Hey folks, BRobb here ready to take your questions on all things C's after a surprisingly busy week around the NBA for late July. Kyrie Irving continues to be the biggest story in play right now in Boston on a number of levels, but there's plenty of other things to talk about with the C's (lineup possibilities, all the rookies, will Jae Crowder be a happy camper next year, etc.) I'm also so excited about interacting with you guys on the first week of the Boston Sports Journal that I'll be doing this chat while sneaking away from my honeymoon (scheduled well ahead of when the Boston Sports Journal was formed). Due to that, I would like to thank my lovely wife Kate for letting me talk some C's with you guys on here.
Here's how this is going to work:
If you are a subscriber, you can leave questions in the comments. I'll be back around early afternoon (roughly between 2-3 p.m. ET) to go through your questions. I'll also stop by later in the day for followups and to catch any I missed. If you aren't a subscriber yet (it's a free week, I get it) but still want to leave a question you can send them to me at my Twitter handle @briantrobb and I'll try to get to some on here (subscribers take priority). When it's done, all we will be left with the Qs, my responses and any replies from the original questioner. To make it a clean experience for everyone, please don’t use this the way you would an ordinary commenting thread, where we normally encourage a healthy and respectful discussion.
Thanks for checking us out and just know as a subscriber, you'll be getting be these weekly (and sometimes more often than that) throughout the year.
What’s better, C’s Q+A or your honeymoon? (Don’t answer that)
My wife Kate gives this question a thumbs up…I’m going to go with honeymoon here to ensure that our marriage last until the end of it.
Who says no?
Kyrie to Boston
IT, Melo and the 2019 LAC 1st rounder (f Bos) to Cleveland
Crowder, Rozier, Shumpert, Frye and the 2019 MEM 1st rounder (f Bos) to New York
Boston gets Kyrie and still gets to keep: Horford, Hayward, Tatum, Brown and the ’18 Brooklyn pick
Cleveland gets two all stars for (an unhappy) one and a future pick (of which they have none)
New York gets Crowder, Rozier, an expiring contract, a potential lottery pick and has to take on Shumpert’s contract.
Celtics say no to that one. I like Irving a lot, but IT, Crowder, Rozier and 2 first rounders is too much to give up for him.
How good is Shane Larkin and how does he fit in?
He definitely wasn’t very good in the NBA over the first three years. Really didn’t do anything particularly well. I’m going to be watching some film on him in Spain this week to see where he’s improved. Look for a breakdown coming next month.
What were the Celtics really thinking with Shane Larkin? With IT, Smart, and Rozier all in front of him, why sign another guard??
Great question. I actually wrote a piece that will be out later this week (so I won’t spoil it all here) but I do think it’s very curious that Larkin turned down big money overseas to come be a third string point guard on paper…feels like injury insurance or maybe trade insurance for the backcourt?
I’m intrigued by the size, strength and mobility of Semi Ojeleye and Guerschon Yabusele. How do they compare size-wise to Jae Crowder?
All three are very strong, well-built bodies. Ojeleye has great strength in the post with bigger guys, making his versatility incredibly appealing right away. Yabusele’s got a huge backside and moves well for his size. I’m eager to see how his speed for his size translates to the NBA.
What are you hearing about IT’s health at this time?
I’ve been regularly told that Isaiah won’t need surgery and Danny Ainge confirmed that to Adam Himmelsbach today in the Boston Globe. Question is now whether he can avoid setbacks heading into training camp because he’s still not going full speed yet a couple months after the injury.
Do you worry about the locker room at all losing Bradley for Morris, contract years, playing time battles and bringing in so many young guys?
It’s a fair concern for this year. Brad Stevens is going to have to earn his money to try to keep everyone all-in and on the same page. Some guys are bound to be unhappy but that’s going to be the case with a lot of teams. The veterans should all get big minutes, even if they aren’t starting and the rookies will have to wait their turn (outside of Tatum). Stevens will have to navigate it carefully but I expect him to do so.
Given his injury and the roster size – did the Celtics try to stash Yabusele for another year?
I thought they might, but it’s not happening now since he signed. He had a big year in China so it’s probably good to bring him over and see what he can do. Will be a wide open competition for bench minutes at the big spots to start.
Who do u see starting for the C’s? I woul think IT, Hayward, Horford, Crowder, and Morris. With Brown, Tatum, Smart, and Baynes coming off bench. Possibly, Semi Ojuleye being a surprise contributor as well
I like that lineup you mentioned but feel like they may want to protect Horford from playing 5s, making them start Baynes next to him. That’s definitely a closing lineup possibiulity too. Ojeleye is an intriguing wildcard in camp, he could earn bench minutes over a young crop of bigs.
Hi Robb,
Loved the Isaiah piece. It’s tough to find deep stuff like that. Two questions:
1) What are the break downs in first and second units looking like? Any particular battles that you’re following?
2) Where is BSJ headquarters?
Best,
Allstar
Thanks Allstar.
1) Early position battles: Brown vs. Crowder vs. Morris for a starting spot (or 2)…Theiss vs. Yabusele vs. Zizic for bench big minutes and then final roster spot should be interesting with Larkin vs. Nader. Wrote more on the starting lineup battles I’ll be watching in earlier response
2) BSJ headquarters are wherever our beats take us right now. Greg I believe has plans to get an official office for us down the line.
The roster looks cluttered with as many as 12 guys needing/deserving minutes – is it realistic to think that Brad will be able to help the young guys along while keeping the veteran stars on board?
