Be honest. While you were watching the New England Patriots challenge all the doubters and dismantle the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night, you really were thinking to yourself, “This is nice, but when do Celtics preseason games start?”
You’re in luck.
Brad Stevens opens his second preseason as Celtics coach when the Philadelphia 76ers visit TD Garden on Monday night. Whereas the 37-year-old coach approached last year’s preseason as his personal crash-course in the minutia of the NBA game, this year he plans to use the exhibition matchups as extensions of training camp practice.
“I think as much as anything, I was adjusting to the length of the game, different timeout rules, those type of things,” Stevens said. “It took me a few games to get myself adjusted. I’m treating it much more like practice (this year), and I’m treating our shootarounds much more like practice than we would normally during the season, at least for this first week. Otherwise, we’d only have two practices all week because we have four games.”
Even if Celtics-Sixers isn’t a dream regular-season matchup, let alone preseason, Monday night’s game still could reveal some interesting hints as to what’s in store for Stevens’ club.
The starting point guard spot is up for grabs. With Rajon Rondo sidelined with a broken left hand, Phil Pressey amounts to the “incumbent” at the one. But either rookie Marcus Smart or free-agent acquisition Evan Turner will start at the point Monday.
Stevens has called Turner “as good a pick-and-roll ballhandler as we have,” which might be true, but also doesn’t say much about the quality of the Celtics’ ballhandlers. Smart and Avery Bradley would be a devastating defensive backcourt, and Smart’s strength and length could help hassle Philadelphia’s 6-foot-6 point guard, Michael Carter-Williams.
Kelly Olynyk and James Young are the early contenders for Celtics Most Valuable Player. Yes, we’re being tongue-in-cheek, wince zero preseason games and less than a week of training camp are in the books. Based on their practice performance and their play in Friday’s intrasquad scrimmage, though, Olynyk and Young have drawn the most rave reviews thus far.
Olynyk won both ends of the back-to-back scrimmage Friday, thanks to a “trade” between games, and Young displayed a smooth left-handed shooting stroke that came in spurts at Kentucky. Young still must show consistency at both ends, however, and Olynyk needs to show he can read and react more readily. The second-year big man ended up injuring Brandon Bass’ eye when he mistimed a rebound last week.
Stevens wants to attack. Teammates and coaches have raved about newcomer Tyler Zeller’s ability to run the floor as a big man, and Stevens has stressed the greater “aggression” he expects on defense, which could mean much less laying off shooters when they come off screens than Boston did last season.
Of course, every coach begins every season saying these things. Often, the limitations of personnel force a return to business as usual. We will see just how much the Celtics are able to run, as Jared Sullinger, Olynyk and Bass remain primarily half-court players, and the lack of a rim-protecting big man could affect just how aggressive the Celtics’ perimeter defenders can be.
Who will play? Jeff Green is questionable with a mild calf strain, Smart is questionable to probable with a strained groin after sitting out Sunday’s practice, and Bass is probable with a corneal abrasion. Vitor Faverani is out with swelling in his surgically repaired left knee. Joel Anthony, who went “full-go” in practice for the first time Sunday, according to Stevens, could be a game-time decision.
Photo via John Geliebter/USA TODAY Sports Images
