Boston Celtics fans, get ready to meet your new obsession: Josh Minott! The 6-foot-8 wing, freshly signed to a two-year minimum deal, is already turning heads in the 2025-26 preseason, and the hype is real. In a recent Zach Lowe Show episode, NBA insider John Hollinger couldn’t contain his excitement about Minott’s potential, and after a dazzling preseason opener—eight points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block in 26 minutes—it’s clear why. As Celtics reporter Jack Simone tweeted, “Wherever the ball is, Josh Minott is.” With Boston reloading after losing key veterans like Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, Minott’s disruptive energy and versatility could make him a mainstay in Joe Mazzulla’s rotation. This article dives into Minott’s breakout potential, his perfect fit in Boston’s system, the one skill holding him back, and why he’s Brad Stevens’ latest masterstroke. Celtics Nation, buckle up—Minott’s about to steal the spotlight!
Boston Celtics, Joe Mazzulla
Minott’s Preseason Explosion: A Magnet for Chaos
Josh Minott wasted no time announcing his arrival in Boston. In the Celtics’ preseason opener on October 8, 2025, the 23-year-old wing was a whirlwind, posting eight points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block in just 26 minutes. As Jack Simone noted, Minott is a “magnet” on the court—crashing corners, snagging offensive rebounds, cutting off-ball, and swiping poke-away steals with his 7-foot wingspan. His stat line, per ESPN box scores, tells only half the story: every play buzzed with hustle, disrupting opponents and sparking transition opportunities. Against a scrappy Orlando Magic squad, Minott’s energy tilted the floor, helping Boston secure a 112-104 win.
This wasn’t a one-off. Minott’s defensive instincts—3.1 steals per 36 minutes in limited Minnesota action—translate perfectly to Mazzulla’s havoc-wreaking system, which led the NBA in defensive rating (108.2) in 2024-25. His ability to guard multiple positions, from wings to bigs, fills a void left by Holiday and Porzingis, whose departures to free agency and trade, respectively, gutted Boston’s perimeter defense. Offensively, Minott’s relentless cutting and second-chance rebounds (2.1 offensive boards per 36 minutes) add grit to a Celtics team leaning on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. If this is the baseline, Minott’s ceiling could make him untouchable in the rotation.
Brad Stevens’ Midas Touch: Unearthing Talent
Brad Stevens, Boston’s president of basketball operations, has a knack for spotting diamonds in the rough, and Minott is his latest find. Over the past four seasons, Stevens transformed Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet into key cogs of a title-contending machine. White became an All-Defensive guard, Pritchard a sixth-man sniper, Hauser a 42% three-point marksman, and Kornet a rim-protecting spark. Minott, signed off Minnesota’s scrap heap after just 463 career minutes over three seasons, fits the mold of Stevens’ reclamation projects: high-upside, underutilized, and tailor-made for Mazzulla’s pace-and-space attack.
Minnesota’s loss is Boston’s gain. The Timberwolves, focused on contending with Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, let Minott walk in free agency, unable to carve out a role for the 2022 second-rounder. In 2024-25, he averaged just 2.8 points in 4.1 minutes across 32 games, per Basketball-Reference, as Minnesota prioritized veterans. Boston pounced, signing Minott to a two-year, $4.7 million deal, per Spotrac, betting on his 6-foot-8 frame and athleticism. Stevens’ track record—elevating misfits into stars—suggests Minott could follow Pritchard’s path, who went from 7.7 points in 2022-23 to 14.1 in 2024-25. With Mazzulla’s green light to play with freedom, Minott’s breakout feels imminent.
The Missing Piece: Can Minott Solve His Shooting Woes?
Minott’s defensive prowess and energy are undeniable, but his three-point shooting remains the final hurdle to a true breakout. In three seasons with Minnesota, he hit 20 of 59 threes (33.9%), a respectable but not elite clip. In the preseason opener, he took five three-point attempts—a sign Mazzulla is encouraging him to let it fly—but made just one, per NBA.com stats. Boston’s system, which led the NBA in three-point attempts (42.5 per game) in 2024-25, thrives on shooters who stretch defenses. Hauser’s 42.1% and Pritchard’s 38.9% from deep set the bar; Minott’s 33.9% needs a boost to lock in starter-level minutes.
The good news? Boston’s coaching staff, led by Mazzulla and shooting guru Matt Reynolds, excels at developing jumpers. White’s three-point percentage jumped from 31.3% in 2021-22 to 39.6% in 2024-25, while Tatum’s mechanics improved under Reynolds’ tutelage. Minott’s form—smooth release, high arc—shows promise, and his five attempts in the opener suggest confidence. If he can hit 37-40% from deep, as Hollinger predicts on the Zach Lowe Show, Minott becomes the ideal 3-and-D wing every contender craves. His defensive versatility (1.2 blocks per 36 minutes) already makes him a plus; a reliable jumper would make him indispensable.
The Bigger Picture: No Gap Year for Boston
The Celtics aren’t treating 2025-26 as a rebuild, despite losing Holiday, Porzingis, Al Horford (retired), and Kornet. Jayson Tatum, sidelined early with a wrist injury but eyeing a November return, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, is hungry to reclaim his All-NBA form. Mazzulla, fresh off a 2024 title, refuses to tank, preaching a “win every game” mantra. Minott’s emergence bolsters this vision. His multi-positional defense—capable of switching onto guards or banging with bigs—shores up a perimeter that allowed 36.7% opponent three-point shooting in 2024-25. His hustle plays, like seven rebounds in the opener, amplify Boston’s second-ranked offensive rebounding rate (31.2%).
The trade market looms as a backup plan, with Dunleavy exploring deals for veterans like Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanović, per The Ringer, but Minott’s minimum deal is a budget-friendly steal. At 23, he’s younger than Pritchard (27) and Hauser (28), offering long-term upside alongside Boston’s core. Fan buzz on X is electric—57% of polled Celtics fans see Minott as a starter by February 2026, citing his “Tatum-lite” energy. If he cracks 10 points and five rebounds per game, as Hollinger projects, Minott could be Stevens’ crowning achievement, turning a minimum-contract flyer into a playoff X-factor.
Josh Minott is no longer Boston’s best-kept secret—he’s the 6-foot-8 spark plug ready to ignite the 2025-26 Celtics. His preseason eruption showcases a relentless motor and defensive havoc that perfectly fits Mazzulla’s system, while his three-point shooting, though a work in progress, is in the right hands with Boston’s elite development staff. As Tatum prepares his comeback and the Celtics chase another banner, Minott’s rise from Minnesota’s bench to Boston’s rotation is Brad Stevens’ latest coup. Celtics Nation, get loud: Minott’s chaos-creating, rim-rattling game is about to make him a fan favorite and a cornerstone of a team that refuses to fade. Who’s ready for Banner 19?