NBA Notebook: Celtics leaving Finals loss talk to training camp

Marcus Smart isn't ready for training camp yet. As he lifts, works his core and tests his lateral movement under one month from the team's restart on Sept. 27, he's still feeling the pain from the right ankle sprain he suffered and played through during the East finals. He's closing in on 100% and said he'll be ready to play despite its lingering. Boston has worn the lasting impact of a long season, continuing to take time as the team slowly trickles back to Brighton to conclude an offseason where Ime Udoka stressed getting away, relaxing and recovering.

Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White, Grant Williams, Sam Hauser, JD Davison and Mfiondu Kabengele are in the Auerbach Center early, giving Brogdon and Smart a chance to meet and begin conversations regarding how they'll play together this season. The most difficult talks lie ahead for the returning group, as they've largely avoided discussions this summer regarding their NBA Finals loss to the Warriors. 

"We've been talking individually," Smart said in an exclusive interview with CLNS Media last week. "Nobody has really talked as a team we kind of just wanted to leave it alone. It's still fresh for us, so guys are really just trying to wait, but once we do start talking, we'll get that out there, but right now we're just giving ourselves a break."

The Celtics needed the layoff physically and emotionally. A veteran like Al Horford fell just short, 15 years into his career, of his first championship after regaining play reminiscent of his prime. He was in shock for days after Game 6. Robert Williams III, who the team isn't worried about long-term, and Smart played through multiple injuries, while Jayson Tatum labored through shoulder pain and a small left wrist fracture that he aggravated against the Bucks. Grant Williams looked more battered through each imposing front court matchup that passed, and he also grabbed at his shoulder after a collision in the east finals. He didn't need as long to process the loss to the Warriors. 

Williams saw the immaturity the Celtics played with alongside their pain, noting the difference in discipline the two sides played with as key runs led Golden State to a late win in Game 4, a second-half turnaround in Game 5, before forcing Boston to give chase after halftime in Game 6. After a blowout win in the series opener in San Francisco, the Celtics had control of the opening minutes of Game 2 before Draymond Green pressed his chest into Tatum, earned an early technical foul, and scrambled on the floor for a loose ball with Jaylen Brown, laying his legs on the star who later claimed Green tried to pull his pants down. Williams would tell Duncan Robinson on his podcast that he believed the Celtics were the better team. They simply lacked that Warriors discipline. The physical pain will pass. That hurdle remains. 

"I feel like it's the mental approach more than anything else," Williams told Boston Sports Journal explaining his comments last month. "It's about approaching the game and making the right read every single time. It's about being exactly what the team needs and I feel like that's what we've grown with and gotten better with and now it's a matter of improving on that, expanding on that ... I feel like the discipline side of things is something you work on every day, you practice it waking up in the morning and getting to your workout. I feel like that's how you practice for me, for example, so I feel like all of us are really ready to come together and make it happen." 

Grant came away from the series focused on never getting played off the floor again. He shot 30% from three in the championship series and made only three shots across the final three losses, Golden State switching to take him out of his game. Williams watched his minutes dwindle alongside White and Payton Pritchard's in Udoka's ever-thinning rotation. White shot 30.6% from deep against the Warriors and couldn't settle down a leaky offense. Smart attempted risky passes that sparked the Warriors and struggled to contain Steph Curry as the series progressed, despite holding him to 8-for-23 shooting in their individual minutes against each other. Tatum might've left with the most regrets. 

Breaking the NBA Playoffs record with 100 turnovers, Tatum gave the ball away 23 times in the series and dug a hole shooting 3-for-17 in Game 1 that he never climbed out of. His three-point shooting remained hot from the earlier rounds (45.5%), but historic issues at the rim kept the Celtics offense off-balance at the point of attack. Midway through Game 6, he stared ahead with a blank expression during a timeout as Brown prepared to take over. Tatum worked this offseason on playing off two feet to stabilize his finishing ability, and admitted at his July camp that fatigue factored in as he logged over 400 minutes more than any other NBA player last season. He learned ways to manage that workload, he said, and gave his teammates space to get away with their families earlier in the offseason before jumping into workouts. 

"It takes a long time (to move on)," Tatum said at Summer League. "I still think about (the Finals) every day, probably until the season starts or you get back to the championship, I guess. Just knowing how hard it is to get there and how much harder it is to get over that hump. I've got to be better going into next year and then obviously trying to get back." 

Many of the challenges that prevented the Celtics from winning the title won't be solved through skill development or even the Malcolm Brogdon addition. They'll require the individual conversations and film sessions that drove growth last year when they learned how to play with each other. Brown acknowledged how much discussions he and Tatum shared through doubts about their ability to play together helped strengthen their bond, and they'll need to continue to trust each other in their roles. Udoka knew entering last season he had the talent on the roster to achieve, but would need to be patient as players shed bad habits, learned a defensive system unnatural to most of the team, played through pain and gained consistency. 

The last point faltered at points during the postseason, whether due to a lack of experience on that stage, a divided response to Green's antics or some of the spiraling the group observed through low moments earlier in the season. Udoka himself, probably regretfully, called Finals experience overrated to open the series. He closed it calling on his returning players to come back better, and has stressed starting hot so they don't need to sprint up the standings late.

That's the straightest path to the Celtics returning to the Finals, which isn't a given, as rivals improved in the east. Pritchard wants to put himself in a position to earn consistent playing time. White aimed to get stronger and nail down his shooting. Hauser will be leaned on to replace Danilo Gallinari. Joe Mazzulla is moving up the bench to replace former assistant coach Will Hardy, a key strategic voice. Those individual improvements and contributions will need to coalesce around a collective mindset this year.

Brown said in an interview there isn't much left to say about the Finals. The Celtics beat themselves. He's transitioned into working on his body with high-intensity pool workouts, trying to ignore the Kevin Durant trade reports that dominated July. That's another conversation that's been had with the front office, Smart noting Brown's high spirits and smile on his face during their LA workout last month. Brown led the team vocally against the Warriors, stressing that they respond to their rival's physicality and antics. His voice might be the one Boston needs to follow.

"We learned a lot out of our experience and unfortunately we had to lose to do that, but we now know what it takes to play, to be there, the stress it takes on you, mentally, physically, emotionally," Smart said. "You kind of figure when and when not to be too excited about it, how to play it and how to keep yourself calm. It was a lot of factors that we've learned individually and as a group from this." 

Here's what else happened in the NBA this week...

Boston: The idea of Carmelo Anthony joining the Celtics is gaining traction, Gary Washburn wrote in the Boston Globe, but the team's stance has remained patient following Danilo Gallinari's ACL tear. Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White, Grant Williams, Sam Hauser, JD Davison and Mfiondu Kabengele are in the team's facilities early, while Marcus Smart told CLNS Media he's still recovering from the sprained right ankle he suffered in May against the Heat. Brogdon told the Globe he's ready to be Boston's sixth man behind Smart. 

In Europe, Boston's 2021 second-round pick Yam Madar finished his EuroBasket run with 16 points, five assists and three steals against the Czech Republic on 5-for-9 shooting. Madar averaged 13.4 PPG, 3.0 APG and 1.4 SPG on 57.5% shooting (52.2% 3PT) in five games after a scoreless start, hitting four threes against the Netherlands and Serbia. Israel will not advance in the tournament and Madar will play for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia again this season. 

Brooklyn: Don't expect free agent Blake Griffin to be back with the Nets, Kristian Winfield said, after the veteran played sparingly last season after failing to endear himself to head coach Steve Nash. Griffin's shooting struggles were the main point of contention, despite playing well in other areas. That was reflected in the team's first-round loss to Boston, where Griffin sat until an effective Game 3 run off the bench and more extended minutes in Game 4 that went poorly. Griffin challenged the team's urgency after his first appearance, one of many internal questions about the roster's mindset through a season that ended in a startling sweep. The story also underscores questions about Nash as head coach. 

Charlotte: After Giannis Antetokounmpo strangely expressed how great playing for the Bulls would be in the future, Steph Curry teased another middling NBA franchise. The MVP and champion said if he didn't finish his career with the Warriors, it'd end in his native North Carolina playing for the Hornets. The comments came during a presentation awarding him the key to the city of Charlotte.

