Marcus Smart Prepares Celtics’ Young Guns For ‘Dog Fight’ In Opener Vs. 76ers

The Celtics are prepping for a tough opening-night matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, and Marcus Smart is providing some insight for Boston’s young players.

Grant Williams, Carsen Edwards and Vincent Poirier likely will make their NBA debuts, while Romeo Langford’s status remains uncertain as he recovers from a right knee sprain. Regardless of who ultimately hits the floor, Boston has plenty of young guns, and Smart is preparing them for a battle.

“It’s going to be a dog fight,” Smart told reporters Saturday, per The Boston Globe’s Nicole Yang. “You can’t come in looking pretty, you can’t come in scared to get hit. They’re going to knock you down. You got to get in there and get your nose bloodied.”

Philadelphia will serve as one of the Celtics’ more difficult opponents throughout the 2019-20 season thanks to their remarkable size. The additions of Al Horford and Josh Richardson to Philly’s already huge trio of Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris makes for a near impossible matchup for the Celtics’ smaller lineup.

Brad Stevens has yet to announce a concrete starting five, which isn’t terribly surprising considering Stevens often waits until the last possible minute to reveal his first unit. If we had to guess, we’d say Daniel Theis will get the start at center, alongside Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward.

The Celtics and Sixers are set to tip off Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET.