dailyloe.com – The Boston Celtics concluded a 56-win regular season and now look ahead to their first-round playoff series starting Sunday. Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg revisited seven bold preseason predictions and issued seven new ones for the postseason. The predictions are framed as potential keys for a deep playoff run by the team.
Forsberg assessed the accuracy of his preseason predictions in an article published and updated on April 15, 2026. The first prediction, that Jaylen Brown would return to an All-NBA team, was declared a lock. The second prediction, that the Celtics would finish top ten in steals, was incorrect. Boston finished 28th in the NBA with 7.1 steals per game.
Instead, the Celtics led the league in not allowing steals. They ranked first in opponent steals per game at 6.2. The third prediction was that Derrick White would block over one hundred shots. White blocked 98 shots across 77 games played.
The fourth preseason prediction was that the Celtics would have another 40-point, 40-rebound night. That event had not happened at the time of writing. The fifth prediction involved Josh Minott receiving Most Improved Player votes.
Forsberg noted feeling good about that prediction for two weeks in November. He admitted missing the better choice in Neemias Queta. The sixth prediction was a splash-worthy trade by Brad Stevens in January 2026.
The Celtics executed a trade involving Anfernee Simons and Nikola Vucevic. That move provided the splash but occurred in February, not January. The seventh prediction concerned Jayson Tatum’s return to game action.
Forsberg originally predicted a return on March 4 against Charlotte. Tatum actually made his season debut on March 6 against Dallas. The writer acknowledged getting too ambitious by moving the prediction to February.
Combined with a prediction of a top-four Eastern Conference finish, Forsberg expressed confidence in the preseason crystal ball. He then presented a new set of seven bold predictions for the Celtics’ postseason trek. These new predictions are considered needs for a long and prosperous playoff run.
Fulfilling some predictions could lead the Celtics back to the NBA Finals stage. One of the new predictions involves Baylor Scheierman. The specific nature of Scheierman’s predicted contribution was not detailed in the provided source text.
The article promotes subscribing to the NBC Sports Boston podcast network. The podcasts feature Insiders providing latest insights on favorite teams. The source material is categorized as ‘Berita’ and comes from NBC Sports Boston.
