The Boston Celtics begin training camp next week, and all signs are pointing to the team being near 100 percent when they hit the court at the Auerbach Center.
Head coach Brad Stevens spoke to the media Monday at the Shamrock Foundation’s Teeing Up for Kids golf tournament, noting he expects players who have been dealing with ailments, namely Jayson Tatum, Romeo Langford and Tacko Fall, to be ready to go when camp begins.
Tatum suffered a sprained ankle in the U.S. men’s national basketball team’s FIBA World Cup matchup with Turkey and remained on the sideline for the rest of the tournament. But according to Stevens, he isn’t expected to have any issues come training camp.
“He’s ready to go from what I’ve been told,” Stevens said, per MassLive’s Tom Westerholm. “I don’t know if he will do anything 5-on-5 this week, but we anticipate no issues when camp starts next week.”
Langford, Boston’s top selection in the 2019 NBA Draft, has been recovering from surgery that repaired a torn ligament in his shooting thumb. It was reported last week that the guard had been cleared to play, and Stevens confirmed that Monday, saying Langford has been good for “about a month,” per Boston Sports Journal’s Brian Robb.
Fall, who has become a fan favorite before even cracking Boston’s opening night roster, recently suffered a “mild knee sprain,” but the Celtics head coach says the 7-foot-6 center also should be ready for training camp.
“Tacko twisted his knee in a little 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 work the other day, but he should be cleared by if not tomorrow, by the end of the week,” Stevens said, per MassLive. “I don’t know if we’ll have him do anything per se until he gets on the court next week against live competition. So again, knock on wood. I don’t really want to talk about it any more. So hopefully we get to next week okay.”
The Celtics are set to have their media day on Monday, Sept. 30 before beginning training camp the following day.