I think you’ll see a lot of the young guys getting minutes with the Maine Red Claws. The Celtics are a lot deeper and more talented across the bench now, and that means Stevens won’t have to go 12 deep a night to find a winning combination like the last couple years. Guys will get their chances when injuries happen but the non-Tatum rookies will be left watching most nights.
Many people seem to have less issue trading future high draft picks for proven players, while many others prefer to “stand pat” (which isn’t really true – there were moves to get those high draft picks to begin with, weren’t there?) What, in your opinion, is a healthy balance? What caliber player justifies a lottery pick trade and what justifies holding on?
I’m very much in favor of trading high draft picks moving forward now, particularly when you’ve got to the veteran free agents in place now that you want. That doesn’t mean you offer the world for Kyrie Irving with future picks but it does mean you get aggressive with All-Stars that are upgrades elsewhere. I was fine with the C’s overpaying for Paul George a bit (because I think he’s that good) and I’d absolutely be willing to empty out the asset chest for a player like Anthony Davis. If you wait on all your picks now and they don’t peak for another few years (after Horford and Hayward’s prime) the Celtics will be squandering a unique opportunity to put a proven core in place.
With so many new faces and positional flexibilty, what do you think the starting lineup will ultimately look like? And more importantly, what do you think the closing/end of game lineup could be? The combinations seem endless for Stevens.
Great question, I’ll point you to my response below for the starters. As far as closing, I’d expect Horford/Crowder/Hayward/Smart/Isaiah to be a likely possibility with Marcus Morris getting a shot in there too depending on matchups.
What’s the starting 5 to start the season? How do you see minutes being distributed? Can Brad keep Jae Crowder happy?
I’ll be writing a lot more on this in the coming weeks but I see a lot of options for Brad. Will he go big (Horford/Baynes) or small (Morris/Horford) in frontcourt? Does Crowder get to stay in starting lineup at 3 or 4? Will C’s go big in the backcourt with Hayward at the 2 or play Jaylen Brown there to help defend athletic guards? A ton of fascinating possibilities, but for now, I’d say the odds are in favor of a Horford/Baynes frontcourt with Isaiah, Hayward and one of Brown/Crowder starting. I’m betting Crowder for now to keep him happy.
What is your opinion on how Isaiah’s play will change with Hayward now part of the team? We all know he can score but will he be able to distribute enough to make the Celtics a potential upset pick to win the east?
I think so. Isaiah got a wrap for being selfish nationally at times (undeservedly so I feel like) since he only put the Celtics on his back last year when he had to I felt like (which was a lot in the fourth quarter). He’s a willing passer when teams double him (see Game 7 vs. Wizards when Olynyk had huge game) and Hayward’s presence should take a look of pressure off of him. Depending on what happens with Irving, I definitely give them more than a puncher’s chance in the East this year.
What are the differences between the Celtics and Jazz offense, and how can moving to the Celtics help Hayward’s game?
Quinn Synder and Brad Stevens are both big fans of Gregg Popovich so they try to run a lot of offense that spreads the floor and leads to 3s. The good news for Hayward is that the Celtics have a lot more offensive threats from the perimeter than he had in Utah for the past couple years. Look for Stevens to try to capitalize on that additional spacing that Hayward should get now next to Isaiah to put him in space and give him the options to shoot, create or pass.
Are the Celtics at all rumored to be in on Kyrie Irving?
From what I hear, they are interested and want to be kept in the loop. Irving isn’t the guy that puts you over the top though with Hayward and Horford I feel like so I feel like C’s will only be interested at a limited price (i.e. no elite picks) and that may not be appealing enough to the Cavs.
what would you consider a successful rookie year for jayson tatum, zizic, yabusele?
For Tatum, I’d say playing more than Brown last year (15-20 min per game) and becoming a reliable contributor on the bench unit. I feel like if Zizic or Yabusele break into the rotation regularly that’s a successful year for them. Zizic has a better chance with the team’s need for rebounding but both may have a steep learning curve in year one.
I know a lot of people are hot on Jaylen Brown, but I have one major concern with increasing his minutes: the ball sticks with Brown in a major way. His assists-per-36-mins were bottom of the team, and for someone who can really drive to the hoop, he NEVER kicks to open perimeter shooters when the drive falls apart. He basically takes whoever is in front of him in isolation, and succeeds or fails at the rim. My question: do you think this is by design, or does Brown just not play within the offense? He’s exciting to watch, but should he get more minutes?
Ben, You’ll find I am a bit cooler on Jaylen Brown than most people, even though he showed me a lot during the Cavs series last year. He’s definitely not a distributor as you mentioned and can get into the habit of forcing up bad shots when contested at the rim, which is obviously a low percentage play. That should come with more experience you would hope. I think Brown is still learning on both ends of the floor (his defensive miscues/lapses cost him a spot in the rotation during the Bulls series). Boston really needs his athleticism though but he’s going to have to earn more minutes next year with the depth this team has now at the wing.
If there’s one area the celtics can improve on paper before the season what is it?
Have to go with the defensive rebounding here, right? That’s the default answer for the last three years but it still stands. Aron Baynes will help, but Marcus Morris is a subpar rebounder for his size. It’s going to have to be a point of emphasis more than ever this year now that one of the team’s best lockdown defenders (Avery Bradley) is playing in Detroit.
What does your gut tell you: do you think the off-season is essentially over? Or is there another moderate to big move coming?
I would heavily lean towards it being over. I wouldn’t be shocked to see one more veteran free agent brought in for the minimum to compete for a spot, but that could be a tough sell with 16 guaranteed deals already in camp. I could see a deal coming in training camp (a 2-for-1 to cut the roster down) but outside of a blockbuster deal, don’t see them shaking things up yet until they see how Isaiah/Hayward mesh together.
