The Celtics kicked off their first day of training camp at the Auerbach Center on Tuesday in the first of several double sessions before their preseason opener on Sunday at the TD Garden. Co-owners Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca were on the scene for the initial session, along with observers that included Tommy Heinsohn and former Kings coach Dave Joerger. A host of takeaways from the session that went over two hours in length.
1. Defense is the top priority out of the gate: The Celtics were a top-10 defense on paper in the regular season but that side of the floor betrayed them against the Milwaukee Bucks in the postseason, as they allowed an average of 117 points in the final four games of their 4-1 series defeat. As the page is turned to a new season in Boston, Brad Stevens is starting camp looking to re-establish the team’s identity on the defensive end.
“From a technical standpoint, obviously you want to create a defensive mindset and mentality,” Brad Stevens explained. “I think that’s the best way to create a team mindset. I thought our guys did a good job of picking up stuff quickly. We got a lot in the first day and we’ll be able to take the film later this afternoon and talk about how we’re going to improve and get ready for tomorrow.”
“Defense is always a key,” Jayson Tatum added. “And effort and being together. It’s only day one but everybody got a good feel. We’ve got to get through our practice and get a feel for each other. There’s a lot of new faces.”
With a mix of new and inexperienced rookie personnel in the fold, Stevens will have to tread carefully as he balances introducing new schemes to fit his new lineups of bigs and ensure the team has a good grasp of everything being thrown their way.
“We want to be a team that plays together and all the tactical stuff will take care of itself,” he said. “We’re going to do a ton of tactical things then we’ll find out if we did too much and we’ll back off in pieces. But there’s a lot to throw in there in the next three weeks. We’ll get to as much of it as we can. As long as we’re making the right strides in those other areas, that is what’s most important.”
The Celtics actually came out as one of the top defensive teams in the league for the first 30 games of last season before experiencing significant drop-off after January. With less offensive talent to work with now, some steady defense may be what keeps this team in games most nights.
2. Jayson Tatum hit the ground running in his return from an ankle injury: The third-year forward saw his first live action in several weeks after missing the past few weeks resting a sprained ankle that he suffered in China. The results were promising for the forward, who gave the thumbs up on his condition after the two-hour session.
“I’m more excited to be back playing,” Tatum said Tuesday. “I haven’t played in a while, being out with the ankle (injury suffered in the FIBA World Cup), so I’m just happy to be back on the court playing basketball.”
The focus for Tatum in training camp appears to be honing his offensive shot selection and game, which should help ensure better efficiency for the 21-year-old forward after a steady diet of midrange jumpers last year. With Tatum buying into more ball movement for his offensive game, something that started in the World Cup, Stevens has been pleased with the results thus far.
“Everybody benefits from good ball movement and precise ball movement and high-motor offense, because when you catch it you have a little more of a step on your defender,” Stevens said. “You don’t have to work quite as hard in an isolated moment. So I think we all benefit from that. I thought Jayson was very good today, just like I expect.”
3. Kemba Walker and Brad Stevens are building on their connection: The head coach wasted no time in getting to know Kemba Walker back in July, talking basketball with the point guard on the night before his introductory presser. That new connection will be watched closely in the wake of Kyrie Irving’s departure to Brooklyn, but the latest All-Star added to Boston’s roster has nothing but rave reviews for his new coach so far as he adjusts to new surroundings for the first time in nine years.
“I’ve always felt that as a point guard I should have a relationship with my head coach,” he said. “Yeah, me and Brad, we’ve been talking a lot. We will. We have some things to grow with one another. That stuff just takes time, takes a lot of time, do I’m looking forward to the growth between me and him.”
The coaching staff has been placing a priority on easing the transition for Walker as he ventures outside of Charlotte for the first time in his pro career. The adjustment period can be challenging for some, but Stevens has been impressed with how quickly Walker is acclimating.
“It’s just like, getting used to everybody around, how we operate and the structure of schedule in practice, what we do in film,” Stevens said of the differences. “There’s all these little things that are a little bit different everywhere you go. But the basketball stuff he picks up really quick. He’s obviously really smart but he’s also played forever and he’s played for a bunch of different coaches. So he’s ready to roll.”
“I think today was just kind of putting in a system," Walker added. "Defensively and I guess our core plays offensively as well, which went really well. I think I picked up things pretty well. Brad’s a great coach and a great teacher as well.”
Jayson Tatum won a 3-point shooting contest today. pic.twitter.com/wAJhvhQlj9
— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) October 1, 2019