Recommended Content
Reading
· What grade would you give the Celtics front office for this offseason? (CelticsBlog)
· Kyrie Irving cleanses court with sage burning, then helps Nets beat Celtics in Boston return (Tim Botemps - ESPN)
· Tristan Thompson Already Having Noticeable Impact At Celtics’ Practice (Alexandra Francisco - NESN)
· Celtics, Raptors Favorites To Land James Harden: Report (Josue Pavon - Heavy)
· Tristan Thompson injury: Boston Celtics center returns to practice, 'you could tell our energy went to a different level' (John Karalis - Red’s Army)
Audio and Video
· What do we make of this preseason? Where are the Boston Celtics right now? (Locked On Celtics)
· Finishing the Eastern Conference Over/Under (The Pick ‘n’ Pod - TalkBasket)
· CelticsPod: Kenny Anderson, 14 year NBA vet stops by Celticspod - Celticsblog)
· From the Rafters: Old Celtics Stories, Tommy Heinsohn Memories, and Kyrie Slander with Nick Gelso (From The Rafters - Guy Boston Sports)
What’s On Tap
(Photo: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
So far, we’ve seen just two preseason games from the Boston Celtics, and there have been some alarming trends in terms of Boston’s offense. Per NBA Stats, the Celtics ranked dead last in preseason 3P%, shooting a dreadful 22.6% (19/84). Breaking it down by game, Boston shot 28.2% (11/39) from deep against the 76ers and 17.8% (8/45) against the Nets. Either way you slice it, the team has to improve from deep, and it wasn’t for lack of trying. The system was working, with players getting quality looks, but they simply weren’t falling.
The trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart had their fair share of struggles from deep, shooting a combined 15% from range (5/33).
A good amount of those issues can be contributed to the absence of Kemba Walker. The Celtics ball movement hasn’t shown any improvement in the ball dominant guards absence, and with the trigger happy Marcus Smart now running the show, there’s going to be choppy waters ahead.
Boston will need to make up the deficit somewhere, especially since a lack of firepower on their bench was a factor in their playoff departure.
I do want to reiterate, it has just been two games. Preseason has always been the time that teams utilize to get some run in, try to see what kind of rotations work/don’t work, what kind of shape players are in, and so on. It won’t be the same situation for every team, the Brooklyn game was a perfect example of that. Boston is roughly three months removed from the end of their deep playoff run, Brooklyn had rested legs and needed to get their two stars acclimated and up to speed (and oh boy, did they look it).
I don’t wish to dwell on the worst aspects of the world’s smallest sample size. Seasons are not decided two games in, and half of the fun is watching the team grow and develop together as the season goes along. Instead, I’d much rather dig into some of the positives I noticed. Despite some of the early turmoil, there are still some good things that can be taken away from the kerfuffle.
For one, Jayson Tatum has done very well defensively despite the early offensive struggles, posting a team-best DEF rating of 83.5 over 24.3 min/game. It’s exciting to think that even after the improvements he’s made this past season, the young star has added 10 pounds of muscle to his body and continues to show the drive to improve. In a quote from Tom Westerholm of The Boston Globe, Tatum said:
I just feel like each year I want to improve, I want to get better. I don’t put a ceiling on where I’m trying to get to. I want to be one of the best. I want to be one of the best to play this game. I want to be one of the best in the game. So I don’t think that now I feel different.”
Beyond being excited for the budding talents of Jayson Tatum, the addition of Jeff Teague has gone well so far. Teague has shot 9/15 from the field, and a perfect 5/5 from range across 32 minutes, which has served as a nice little spark for a bench that needed veteran leadership. While the advanced analytics don’t look as good, it’s all relative to how Boston as a whole has played so far. I do want to see how Teague can operate as a facilitator for the bench around him, but the team will happily take any scoring punch they can get.
Looking at the rookies, it looks like Boston made two solid choices in Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard. So far, we’ve seen some early flashes of their potential and their shooting. They’re both naturally going to go through the usual rookie growing pains, but they both have a decent polish to aspects of their game that will benefit the team. For example, this nice catch-and-shoot three by Pritchard off a Tremont Waters dime:
Or this impressive defensive sequence by Aaron Nesmith to get the block from behind against Philadelphia:
And this impressive hustle for the putback and-one:
The rooks have gotten a little bit of run, clearly Brad Stevens wants to give them both opportunities early and often to see what they bring to the table as well as develop their talent. Make of it what you will, but Payton Pritchard was tied for 2nd in attempted threes (12, tied with Brown), which only trails Jayson Tatum; Pritchard has shot 3/12 so far from deep. Aaron Nesmith has shot 2/8 from deep himself, but inside the arc both Pritchard (5/7) and Nesmith (4/5) have made the most of their looks with efficiency. Granted, Boston’s offense is heavily predicated on shooting the 3, so they will need to hit those looks consistently to maintain a rotation spot, but they both show a great deal of promise offensively.
Aside from that, both Rob Williams and Daniel Theis are at full strength and back in the fold, and with the addition of Tristan Thompson, the rotation at the center spot seems much more solidified and stable. Thompson has already spoken on the leadership mantle he’s taking on, which is sure to endear fans to the gritty veteran. In a quote from Westerholm, Thompson spoke upon what it will take from the Celtics to compete in games:
Tristan Thompson says the Celtics are the “hunted,” not the hunters after making the ECF. “We’ve got to come with a pit-bull, 48-minute bloodbath mentality."
I totally understand getting wrapped up in bad team performances, I’m guilty of it myself. But reading quotes like this, from newly-acquired players who want to come in and immediately contribute, make it hard to be too down about the Celtics and their position. Yes, they will have to live without Gordon Hayward, and Kemba Walker for a stretch of time as well. They have struggled offensively because of it in preseason and will need to adjust. Their rotations haven’t been fully established due to player rehab and new acquisitions getting acclimated. Those are all fair and valid reasons to be concerned.
Even with those concerns, I am higher on this team than I was of last year’s squad, and the roster last year vastly exceeded the overall media expectation after losing two stars. That cannot be understated. The front office is armed with 3 trade exceptions, including one that’s at a max contract scale of $28.5 Million; they very well could make ancillary moves or a big splash if necessary. As the saying goes, “if you don’t like the weather, wait a little”.
Personal Musings
To be quite honest, this last week has been a bit of a whirlwind. Between getting prepped for Christmas during a pandemic and coordinating gifts plus the usual stressors, it’s been a lot to handle mentally. On top of that, my good friend/gym buddy’s partner tested positive for COVID-19. Soon after, he tested positive, and after seeing his immediate family the first weekend of December, all of them tested positive for the virus. Whenever I saw him, our masks were on, and fortunately I’ve tested negative and will continue to be precautious and get tested once more. It’s been over a week since I last saw him, and even then my anxiety and concern were through the roof.
But I realized something as I continued to worry about myself and being potentially stuck at home for the holidays: all of the things I worried about were actually happening for my friend. From being scared, worrying about loved ones, unable to see them or leave the house, how it could impact work and all of the things that come with quarantine. Compare it to my concerns and stress, and suddenly all my problems weren’t so bad. I felt kind of foolish and selfish to be worrying about my own life getting impacted when my friends were going through all of it by themselves.
My biggest takeaway from all of the discourse is this: do your best to be kind and have some compassion for those around you during this tough time of year. The holidays always can be difficult, but especially during what has been an absolute hellscape of a year. Be as safe as possible, wear your masks (they most certainly work), keep your circle small and keep your gatherings (if any) as small as possible.
Allow yourself to to be open to the many emotions that you are having now, give yourself a pass to feel the stress, anxiety, the frustration, all of it. Vocalize it. Describe it. Reframe it, come to terms with it, and know that ultimately, things will be ok. When I said “be kind”, it not only included others, but yourself too. Be safe out there folks, and take care.