Earlier than their first preseason tip, Joe Mazzulla warned to not infer an excessive amount of from their beginning lineup. As an alternative, all through coaching camp up to now, the top coach has harassed the energy of their versatility and the way a number of gamers — “we now have eight, 9 starters” — may open the sport.
“I believe we now have to have a degree of flexibility to ensure that us to maximise our roster on each ends of the ground. And I believe flexibility and malleability and the flexibility to go to totally different matchups needs to be a energy of ours,” Mazzulla stated. “So, there might be a time the place we are saying, ‘that is what we’re doing,’ however we now have to be as open-minded as doable to play in these other ways.”
On Sunday, the 76ers have been with out James Harden, Joel Embiid, De’Anthony Melton and Furkan Korkmaz. How would the Celtics assault Philly with out their MVPs? Would they go along with measurement or pace? Would Mazzulla even attempt to win the sport? Ought to we learn something into Recreation 1 of the preseason?
“Completely nothing, please,” Mazzulla stated. “I do know you guys aren’t gonna take heed to me, however no matter I do tomorrow – I nearly considered beginning somebody means off the bat simply to throw you guys off, however I used to be talked out of it. However don’t learn something into it.”
Sorry, Coach. We’re going to overreact a little bit.
There have been some constants in final 12 months’s rotation that might carry over into this season (even with the drastic modifications to the roster):
Jayson Tatum because the bridge: On the first TV timeout of the primary and third quarters, Tatum would take his first (temporary) remainder of the sport. Between Tatum and Brown, JT is the higher playmaker, so preserving him on the ground with the second unit is sensible.
Al Horford will get his relaxation: Along with not taking part in in back-to-backs, a part of preserving the 37-year-old recent by way of the common season was having the massive man open and shut quarters with a major break in between.
Mazzulla went with an eight-man rotation: For essentially the most half, the Celtics went three deep off the bench with a ball handler (Malcolm Brogdon), a giant (Blake Griffin, Luke Kornet), and a wildcard wing (Grant Williams, Sam Hauser).
It’s the preseason and there’s going to be loads of experimenting over the subsequent three video games, however for essentially the most half, Boston caught to an analogous script Sunday evening. Tatum and Horford acquired early blows and the boy band previously often known as The Bus One Boys of Hauser, Kornet, and the newly minted $30 million man Payton Pritchard served as a hockey-style lineup change to shut out the primary and third quarters. Jrue Vacation performed his first minutes because the sixth man and Oshae Brissett expanded the rotation to 10.
Nevertheless, there have been some surprises. Earlier than dealing Robert Williams and Malcolm Brogdon to Portland for Vacation, possession and the entrance workplace talked in regards to the luxurious of getting three rotational facilities to be able to play large extra typically. The Celtics finally opted to open double bigs with Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis anchoring the entrance court docket quite than staggering their minutes. Possibly Horford comes off the bench in some matchups, however up to now, it seems to be like they’ll proceed to play large.
“Measurement. Means to defend,” Mazzulla stated of the Horford-Porzingis duo. “After which on the offensive finish, a bunch of spacing.”
What was additionally placing is perhaps the arrogance that the workforce has in that threesome of Pritchard-Hauser-Kornet. They weren’t filtered in one after the other as in the event that they have been simply band aids till the starters have been prepared to return again in; they got here in as a unit, operating their very own actions above the break and dealing Spain pick-and-rolls and flare screens.
More than likely, we gained’t see most of the stars tonight in New York in opposition to the Knicks on the backend of the back-to-back. There are nonetheless questions like whether or not Vacation and White will begin collectively or may some end-of-bench contributors like Svi Mykhailiuk and rookie Jordan Walsh crack the top-10. However for one evening, albeit the primary evening of many, the new-look Celtics appeared wealthy with potential.