Cleveland: Added Armoni Brooks, Mamadi Diakite and Kelan Martin, who played for the Celtics last season, on training camp deals. Ray Spalding and Jamorko Pickett will also work out as the Cavaliers try to fill roster spots emptied by their three-for-one Donovan Mitchell trade. The deals round out the team's offseason roster, with 14 of 15 players signed to regular season deals. Isaac Okoro, now one of the most important among them, has been reportedly working relentlessly on his shooting this offseason at Auburn.

Dallas: Among the earliest teams interested in Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who's viewed as the next likely player to move in the aftermath of the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades. Bogdanovic, playing on a one-year, $19.3-million contract, averaged 18.1 PPG and 4.3 RPG on 45.5% shooting and 38.7% efficiency from three last season. Dallas would need to stack up $16.1 million to match his salary, which could come from Dwight Powell's $11.1-million expiring, Josh Green's $3.1-million rookie and Frank Ntilikina's one-year, $2.0-million contracts. Powell would be a real loss as Luka Doncic's main pick-and-roll partner in recent years, but the team added Javale McGee, extended Maxi Kleber (3yrs, $33M) and traded for Christian Wood, creating a crowded front court. Davis Bertans' contract would be the other avenue to getting the deal done, though he carries a long-term guaranteed salary. 

Bogdanovic already played in a threes-and-layups system next to Mitchell, another high-usage guard, so the transition would make sense. Utah would save money against the tax. The only issue for Dallas is they don't have their 2023 first-round pick, which is owed to New York from the Kristaps Porzingis trade. 

Denver: Nikola Jokic and Serbia are onto the EuroBasket elimination bracket, facing Italy on Sunday as the tournament's top seed following a 5-0 group stage where the back-to-back NBA MVP averaged 19.6 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.8 SPG on 68.4% shooting. Serbia defeated its weak Group D opponents on average by 21.6 points per game, with a more imposing center matchup likely ahead in the round of 16 against either Turkey or France. EuroBasket play is available on ESPN+ through the tournament's conclusion on Sept. 18. 

Detroit: New Pistons jerseys were inspired by a passionate voicemail from a fan two years ago, The Athletic revealed. The Celtics could potentially shake up their black-and-green uniforms from last season. 

James Edwards III also noted that Kemba Walker is still in a standoff with the team over a buyout agreement to allow him to become a free agent with weeks until training camp. The holdup, Edwards wrote, could be that Walker may not have another opportunity lined up after he accepts a buyout, since the two sides had originally agreed to a figure several million dollars less than his $9-million salary for this season. Detroit could ultimately absorb that figure as a team well below the salary cap ($32.1M below). 

Golden State: The Warriors will welcome veterans Ben McLemore, Elfrid Payton, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Kenneth Faried to workouts to potentially fill the final roster spot Andre Iguodala would vacate if he retires. Shabazz Muhammad, Solomon Hill, Tyler Cook and Kelan Martin worked out for the team earlier this offseason, and Golden State has maintained a roster opening in case Iguodala decides to return, with 13 players currently signed to regular season deals out of 15. Steve Kerr told 95.7 The Game the team hopes to have Iguodala back.

Houston: A strong EuroBasket continued for Alperen Sengun, who led Turkey to the knockout round with a 3-2 record averaging 12.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG and 1.0 BPG on 53.3% shooting. They'll face France on Saturday, as Rockets forward Usman Garuba's Spanish team faces Domantas Sabonis and Lithuania. 

Lakers: Kendrick Nunn, the former Heat guard who missed his entire first season in LA, is under consideration for a starting role after getting cleared for more contact in workouts (knee bruise). Lonnie Walker IV and Austin Reaves will also be in play to start, alongside Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley, opening the door for Westbrook to potentially transition into a bench role. It'd be a risky first act by head coach Darvin Ham, but it may be necessary to give Westbrook and the team the best chance to succeed and not need to pivot to a trade. Westbrook and Beverley, who will team up after years of hostilities, shared a short embrace following Beverley's introductory presser. 

