The Celtics' preseason is over, and though we probably didn’t learn as much as we would have liked heading into the regular season, there is still something to take from it.
Here are some thoughts about each individual player after the tune-ups.
JAYLEN BROWN
Obviously, the first step is making sure his hamstring is okay. If he misses significant time, this space will turn into a college scouting page in a hurry because the Celtics will be a lottery team.
Brown’s responsibilities have to evolve this season. I’m not just talking about him stepping up the assists and crashing a little more to grab an extra rebound or two, it’s about being aware of the entire flow of the game and managing that.
Some of that is the point guard’s role, but the Celtics aren’t playing a traditional PG at all. Brown will have the ball in his hands a lot, and part of that will mean he has to know who has gotten a lot of shots, who needs some touches, and how to keep players involved and engaged.
He has never had to do that before. This isn’t an easy thing to do. But if, for instance, Neemias Queta has done a lot of the dirty work on the defensive end for a few possessions, Brown needs to make sure Queta gets a touch on an offensive possession so Queta stays engaged and willing to continue doing that other work.
Guys like scoring points. They like feeling involved in the offense. Brown is capable of going off for 30 a night if he really wants to, but he has to sacrifice some of that, in the right spots, to get the most out of his team.
DERRICK WHITE
Perfect preseason. No notes.
Okay, maybe not perfect, but I trust White to give the game what it needs. I even like that he saw an opportunity against Toronto to work on his game.
“It’s the last game for a week, so just try to push it,” he said. “Get tired, shoot while you’re tired and just see how that feels. This is the best way to simulate it, so just go out there, compete, have fun. I know they were going to play hard, so that was a good challenge.”
So when you look at the box score and see 17 3-pointers, just know that some of that was purposeful so he could adjust to shooting while fatigued. That's a smart player using the preseason for its intended purpose.
ANFERNEE SIMONS
A bit of a mixed bag, which means we don’t know anything yet. He is capable of putting up a 13-point quarter, but is he truly capable of thriving in a faster-paced setting.
I saw him trying to defend and showing some promise in straight-up situations. However, things changed once he was hit with picks. He needs to navigate those better to be an effective defender. I wish Jrue Holiday were around to show him how. Holiday is still elite at that.
So the preseason goes down as a big “incomplete” for Simons. He still has a ways to go.
PAYTON PRITCHARD
I was most impressed with Pritchard’s rebounding efforts. He was really making an effort to box out this preseason.
I’m curious to see how much he thrives in a bigger role. We talk about iso ball a lot in terms of Brown and Jayson Tatum, but Pritchard was third on the team in isolation frequency last season. His ball-handling ability allows him to get past a lot of defenders.
I don’t think he’s going to be a ball-stopper, but I think his instincts tend to lean towards dribbling. I’m more curious than anything how that works with how the team is set to play overall.
SAM HAUSER
He’s going to be asked to do more all around, especially on the offensive end.
“His game will evolve,” Joe Mazzulla said after practice on Tuesday. “We'll probably find some more second side actions. He'll probably find the ball in his hands a little bit more. But role is the same. I mean, he's done a lot for us. I mean, he's played a lot of big games, he's finished games, he started games, so the role doesn't necessarily change. I think it's more the ownership and their accountability and their responsibility to now, not only, get yourself ready, but making sure you get your teammates ready. So he takes pride in being a great teammate. It’s one of the ways he leads, and he just has to continue to do that.”
He’s always been prone to hot and cold stretches, so let’s see how this added responsibility affects that. Will the greater role allow for more consistency, or will it go the other way.
NEEMIAS QUETA
I went into this extensively after the Raptors game, but his biggest enemy is going to be himself. Can he find consistency, or will his career just be a week of great play followed by two weeks of nothing?
“I believe in him, and I think his growth is important for us,” Mazzulla said. “I think he's been here for two-and-change, and he's gotten better all the time, and I think that's why you get into coaching. You really get into coaching to take guys like that and see where they can get you. And it's been fun getting to that.”
It’s a nice-sounding quote, but the translation is ‘I enjoy the challenge of getting this guy who doesn’t always play well to get better.’ There is praise there, but there's also a heavy dose of reality.
His job is to set picks and then make sure he’s reading the defense well enough to react to the next play. Is it another pick? Is it a roll? Is it a dribble handoff? He has to see things as quickly as the wings do and be at that next spot, making the next right play.
On the other end, it’s rebound and block shots. If he can’t do it consistently, he’ll lose trust.
JOSH MINOTT
I like him as an energy wing off the bench. I don’t like his jumper, but as long as his 3-pointers go in 36% of the time or better, I don’t care if he headbutts them in.
“Josh has been great. He's been great all training camp,” Brown said. “He's a long, athletic wing. Something that we kind of could've used over the past years or so. Somebody high-energy. Super athletic. We need that. That defensive pressure, intensity. And he's been showing that he can knock down a shot and he can take a guy off the bounce, as well. So he's displayed some great talent."
I think Minott has been the most consistent guy outside of White this preseason. I hope that continues when the regular season starts and the competition gets better.
CHRIS BOUCHER
He’s best suited to play the four, but he can slide into that small-ball five role fairly well. The Celtics would take a big hit on the defensive rebounding in those games, but it would really pump up the pace.
I think what we’re going to end up seeing is Boston’s four bigs being used for very distinct purposes. There is no single big who will differentiate himself enough to be “the guy” all season. None of them is good enough to handle that job full-time.
I like Boucher as a starter next to Queta, which can be a situational thing. There will be some mixing and matching with everyone all season long.
LUKA GARZA
Obviously his strengths are as a screener and as a solid fifth option offensively. He is strong, so he can get guys free and he’s been able to get himself to the line. I think he is as advertised when he was acquired, but the defensive deficiencies seem to be something that can be overcome.
XAVIER TILLMAN
As I said after the final Raptors game, I think it’s great to see the hard work pay off in some big plays down the stretch to win, preseason game or not.
There's a 30 Rock joke where Tracey Jordan was considered the “third heat,” that completed the show. I think Tillman can be a sort of “fourth heat” for the Celtics frontcourt, giving them a strong, switchable big who can handle himself with more force than Boucher.
I’m not sold on his overall knee health because I know how chronic issues can flare up even after going away for a while. I hope that doesn’t happen in this case.
BAYLOR SCHEIERMAN
I thought he could win some rotation minutes this season but I don’t see that at all right now. He hasn’t shot well enough, he hasn’t made great decisions, and he’s out of position enough that Mazzulla is on his case during games.
So for now I’m not seeing him in the rotation. There is room to maneuver, though, and there will be plenty of opportunity to seize minutes throughout the season.
JORDAN WALSH
Missed most of the preseason with the groin injury so it’s a big shrug from me on Walsh. I’m not high on his chances, but I don’t see what they see in practice.
My feeling is that he’s going to be sitting and watching most games.
HUGO GONZALEZ
Too young to contribute right away, but I love the flashes I’ve seen from him. I think he will be a starter here someday in the future. I think this season is all about his development, so I want to see him getting 35 minutes a night in Maine to get him up to speed.
THE TWO-WAY GUYS: AMARI WILLIAMS, RON HARPER JR., MAX SHULGA
Obviously two-way guys need a lot of development. There are always a couple of two-way guys who make some real noise every season, but I don’t think we’ll see that from any of these guys.
