The Boston Celtics began their preseason slate on Thursday night by earning a 124-113 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland.

It was an excellent start for the Celtics, who played without all of their starters in this game. Those players not being on the floor led to expanded minutes for the likes of Luka Garza (22 points) and Devin Carter (17), but it also led to more minutes for rookies Chris Cenac Jr. (24 minutes) and Dillon Mitchell (28).

While Cenac struggled, going just 3-of-13 from the floor, Mitchell excelled, scoring 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Furthermore, he had nine rebounds and four assists, and he flashed the supreme athleticism that he showed in Summer League as well.

It's unclear what role Mitchell will have with the Celtics this season or if he'll spend much of the year in the G-League, but it's undeniable that he has raw tools that can help Boston on the defensive end and the rebounding end. You cannot teach length like he has, and you cannot teach athleticism like he has.

Of course, you need to have a refined game, which Mitchell is still working on, but the early reports are good for him. The Celtics must be happy that he didn't go back to St. John's to explore a fifth year of collegiate eligibility.

Mitchell was drafted by the Celtics in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft out of St. John's. He spent two years at Texas, one year at Cincinnati and one year at St. John's, taking full advantage of the NCAA's transfer rules and NIL opportunities. With this athleticism, he averaged 8.0 ppg for his college career while also pulling down 6.3 rebounds.

He helped St. John's win the Big East regular season and tournament titles in 2025-26, getting the Red Storm back to the NCAA Tournament under Rick Pitino. Playing for someone like Pitino certainly gives him a leg up on other NBA rookies, because Pitino runs his programs like a pro organization already.

The Celtics will take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night in the home preseason opener at TD Garden. However, it doesn't look like former Celtics star Jaylen Brown is going to play, meaning that the C's fans will have to wait until January to officially welcome him back. That game will be played on Jan. 21.