Celtics begin the slow march towards normalcy in their first practice of the season

The first official Celtics practice of the season gave a glimpse of something we didn’t really see at media day. 

Smiles. 

“It was great,” Grant Williams, self-proclaimed uplifting smiley guy, said after practice. “Good moods today. Ready to get going because it's the first day of structured basketball, you would say, since we got done last season. So you can tell the preparedness is there, the detail is  there. And everybody's just focused on the one goal and that's winning.” 

By the time the media stepped onto the floor at the Auerbach Center, the players were focused on winning the half court shooting contest (Luke Kornet, Brodric Thomas, and Al Horford earned bragging rights there). It ended a much needed day of focusing on the business of basketball. 

“It's nice, it's good, it's a good thing, just to be able to play basketball,” Horford said. “That's what we're here for. And to start this thing back up again.”

The distractions still linger, which is clear by the amount of local television cameras crowding the post-practice scrums. The clacking of tripods setting up is generally the sound of news departments suddenly being interested in sports stories. Nevertheless, the echoing of basketballs around the gym was enough to satisfy the Celtics on this day. 

Well, that and the sound of Marcus Smart during practice. 

“Marcus, he’s always overly vocal. So we don’t have to worry about him,” Horford joked, noting the uptick in overall communication during the first official session. 

“You could tell his presence was there,” Williams said. “You could tell in switches and coverages, you saw how loud he was communicating. You knew he was here today and that’s something that as a leader, you love to see because sometimes leaders can come in, they can take the first day lightly. He came in with great intensity from the jump.”

The intensity extended to new interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, who has been tossed into the fire in the wake of the Ime Udoka scandal.

“Ime is probably calmer. I’m a little bit more of a mover around. I like to move around a lot,” Mazzulla said. “I tried to end today’s (practice) just being on the court with the guys, because that’s something that I miss, something that I want to be able to do. So there are moments I’m walking around like, ‘What am I supposed to be doing right now? But for the most part, I love being with the guys and they’re great guys and that’s where I find my joy, and that’s where I want them to get theirs.”

Mazzulla is hoping to flatten the obvious learning curve the Celtics face, and part of that is by maintaining as much consistency as possible. Day one for Boston was different in many ways, but the continuity was helpful.

“It feels like we just kind of picked up where we left off,” Horford said “I mean, it's only one practice, we're missing some guys, but it felt pretty good out there.”

Each practice, each day, brings Boston one step closer to normal. For Mazzulla, maintaining normalcy is going to be the key to making this process work. 

“I drive a minivan … And I’m not changing it,” Mazzulla joked. “But I park in the same spot. I do what I’m supposed to do. And I think that’s part of it. Same thing I’m asking the players to do, I have to do. I have to do my job; I have to take it one day at a time and I can’t skip any steps either.”

OTHER PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS

- When the curtains rose for the final 15 minutes or so of practice, there were four stations of teams working on drills. Notably, Kornet was working with the starting group at one of the baskets. 

This obviously means nothing, necessarily. He may start in Sunday’s preseason opener, he might not. If he does, he might never start again. We don’t know yet, but the first data point we have is Kornet working with the first unit. 

Of course, the reaction to Kornet potentially getting big minutes is being met with mixed reviews from fans. With Robert Williams out, the remaining backup big men will be asked to do a lot. 

“I see great energy. Those guys are willing, they're hungry,” Horford said. “This first practice, you could tell, the level of intensity and we have a lot to prove. We do, especially our frontcourt. So those guys know it. And I feel like this was a good first day. Obviously, we got to continue to build on it. But those guys are hungry, they're very motivated.”

- The full training camp roster has been announced

Obviously, there's no Danilo Gallinari or Robert Williams around. The roster will be pared down to 15 (or 14, depending on whether they want to leave a roster spot open) by the start of the season. Two of these players, Mfiondu Kabengele and JD Davison, are two-way players and already don’t count towards the final roster, so three players will have to be waived. 

- Jayson Tatum spent some time after the practice working on floaters. Perfecting that shot could be a nice weapon for him, especially against some of the more elite shot blockers. 

- Next practice is tomorrow morning with media again in the afternoon. Charlotte comes to town Sunday afternoon to begin the preseason slate.