanded roles in the backcourt.
Pritchard, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, has struggled to find his rhythm in his new role, averaging 12.0 points on .333/.143/.857 shooting, with 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.5 steals in 36.5 minutes per game. Simons, backing up Pritchard and White, is averaging 11.5 points on .474/.300/.667 shooting, along with 2.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game.
With the injury report casting a shadow over Sunday’s matchup, the Celtics are on high alert as they look to avoid an 0-3 start against a Pistons team eager to capitalize on Boston’s depleted lineup.