WALTHAM — The Celtics continued Day 4 of training camp back at their normal practice facility on Friday, but Brad Stevens was pleased by the time the group spent together in Newport, RI and where the team is from a health standpoint.
"Everybody’s been great, everybody’s healthy," Stevens said. "We’ll add in maintenance days for different guys as we go on. Kyrie will go very very light today. Then, ultimately, that’s just an individual thing. But everybody is — if we’re playing a game tomorrow, everybody is available and ready to go. We’re in good shape."
The bigger challenge now for most members of the roster is trying to quickly build chemistry on and off the floor with their new teammates and coaching staff. Even though Gordon Hayward is one of the 10 new players to Boston, Kyrie Irving is already impressed by the connection that he has with Stevens on the floor from their Butler days.
"I never try to do that, to accelerate chemistry, because that’s just gonna come once we build more time with one another," Irving explained. "We get to be on the floor a lot more. When you watch and you observe and then you have a few days to be on the court with (Hayward), you understand how his basketball IQ is and the understanding that he and Brad have. They have an unspoken language already between one another and having that head coach-player relationship.
"It’s my duty and part of my job to integrate myself in that as well. Not only with Brad and the rest of my teammates, but more importantly, Al and Gordon, to really set the standard of how we want to play this year. Because we’re gonna to be leaning on each other a lot. It starts with us and then you get to the other guys and then we develop that chemistry going."
Hayward was a little more modest about his connection with Stevens when asked about Irving's comments on Friday.
"It helps a little bit because we have some familiarity," Hayward said of his bond with Stevens. "I wouldn't go as far as saying that we have silent communication. For me, I'm just trying to still adjust to the system, adjust to the way that we play here and adjust to my teammates."
As the chemistry continues to build, the next big shoe to drop in this group's attempt to mesh is the potential looming return of power forward Marcus Morris as his assault trial comes to a close. Closing arguments are expected to take place Friday in Arizona and then the jury will deliberate on the proceedings starting Monday. If Morris is declared innocent, he could join the team as soon as next week.
In the meantime, Hayward and his other teammates continue to try to build upon the relationships they started down in Newport.
"I think it was good for us," Hayward said of the time away. "I think we still have a long ways to go, but the fact we were around each other for so much and got a chance to go out to dinner together, from that standpoint it was really good. It's only been three days so we still have work, but it was good."
Other Day 4 camp notes
- Hayward threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park on Thursday night, but he was a little rusty for the occasion: "I hadn't been working on it," Hayward said of the pitch. "I hadn't thrown a pitch since probably eighth grade. I definitely played it safe: I lofted it in there but I didn't bounce it in so that was good."
- Irving is already enjoying the change in routine from past training camps in Cleveland since rest is more emphasized in Boston: "It’s a great thing to know our head coach and medical staff believe in getting a lot of sleep and just a lot of recovery. That was one of the primary things Brad and our medical staff stressed to me is that our practice schedule and routine is based on getting an optimal recovery for you guys on the floor and I’m all for that."
- Stevens is a fan of the changes to lottery and rest rules passed by the Board of Governors on Thursday: "We talked about that a couple weeks in the (competition committee) meeting. I think any reform to the lottery system is a positive change, which is a good thing. Then I think, totally get it with the idea of resting players but hopefully the way that the schedule works itself out for everybody, it’s a win-win for everybody."
