Celtics Training Camp--News and Notes

[DJnVa]

Camp opens Tuesday.

https://theathletic.com/2230992/2020/12/01/celtics-training-camp-questions-season/?source=dailyemail
Story asks 4 questions:

1-How many of the young perimeter players will be ready?
2-How much can Kemba Walker handle?
3-Who will start at center?
4-What will Robert Williams’ role be?

 

[BigSoxFan]

Well, I think we know the answer to #2, at least for now. I'm curious about who replaces Kemba in the starting lineup. I presume Teague slots in and Marcus stays at the 2. The real question is who becomes the first guard off the bench once Teague or Smart need a break. Is it Pritchard? Langford? Injuries to key players suck but I do think it will be fun to watch the young guys develop. That obviously worked quite well with Tatum/Brown when Hayward went out. Lots of opportunity for someone to step up their game.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Well, I think we know the answer to #2, at least for now. I'm curious about who replaces Kemba in the starting lineup. I presume Teague slots in and Marcus stays at the 2. The real question is who becomes the first guard off the bench once Teague or Smart need a break. Is it Pritchard? Langford? Injuries to key players suck but I do think it will be fun to watch the young guys develop. That obviously worked quite well with Tatum/Brown when Hayward went out. Lots of opportunity for someone to step up their game.

I wouldn't be so sure it isn't Smart to the 1 and a rotation of guys based on opponents out of (G. WIll, Theis, Thompson, Nesmith, Semi) I wonder if Brad takes the approach that given how young the bench is he'd like to have Teague and his ability to make sure the offense runs like an NBA offense with that unit, and given the amount Tatum/Brown/Smart handle the ball anyway, use the 5th starter spot to either get size, shooting or defense.

 

[BigSoxFan]

I wouldn't be so sure it isn't Smart to the 1 and a rotation of guys based on opponents out of (G. WIll, Theis, Thompson, Nesmith, Semi) I wonder if Brad takes the approach that given how young the bench is he'd like to have Teague and his ability to make sure the offense runs like an NBA offense with that unit, and given the amount Tatum/Brown/Smart handle the ball anyway, use the 5th starter spot to either get size, shooting or defense.

Could be. Certainly a lot of different rotation options. I personally would love to see either Langford or Nesmith get in there and be able to play off the Jay's. Of course, Langford is getting a late start so he won't be ready, which sucks. You're probably right that it may be opponent-driven.

 

[tbrown_01923]

Given smarts versatility, there are some options there. I like the idea of him starting at the 1 and adding an extra wing to the starting lineup (or tweener like GW) to lengthen the bench a bit.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Could be. Certainly a lot of different rotation options. I personally would love to see either Langford or Nesmith get in there and be able to play off the Jay's. Of course, Langford is getting a late start so he won't be ready, which sucks. You're probably right that it may be opponent-driven.

I think if Langford weren't out until Jan/Feb he'd be the pick.

 

[chilidawg]

Nesmith seems like a good fit if he's reasonably ready to go. You could also go bigger with Grant Williams. I'm just not a Teague fan.

 

[NomarsFool]

With no summer league and a short training camp, I don't expect the rookies to see much early action. I expect we'll see Semi and GW and Edwards and Javonte before we see PP and AN.

 

[Jimbodandy]

I think that Brad will set the all time record for different starting lineups per game played. Compressed schedule + home court advantage minimized = huge rotation + lots of experimentation.

It will be matchup based, in the sense that CBS can get reads on guys and get them experience in situations that they might see in the playoffs. Maximizing regular-season wins doesn't crack top 10 in importance.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Romeo is getting his case off in a week (more or less). Hope he spends the next two months refining his shooting technique.

View: https://twitter.com/chrisgrenham/status/1333438718741458944

Romeo Langford still has a cast on his right wrist, but I'm told the plan is to have that removed in roughly one week. That should allow him to begin his recovery in the near future. Langford underwent surgery in late September. ​

 

[NomarsFool]

Forsberg: Celtics formally announce that Kemba Walker will miss start of the 20-21 season while on a strengthening plan. Romeo Langford remains on track for a return sometime in late January or February. Tristan Thompson will be limited at start of camp with a minor hamstring strain.

That's quite a bit later for Langford than I think we had been hearing.

 

[Cesar Crespo]

So Langford may play less games this year than last. That is not good.

