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<\/a><\/p>\nApr 12, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) and Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) talk during the first half against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Which player is under the most pressure for the Celtics this postseason?<\/p>\n
Jeff Clark<\/a>: Frankly, I don\u2019t see any Celtics players under pressure. Sure, there\u2019s the pressure of the playoffs. There\u2019s the pressure of not wanting to waste a year of Tatum and Brown\u2019s primes. But this whole season has been found money. They have the veteran crew that\u2019s been through the battles and won the whole thing. Then they have the young crew that is too young to know that they aren\u2019t supposed to be this good. And they have a maniac coach that has them all locked in and on the same page. That\u2019s a great combo.<\/p>\n Bill Sy<\/a>: In a gap year that saw the front office get under the luxury tax, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s much pressure on anybody. Joe Mazzulla is the frontrunner for Coach of the Year (despite renouncing the honor), Tatum is less than a year from his Achilles tear, Brown has proven himself as an MVP candidate, and every role player has played above expectations. If there\u2019s anybody that has anything to prove, it might be Nikola Vucevic.<\/p>\n You have to imagine that when Brad Stevens traded for him, the deal came with the prospect that he could re-sign with Boston in the summer. He showed signs of fitting in before and after he fractured his finger, but a playoff run will ultimately be the proving ground.<\/p>\n Rich Jensen<\/a>: I don\u2019t think anyone\u2019s under a great deal of pressure. The C\u2019s have so far exceeded expectations that they\u2019ve been playing with house money since December or so. I think Tatum might be putting himself under pressure to rise to the level of performance that he thinks the rest of the team deserves, but I certainly wouldn\u2019t put any external pressure on him. Maybe the rest of the media landscape and segments of the fanbase have ratcheted their expectations of Tatum and the team to unrealistic levels, but I\u2019m not going to be on that bandwagon.<\/p>\n Look. Being a Celtics fan is like winning the lottery at this point. I\u2019m not going to go around thinking that I\u2019m entitled to more than what we ultimately get from the team.<\/p>\n Ian Inangelo<\/a>: The person under the most pressure right now is probably Jaylen Brown. Just due to the fact he has been the lead option for most of the season and has put up MVP level performances so far. He is going to be seen as the guy who is going to lead the Celtics to another championship.<\/p>\n Mark Aboyoun<\/a>: Nikola Vu\u010devi\u0107. Similar to why he may be a reason Boston won\u2019t win the championship, since he\u2019s returned from his thumb injury, he hasn\u2019t looked great. When he was traded to Boston, he had to learn the team\u2019s defensive scheme and, at times, struggled. Then he got injured early in his Celtics career, and with that, Garza was able to get back into the mix \u2014 and he\u2019s done well, as he has all season. In the playoffs, the rotation gets shorter, and Mazzulla will have to figure out what\u2019s best for the team.<\/p>\n Nirav Barman<\/a>: JB and Derrick may be tied for being under the most pressure, but for different reasons. While the MVP is a regular season award, players are still judged on their ability to retain that value and production come playoff time. Jaylen has proved himself in the playoffs plenty of times before, but this year he will be under even more scrutiny. As for Derrick, he\u2019s done just about everything this year, except for score the ball efficiently. If White\u2019s shot isn\u2019t falling, the Celtics will be in an incredibly tough spot, and a whole year of poor shooting will be a bad look for Derrick.<\/p>\n Mike Dynon<\/a>: No one is truly under pressure because the Celtics were never expected to be where they are. Boston is playing this postseason with the proverbial house money. If forced to pick someone, let\u2019s go with Sam Hauser. After alternating hot and cold all season, he finished with a sizzling April (52.6%) \u2013 yet he still ended the season at only 39.3%, the first time he\u2019s been below 40%. Hauser also dropped in the league three-point percentage standings; he ranked 40th this season after placing 20th last year and 11th in 2024.<\/p>\n Hauser\u2019s production is a key indicator for Boston. He appeared in 54 wins this season, making 42.4% of his shots from distance. Conversely, he converted only 30.9% in 24 appearances where the Celtics lost. Boston\u2019s path will be much easier if Sam gets into Haus-Fire mode for the next two months.<\/p>\n Ryan Paice<\/a>: Derrick White. Overall, I don\u2019t think his position in Boston is under threat regardless of how he ultimately plays. But the spotlight is going to turn to him early and often. Playoff defenses tighten the screws and focus in on eliminating strengths, while taking chances on testing perceived weaknesses.<\/p>\n One of those perceived weaknesses may be White\u2019s shot, as he has struggled to hit at a solid clip all season, so I expect the defense may sell out on the Jays and let White take a few shots. If he can recover his shot from the past couple seasons, the Celtics should walk into the Finals. If he can\u2019t, it could be tough to watch as opponents game plan against him.<\/p>\n I, for one, can\u2019t stand the thought of the inevitable calls for his head from some of the sillier talking heads in the media landscape if White can\u2019t hit his shots on a consistent basis.<\/p>\n