Who is the most underrated championship contender entering the 2026-2027 NBA Season?

​

It is the dog days of the NBA offseason. The offseason is nearly complete as all 30 teams prep for training camp entering this October. The NBA training camp will see its share of championship contenders, mid-tier playoff teams and lottery teams. There are contenders constantly discussed around the league, including the defending champion New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs. The Boston Celtics are perhaps the most underrated contender, who don't get mentioned enough in the championship contender conversations. The Boston Celtics will enter the 2026-2027 season as arguably an underdog. Gone are the days of All-star guard Jaylen Brown and in come the days of former star Paul George. Brown is gone, but that does not mean it is all doom and gloom for the Boston Celtics. For starters, star forward Jayson Tatum will play his first full season since recovering from his torn achilles at the very end of the 2025-2026 season. Tatum played just 16 games last season and missed the win or go home game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2026 playoffs. Tatum’s health will be crucial if the Celtics aim to bounce back after a very early playoff exit in 2026. The Celtics won 56 games during the 2025-26 season, a high number of wins that not many fans expected. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics as their number one option, but who is to say that Jayson Tatum can not do the same next season? Aside from Jaylen Brown and Nikola Vucevic, nearly the entire Celtics 2025-2026 team is returning for the 2026-27 season. A core from the Celtics 2024 championship remain in Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Payton Prichard, and Sam Hauser. These 4 players bring a championship pedigree that is missing from several teams in the Eastern Conference. The new addition of former star Paul George, along with veteran role players Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley will also play a key role moving forward. Paul George has an opportunity to return to his former All-star form, playing alongside Jayson Tatum as a second scoring option. He knows his role and can still be a quality complementary star in Boston. He also fits the 3-point shooting system led by Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla. Paul George proved how valuable his 3-point shot remains as he shot 49% from the 3-point line during the 2026 NBA playoffs. He also shot his best overall playoff field goal percentage of 45%, an improvement from his 41% field goal percentage during the 2024 playoffs. Mitchell Robinson enters the Boston Celtics next season coming off a championship with the New York Knicks. Robinson played a key role for the Knicks with his tough defense and impactful offensive rebounding. While scoring is not his calling card, his defense is a huge difference maker. Mike Conley adds a veteran presence that is missing from the Celtics. Conley is nearly 40-years old, but his veteran leadership is important when mentoring youth and inexperience. He may no longer be the star he was in his youth, but his presence on and off the court will be pivotal to several young contributing players, including Hugo Gonzalez, Ron Harper Jr, Baylor Scheireman, and Jordan Walsh. Lastly, the Celtics can hope and expect a bounce-back season from key role player Derrick White. White played arguably his worst season of his NBA career, shooting 39% from the field and 32% from the 3-point line. His playoff stats were even worse as he averaged just 11 points while shooting 32% from the field and 27% on his 3-point attempts. Needless to say, last season was a disaster but not an outlier. Derrick White will have a chance at redemption following a disappointing regular season and playoff performance. So who is the most underrated contender entering the 2026-2027 NBA season? Can the Boston Celtics replicate the same regular season success from last season without Jaylen Brown? The regular season always has its share of interesting storylines. The Celtics' follow-up season from last year's first round exit remains one of them.