 

[PedroKsBambino]

So, for the first two months roughly we're looking at:

PG: (Walker, injured) Smart, Teague, Pritchard (break glass: Waters)
Wing: Tatum, Brown, (Romeo, injured) Grant, Nesmith, Semi (break glass: Green)
Big: Theis, TT, TL (break glass: Tacko)

A little thin at wing to start, but some options there between playing two bigs and giving run to Nesmith, etc.

 

[Saints Rest]

Nesmith seems like a good fit if he's reasonably ready to go. You could also go bigger with Grant Williams. I'm just not a Teague fan.

I like this idea. Nesmith with the starting unit gives him the max defensive protection and allows him to focus on getting lots of open looks as a 3P shooter.

Then the second unit would be Teague, Semi, GWill and RWill, plus one of the big 3.

 

[BigSoxFan]

I'd love to see Nesmith get thrown into the deep end to see how he responds. With Langford out 2+ months, Nesmith has a golden opportunity to showcase what he can do. Speaking of Langford, it'll be interesting to see what the team gets from him this year. If Nesmith is able to take advantage of this opportunity and Kemba is able to return and give them 20-25 MPG most nights, there might not be much available PT for Langford when he returns.

Theis / Thompson
Tatum / R Will
Brown / G Will / Semi
Smart / Nesmith / Langford
Kemba / Teague / Pritchard

Really is too bad that he isn't healthy now.

 

[Jimbodandy]

So, for the first two months roughly we're looking at:

PG: (Walker, injured) Smart, Teague, Pritchard (break glass: Waters)
Wing: Tatum, Brown, (Romeo, injured) Grant, Nesmith, Semi (break glass: Green)
Big: Theis, TT, TL (break glass: Tacko)

A little thin at wing to start, but some options there between playing two bigs and giving run to Nesmith, etc.

Not that I'm sky high on him, but Edwards should get minutes too.

 

[BigSoxFan]

Not that I'm sky high on him, but Edwards should get minutes too.

Man, I completely forgot about Edwards. His Celtics and perhaps NBA career is on life support but I wouldn’t mind throwing him in there to see if any shots can fall.

 

[Phil Plantier]

So, for the first two months roughly we're looking at:

PG: (Walker, injured) Smart, Teague, Pritchard (break glass: Waters)
Wing: Tatum, Brown, (Romeo, injured) Grant, Nesmith, Semi (break glass: Green)
Big: Theis, TT, TL (break glass: Tacko)

A little thin at wing to start, but some options there between playing two bigs and giving run to Nesmith, etc.

This is my ignorance, not my belligerence: I thought Waters was the MVP of the G League. Wasn't he the subject of some trade rumors? Is he really a non-prospect?

 

[chilidawg]

Not that I'm sky high on him, but Edwards should get minutes too.

Unless there's some huge change in his ability to make shots I'd much rather he's stapled to the very end of the bench.

 

[Jimbodandy]

Unless there's some huge change in his ability to make shots I'd much rather he's stapled to the very end of the bench.

There's only one way to find out if he can hit shots or not. In an ideal world, he'd eat more minutes in Portland for a while and show that he can.

 

[BaseballJones]

Just remember...the Celtics are going to be like everyone else - this shortened offseason is going to mean that a lot of key players are going to play short minutes, especially early in the year, and tons of bench guys are going to get more minutes than normal. This isn't just something that's going to happen to Boston - it will be league-wide.

 

[nighthob]

This is my ignorance, not my belligerence: I thought Waters was the MVP of the G League. Wasn't he the subject of some trade rumors? Is he really a non-prospect?

He's still a tiny PG whose upside is almost certainly as a backup. Which is how Boston will be using him this year given Walker's issues. A sign & trade later this year or in the offseason isn't unlikely, though.

 

[Cesar Crespo]

This is my ignorance, not my belligerence: I thought Waters was the MVP of the G League. Wasn't he the subject of some trade rumors? Is he really a non-prospect?

Pretty close to it. Other teams had the right to offer him an NBA contract, none did. He'll always be in trade rumors as a throw in/filler.

 

[DGreenwood]

This is my ignorance, not my belligerence: I thought Waters was the MVP of the G League. Wasn't he the subject of some trade rumors? Is he really a non-prospect?

I was going to post the same thing. With no summer league and a short camp, I'm thinking Waters is higher on the depth chart than Pritchard, at least early in the year.

