Every time the Celtics step on the court it has now become a basketball frenzy

The NBA does a lot of stupid shit, but I’m not sure there’s anything stupider than playing back to back in the preseason. If you really want to play five games and have a week off before the start of the regular season, start the preseason earlier. With the Sixers coming to Boston last night and the Celtics finally back in the US, it should have been a chance to see both teams at full strength. Instead, the Sixers came out of a B2B and used literally every good player they have. The Celts enter a B2B tonight against the Raptors and will likely do the same. Well done, Adam Silver, you idiot.

So with the Celts at full strength (Al is a healthy player), it’s not really surprising that they’ve gotten absolute crap out of the Sixers bench and the deep bench. Once we hit the bench-versus-bank minutes, nothing seems to have changed, but that too was to be expected.

At the same time, it’s not my problem that PHI left everyone sitting and the Celts are still getting everyone in game shape after almost a week without games. I’m not here to be upset that the Sixers got inconvenienced by a 50 Burger. I enjoyed every second of it. In fact, I got annoyed when the lead dipped below 50 and dropped to around 47 for a few possessions.

What interests me is what we have seen now in all three preseason games (3-0), with the last two wins coming by 26 and 50 points.

When the Celtics take the court in 2024-25, it will be pure basketball ecstasy.

This is what it looks like

The good

-Before training camp, we were all hoping that both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown would start upset this year. This change in attitude would theoretically translate into an even more dominant version of each player, which in turn would elevate the Celtics as a whole to a new level that they must reach if they want to repeat as champions.

Well, with a sample size of 3 fake games, it appears that’s exactly what’s happening

As we know, everything begins and ends with these two. If you have an answer for not just one but both players, you’re screwed. It’s that simple.

Since it was declared that Jayson Tatum’s jump shot was gone (????), he is shooting 40.9% from 3PT on 7.3 attempts. I’m not a math guy, but that seems like a pretty good percentage at pretty decent volume. Tatum’s release is definitely quicker and definitely smoother, and whether it’s a pullup or a C&S, it always takes me back to his 2019-20 season when he shot 40% on three shots that season and was automatic with the Pullup 3PA. We already know that if we can now add 40% at a high level to the list, he will do everything else on the court at a high level on both sides?

Giphy images.

He just acts more pissed off towards Jaylen. His body looks bigger and his aggressiveness has been evident since Game 1. He plays like a guy who TOTALLY wants to smoke, which is obviously the least surprising thing ever. Thank you for the millionth time, Steve Kerr.

Jaylen doesn’t shoot the ball particularly well from deep (25%) or from the line (63.6%) and still leads the team in scoring (15.7). What a monster.

– With Kristaps Porzingis out until December/January, Joe Mazzulla has a decision to make. Does he follow last year’s plan and simply push Al Horford into the starting lineup since we know this group can win together at a high level? Or does he decide to experiment with ways to save Horford’s legs even more and go with someone like Luke Kornet at the five to eat up some regular season minutes until KP returns?

I would say there are pros and cons to each. One thing you lose is three-point shooting and the extra distance of a stretch five, which is pretty good. But what you gain is offensive rebounding, good passing, a guy who doesn’t need to touch the ball and can focus on defense and rebounding, good FT shooting, high basketball IQ, and a great short roll passer

Even if Kornet doesn’t put in much effort, he’s figured out how to survive and thrive alongside Tatum and Brown, which is the most important thing for my money. Kornet is a much more solid center than I think people give him credit for, and while there will be times when he gets lost in space or botches a simple pass, he is as solid a third center as you can find the league. He’s a guy who knows his role and I’m intrigued by his offensive rebounding abilities on the field with the starting unit as well as him as a roll guy in P&R. He can catch a lob with ease, and few centers are as good at finding weak-side shooters in the short roll.

– Given that the Celts were up 10 points in just 6 minutes and scored 20 points in the first quarter, this game quickly became an opportunity to see what the Celtics’ deep bench looked like. It can be argued that you won’t find a stronger team in League 1-15 and last night you were shown why.

Take Xavier Tillman for example. He has a great chance to get minutes with KP out, and one thing we were all hoping for in his development was improvement as a three-point shooter.