“If they play defense,” Ham said answering the question of whether Westbrook and Beverley can share the floor. “We’ve got a while. That’s still a ways off, but definitely. … It’s definitely a bullet in the chamber. We’re looking forward to it, man. Those guys in the backcourt together, man.”

Milwaukee: Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a minor right ankle sprain in Greece's final win of their undefeated Group C run over Estonia. Antetokounmpo left the game after scoring 25 points in 19 minutes, with head coach Dimitrios Itoudis saying that Antetokounmpo would be all good after. He's averaging 29.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.5 SPG and 1.0 BPG on 58.2% shooting. Greece will advance to face the Czech Republic on Sunday in the knockout stage, as Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic appear on a collision course in the final if they stay healthy.

New York: Charles Barkley revealed, based on a conversation with Knicks advisor William Wesley (AKA World Wide Wes), that the asking price for Donovan Mitchell might've been even larger for the Knicks than originally reported. Adrian Wojnarowski said New York offered R.J. Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Obi Toppin with three first-round picks earlier this offseason, while Wesley told Barkley that the Knicks wanted Mitchell, but Utah's front office was trying to rip them off. Cam Reddish may still want out, the New York Daily News reported. 

"They wanted my wife, they wanted my kids, they wanted my grandkids," he told Barkley.

Orlando: Terrence Ross had rave reviews for new Magic big man Bol Bol, who joined the team amid his foot injury recovery after landing in Boston briefly over the winter through a pair of luxury tax shuffling moves. Bol is back on the court after re-signing with Orlando, playing in runs with Paolo Banchero, Ross and others at the team's new practice facility.

“Let me tell you this dude does freakish things,” Ross said. “He makes our tallest players look like they are 6-foot-2. You know how you do the over-the-top dribble, he does that to Mo Bamba. Bamba is 7-foot. . . . It’s the most unreal thing. He was working out with him, Mo and Paolo and they were doing finishes at the rim. For Bol, it’s unreal. He has bounce and can shoot. Just imagine me at 7-foot." 

Philadelphia: The 76ers signed veteran center Montrezl Harrell to a two-year, $5.2-million contract with a second-year player option, reuniting the 2020 sixth man of the year with his head coach Doc Rivers from that season in LA. Harrell played with the Wizards and Hornets last year, averaging 13.1 PPG and 6.1 RPG on 64.5% shooting, losing his role in Washington before his production slipped slightly in Charlotte. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge in Kentucky last week after initially face charges of felony trafficking, avoiding potential jail time with a record that will be expunged if he avoids legal trouble for 12 months. Harrell will be 29 this season and remains a defensive question mark, but he is an elite rolling scorer who can relieve Joel Embiid and play alongside James Harden, who recruited Harrell. 

Portland: Gary Payton II, who won the 2022 championship, revealed why he left the Warriors for the Trail Blazers in an appearance on George Karl's podcast, calling the decision strictly financial. He signed a three-year, $29-million contract with Portland despite hoping to return to Golden State, who faced enormous luxury tax hurdles to retain him. The Blazers' roster shuffling continued after stretching Didi Louzada's contract before the deadline to gain cap relief this season, signing Devontae Cacok, Olivier Sarr, Isaiah Miller and Jared Rhoden to training camp deals. They now have 14 regular season roster spots filled with Brandon Williams signed to one two-way spot. 

Utah: The Donovan Mitchell trade became official this week, Danny Ainge addressing that move and the Rudy Gobert deal together as a chance to best position Utah into the future. 

"It was clear that in order to optimize our opportunity to create a team that could truly contend and establish sustained success, we needed to transition our roster,” Ainge said. 

League personnel told Eric Pincus they expect Ochai Agbaji, Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton to stay put, while Talen Horton-Tucker Jared Butler, Udoka Azubuike and Nickeil Alexander-Walker will receive chances to prove themselves. Walker Kessler is seen as the key returning piece in the Minnesota trade, while Simone Fontecchio should be safe too. That leaves multiple wings, headlined by Bojan Bogdanovic, available to contenders like Dallas, Miami, Memphis and Sacramento. Mike Conley and Rudy Gay face weaker markets, while Malik Beasley and Jordan Clarkson fall somewhere in the middle. Jarred Vanderbilt would have multiple suitors if he moves.