 

[nighthob]

Just remember...the Celtics are going to be like everyone else - this shortened offseason is going to mean that a lot of key players are going to play short minutes, especially early in the year, and tons of bench guys are going to get more minutes than normal. This isn't just something that's going to happen to Boston - it will be league-wide.

Yeah, the NBA's early season is going to look pretty rough. The teams that made the playoffs have had almost no recovery time and the teams that didn't make the bubble haven't played together in nearly a year. And they'll all be trying to work their shiny new draft picks into their lineups. Things are going to be pretty ugly this year for everyone.

Pretty close to it. Other teams had the right to offer him an NBA contract, none did. He'll always be in trade rumors as a throw in/filler.

It's worth noting that a lot of teams might have been hesitant about committing real money to a backup PG prospect this offseason due to the fact that the entire offseason/preseason was a few weeks. There's just not a lot of time to break Waters in.

 

[NomarsFool]

As much as it will irritate us all, I'm pretty confident that we'll see more minutes from Semi, Green, Waters, and Edwards than we'll see Pritchard and Nesmith for the first month or two. I just don't see CBS throwing rookies out into NBA games with so little seasoning.

 

[Cellar-Door]

As much as it will irritate us all, I'm pretty confident that we'll see more minutes from Semi, Green, Waters, and Edwards than we'll see Pritchard and Nesmith for the first month or two. I just don't see CBS throwing rookies out into NBA games with so little seasoning.

yeah, a recurring theme I'm seeing from just about every one of these media days around the league is coaches talking about how no summer league, camp limited preseason etc. is going to really make it difficult for rookies to contribute this season.

 

[Cesar Crespo]

As much as it will irritate us all, I'm pretty confident that we'll see more minutes from Semi, Green, Waters, and Edwards than we'll see Pritchard and Nesmith for the first month or two. I just don't see CBS throwing rookies out into NBA games with so little seasoning.

Waters and Edwards are 2 of the young players they need to decide on. Them getting minutes isn't a problem.

 

[Saints Rest]

yeah, a recurring theme I'm seeing from just about every one of these media days around the league is coaches talking about how no summer league, camp limited preseason etc. is going to really make it difficult for rookies to contribute this season.

That’s dumb. Coaches should be treating the first 20-25 games as extended preseason to figure out what they have, and to allow their veterans time to ramp up.

 

[Cellar-Door]

That’s dumb. Coaches should be treating the first 20-25 games as extended preseason to figure out what they have, and to allow their veterans time to ramp up.

I think the point is more that they're going to be bad than that they won't play.

 

[benhogan]

That’s dumb. Coaches should be treating the first 20-25 games as extended preseason to figure out what they have, and to allow their veterans time to ramp up.

should be minutes for everyone

condensed schedule + injuries + playoff teams just finishing up 60 days ago + home court adv meaning half-packed arenas

they need to play these games for the TV$$$, regular season quality will be rough.

Thibs playing a 6 man rotation

 

[Jimbodandy]

Thibs playing a 6 man rotation

Vegas has to have a line on who Thibs kills first, no?

 

[nighthob]

Vegas has to have a line on who Thibs kills first, no?

It’s New York, Vegas should probably be running a line on who kills Thibs first. My dream is that Kyrie gets traded there while Thibs is still coach. That would be the greatest clubhouse in NBA history.

 

[RedOctober3829]

View: https://twitter.com/chrisforsberg_/status/1334229986488836097?s=21

 

[bakahump]

Is last seasons long Playoff run +short Offseason+1.276 billion miles from previous seasons finally the Kryptonite that will take down Lebron?
And if it is and he is not LEBRON, or worse is Hurt and out, is AD enough for them to win the west?

 

[benhogan]

Is last seasons long Playoff run +short Offseason+1.276 billion miles from previous seasons finally the Kryptonite that will take down Lebron?
And if it is and he is not LEBRON, or worse is Hurt and out, is AD enough for them to win the west?

no Lebron = no chance in hell

 

[nighthob]

I mean pre-LeBron Davis's New Orleans teams were known for their deeeeeeep ... lottery runs. If LeBron gets injured that team might not make the playoffs.

 

[NomarsFool]

Would have liked a bit more of a warm up game to ease into it a bit - but whatever

 

[RedOctober3829]

View: https://twitter.com/GwashburnGlobe/status/1334924536744206336

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

View: https://twitter.com/GwashburnGlobe/status/1334924536744206336

I'd bet it's not Marcus

 

[NomarsFool]

Anyone notably missing from training camp?

