BRIGHTON -- Player development has been the backbone of the Boston Celtics organization for years. So much so that they have built a team whose ceiling will be guided by depth.
When the Celtics traded Jaylen Brown, Brad Stevens highlighted two primary factors: Cap usage and on-court usage. Boston didn't want two players taking up 70% of the cap, and they didn't want two super-high usage players headlining the show.
Now, the Celtics' depth will have a better chance to shine. And the player development staff has played a huge part in Boston's roster being as deep as it is.
Boston's summer work has been well documented. Even though training camp didn't officially start until Monday, the Celtics have been in the gym for months.
"We have one of the best staffs in the league, so really as hands-off as possible, allowing them to [with] Craig [Luscenat], our head of player development, and our PD guys do a great job," Mazzulla said earlier in the week. "Summer League head coach does a great job of setting that, so trying to stay out of it as much as we can. Just give the guys the empowerment and the responsibility to grow, and I think they're great."
Luschenat is a Massachusetts native, having attended Andover High School. He now heads up Boston's player development staff, and it's quickly become one of the best in the business.
It would be impossible to list every member of the coaching staff's responsibilities. Luschenat is simply the head of the snake. He has an elite team around him. Guys like Da'Sean Butler, Nana Foulland, and God Shammgod Jr. put in countless hours.
Alex Merg is the connector between analytics and the coaching staff. Phil Pressey is heading into his second year with the Maine Celtics. Every player has a coach they work closely with.
Tyler Lashbrook works with Hugo Gonzalez. "He's an amazing coach, an amazing player -- an amazing person, sorry. He's been great with me," Gonzalez told BostonSportsJournal.com last season. "And also, it's hard to catch the game when you come from overseas, and everything that he has [done has] made my life easier in that.”
DJ MacLeay works with Luka Garza. "He just really had a vision for what I could be from watching me play, and he's kind of helped me build an identity," Garza said last year.
Everybody has their guy. Every coach up and down the roster plays a part. They work tirelessly to improve throughout the season, but it starts much, much earlier than that. Getting in the gym with Luschenat and the rest of the staff as early as August helps set a necessary foundation.
"I think it's important. You may not see the seeds of that right away, but I think it's important, one, to the environment of setting a tone of just consistent work ethic over the course of an entire year, and it's not just about what you do during the season," Mazzulla said at training camp on Friday morning. "So, I think it starts there. One, I think you know our player development team, led by Craig, they do a great job of setting that environment of, it's about development, it's about getting better. And then it just kind of bleeds into the season.
"And I think there's a different energy when those guys are here all year round working. It's a credit to them, and it's a credit to our staff. And so I think you see the seeds of that kind of grow a couple years now. You see the guys that have done it. But it's got to start somewhere, and it starts with those guys setting the tone for offseason workouts."
Rookies Chris Cenac and Dillon Mitchell have been introduced to the way the Celtics organization runs things. In fact, they were introduced as soon as they touched down in Boston.
After getting drafted, both rookies flew to Boston. When they landed, instead of going to their hotel and getting settled, they went straight to the Auerbach Center.
"When me and Chris got drafted and flew in, that day we flew in, we didn't even go to the hotel and change. We came straight here and got a workout in," Mitchell said. "So, it's been immediate. It's been every day. It's not a lot of -- No days off, really. Every day you get it in, whether it's short or whether if it's a long one. We're coming in for the summer."
As soon as Cenac and Mitchell got to Boston, they were put on a player development plan. Shooting has been a priority so far for the rookies.
"Really just the concepts, learning everything for the first time, and definitely the shooting has been another big piece," Mitchell said.
"I think it's really just getting the reps. Getting reps," Cenac said. "I had a pretty good jump shot in college and high school, so Craig didn't really want to change up my shot or anything. So, it's really just reps right now."
Though both guys are making sure to focus on a bit of everything. "Just being versatile, really," Cenac said. "Defending, getting better at blocking shots. Me and Craig been working a lot on the shooting. Getting my shot where it's supposed to be. So, we've been pretty much working on everything. All-around game."
Every day at training camp, the rookies run through a number of shooting drills. They'll take