How about 3-3 from distance off the bench? So far in the preseason, Tillman is shooting 75% from distance with 2.7 3PA per game. Every time we see him he throws some open looks, from all zones. Corner threes look great, but last night we got some over the break and at the top of the arc at 3 p.m. These are the ones who tell me that his shooting is getting better and that he is becoming more confident with each round. This is a VERY big development for Tillman if he can stay at 35-36% for the season.

There aren’t many position battles for this roster, but there’s a chance someone could win the Oshae Brissett role. The wing depth after Sam Hauser needs to be filled, and the frontrunner in the clubhouse for me so far is clearly Jordan Walsh

The shot looks incredible. Considering how terrible he looked in Vegas (and it was TERRIBLE), this is easily the biggest surprise of the preseason. We already knew he was fine defensively and had decent length, but this shot looks a lot better than we imagined

This is damn smooth! No problem, it’s fast and perfect. If you’re unmoved by Jordan Walsh’s three-point shooting this preseason (41.7% on 4.0 3PA), you might be dead. The next step will be for him to still be able to make threes once the Defense actually respected his shots. But there’s no denying that if that shot is real, there’s an easy 10 minutes here and there for Walsh. Think, whatever Brissy had last year, those are the minutes for Walsh this year.

Of course, since Brad Stevens is a basketball genius, it doesn’t stop there. How about a 15th man who can do shit like that?

This was by far Lonnie Walker IV’s best performance as a Celtic, and it felt like a big “exhale” moment for him. He finally saw some shots go down, and he showed his versatility as a backup wing (7 assists) to push that lead to over 50. Even though he’s struggled at times, I still believe in his ability, and I think that’s true even when you’re limited The way the Celts are when it comes to team building, it’s a no-brainer to have the ability of Lonnie Walker as a 15th man for minimal money to add.

Send him to Maine to get him reps and if someone gets hurt, he’s a guy with actual NBA experience. For now, you consider Walsh and Sheierman to be your only backup wings after Hauser. I don’t see any harm in keeping Walker around, especially when he plays like this.

– I’m afraid this team sucks

Check out the entire #MazzullaBall at the top of this list. What a guy, what a system, what a coach.

– The best thing about watching Sam Hauser is the fact that he just never misses anything. I haven’t had this much faith in a Celtic doing a 3PA since we got to watch Ray Allen do it. In fact, I’m shocked when Hauser even glazes the rims of their brands. He’s as pure a shooter as a human can be

One of the best shooters in the world and Brad got him for about 4/40 million. Another hit.

– 38 AST and only 13 TOs. Seems pretty good! When this team moves the ball and shoots with confidence (54/48%), there is no basketball team on the planet that can beat them 4 out of 7 times. The Celts are capable of reaching a level offensively that other teams simply don’t have the ammunition to reach. There’s no point in getting upset about it, it’s just reality.

The evil

– Baylor appears to be far from ready. That doesn’t mean he won’t look ready one day, but that day isn’t today. It’s a very similar situation to the early Nesmith years in that he was considered an automatic shooter and the shot hasn’t exactly been implemented at the NBA level yet. While Walsh looks much better in preseason than he did in Vegas, I would say he looks pretty much the same for Baylor, if not worse.

Broadly speaking, this is what you expect from the final pick of the first round. His 2024-25 season is about continuing to develop in Maine, and if he proves ready early, that’s great. But Year 1 and Year 2 are about learning how to play at the NBA level. I think once he has a game where he shoots well it will do wonders for his confidence, but right now it feels like he’s suffering from lack of bucketitis. Open 3PA, layups, floaters, midrange, everything has been mostly a breeze so far.

– The starters were way too sloppy with the ball this preseason. Careless dribbling, lazy passes, all that shit at the start of the season that is very annoying but also understandable when the players get back on their feet. Still watch the ball.

The ugly

– How are you doing in this stretch in a game where you led by 54 points and won by 50 points? I don’t know, maybe the 10-14 from the line? Tatum and Brown missing three of the team’s first five FTA tournaments wasn’t great, but who are we kidding, this win was as close to perfect basketball as you can get.

The good news is that they’re back tonight in a game that was supposed to be bench/deep bench only. Let’s see what they look like with a greater chance and whether they can maintain the standard set.