 

[chilidawg]

Is there no media presence in training camp? I keep looking for some word about how it's going, but very little news getting out.

 

[Lazy vs Crazy]

Is there no media presence in training camp? I keep looking for some word about how it's going, but very little news getting out.

COVID protocols are keeping the media away.

 

[TripleOT]

https://nesn.com/2020/12/jayson-tatum-tweeted-sign-him-five-days-before-celtics-reportedly-signed-amile-jefferson/

 

[CreedBratton]

Is there no media presence in training camp? I keep looking for some word about how it's going, but very little news getting out.

I believe the first practice is tomorrow so should be stuff coming out soon.

 

[Saints Rest]

Here are my dreams for this season with today being Training Camp Eve:

• That Grant Williams will follow in the footsteps of Marcus Smart becoming a standout defender across multiple positions, bringing energy, intensity, and intangibles, while continually improving his offensive game, especially his 3P shot.
• That Aaron (Mike) Nesmith gives us our version of Duncan Robinson or Tyler Herro.
• That Romeo Langford follows in the footsteps of Jaylen Brown to become a standout defender who uses his athleticism to maximize his offensive efficiency while turning a suspect 3P shot into a strength.
• That Daniel Theis learns to avoid the dumb fouls he is won't to while earning some respect from the refs to eliminate the nightly bullshit calls against him. Oh, and while we are talking about him, that he remembers that he actually has a decent 3P shot and starts shooting the inevitable open looks he will get in this offense.
• That Jeff Teague is more the Jeff Teague of 2015 when he inevitably has to fill in for Kemba.
• That Payton Pritchard exceeds everyone's expectations (except mine) and becomes a young Goran Dragic or FVV.
• That Tacko becomes something more than a novelty.
• That Marcus, Kemba, and the Jays are healthy!

 

[PedroKsBambino]

Like that list, and I'd net out a bit for my definition of success, beyond health:

1. That at least one of Grant or Langford steps up to be a very solid 20+ min/game two-way rotation piece
2. That one of Nesmith, Edwards or (less likely) Pritchard is a reliable spot-up shooter off the bench, a big gap last year
3. That PG does not become a major negative (which given who they have might be as simple as "1 or 2 happens and Smart plays PG a lot")
4. That at least one of Tatum or Brown takes another half-step up from overall play in 2020 (in Tatum's case, just continues at bubble level)

Give me those 4 and they are no worse than second-best team in East.

 

[DannyDarwinism]

Grant's not only a great fit with the Jays, but I think his upside is higher than some here give him credit for. PJ Tucker gets thrown around a lot, but I think there's reason to believe that he can be better than Tucker on both ends of the court. Similar size and strength, but he was a better player at Tennessee than Tucker was at Texas- a more efficient scorer generally, a better finisher, better passer, with better peripherals to extend his range out to three, and he turned the ball over less on higher usage. Defensively, he wasn't quite the rebounder that Tucker was, and while his steal rate was slightly less, his block rate was 10x PJ's. And he was 6 months younger than Tucker was in college.

I know I've posted this before, but it makes the case for Grant's upside far better than I can: https://www.thestepien.com/2019/01/23/draft-notes-upside-case-grant-williams/

The piece speculates that for Grant to hit his ceiling, he'll need to play with an elite pull-up guard (like Kemba, when healthy) and a stretch big (Theis ain't there yet) and I do agree that's how he gets maximized, but I don't think he really even needs to hit his absolute ceiling to help get this team to the next level, he just needs to shoot like he did after the slump, progress in his screen game and ball-movement, and continue play really heady defense based on uber-quick reads/diagnosis, combined with grown man strength and quicker-than-expected feet.

 

[Cesar Crespo]

Grant Williams was just really bad on the offensive end and has a lot of improving to do. That's probably causing people to lower their ceiling on him. PJ Tucker seems more like a floor though, or maybe most likely outcome.

 

[RG33]

[*]That Marcus, Kemba, and the Jays are healthy!
[/LIST]

I feel like this is the key — and puts the Celtics in contention in the East if it happens.

My additions:
- Nesmith and Pritchard become solid contributors relative for rookies (8-12 min avg with injury filler spurts where they extend)
- Grant Williams continues to be a bad ass and develops some semblance of offense
- Langford gets healthy and starts to show his prowess as an athletic D-stopper
- The combination of Theis and TT bring a nasty edge to Celtics that has been missing somewhat
- Danny Ainge gets very creative and aggressive at the trade deadline