The Celtics topped the Nuggets 107-103 Friday within the preseason opener for each groups.
Wins and losses don’t essentially matter throughout the preseason, however the particulars do. Right here’s a preseason inventory report.
Top off
Preseason P
Payton Pritchard missed an opportunity on the halftime buzzer so as to add to his rising assortment of heaves, however couldn’t draw iron on a troublesome try. Nonetheless, he continued to stamp himself as a preseason king.
After averaging 15.6 factors throughout 23.6 minutes per sport final preseason, Pritchard surpassed these marks Friday whereas scoring 21 factors in 24 minutes. He didn’t ease into something, searching for his shot from the second he subbed into the sport. He canned 6-of-12 3-point makes an attempt whereas scoring 14 first-half factors and one other seven within the third quarter. The guard sat out the fourth like the opposite regulars, however not earlier than dishing six assists. The Celtics offense typically seemed finest with him on the court docket.
Pritchard’s 2023 preseason run foreshadowed one of the best season of his profession. Perhaps one other sturdy preseason will recommend he’s able to take one other step ahead.
White’s strategy
The 2 groups began training final week and had been nonetheless certainly feeling the impression of the 12-hour flight to Abu Dhabi. They’d each motive to play some sloppy basketball, and certain did play some early. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown took turns committing ugly turnovers. Luke Kornet badly missed an formidable tip-in try from about 10 ft away. The Celtics protection had some highlights, together with when Brown mashed a Vlatko Čančar providing off the glass, however didn’t all the time seem linked.
Derrick White labored with fervor, although. He stripped Aaron Gordon within the put up early within the first quarter, then racked up a number of admirable defensive rotations. Halfway by the primary quarter, White scrambled backwards and forwards throughout the court docket to salvage a possession when the Nuggets had numbers. Later, his doggedness compelled Michael Porter Jr. right into a journey and created a steal from behind in transition.
It was simply preseason. The Celtics are the defending champions. And White, certainly one of their finest gamers, competed like he was chasing a roster spot. He set the kind of tone Joe Mazzulla desires. Boston didn’t all the time play nicely, however sometimes performed exhausting.
Tillman’s jumper
Xavier Tillman appeared in 20 regular-season video games and eight playoff video games for the Celtics final season with out ever hitting a number of 3-pointers in a contest. He did so Friday whereas going 2 for 3 from deep within the preseason opener.
It could be a big improvement for Tillman to turn out to be a satisfactory outdoors shooter. Although his protection is usually stellar, he didn’t discover some ways to assist the Boston offense final season (with one notable exception when he drilled a key 3-pointer within the Finals). He won’t ever be a lot of an above-the-rim finisher however the Celtics hope he can start to harm defenses designed to go away him open behind the arc.
As a 26.7-percent profession 3-point shooter, Tillman hasn’t provided a lot proof to consider he’ll ever develop a stable outdoors stroke. Together with the postseason, he shot 9 for 29 on 3-point makes an attempt (31 %) after becoming a member of the Celtics on the commerce deadline. However he boldly stepped into an above-the-break 3-point try throughout his first minute on the court docket Friday and later drilled a pair of nook makes an attempt. He might want to do much more to show he can knock down photographs constantly, however each made 3-pointer from him might be useful, particularly whereas Kristaps Porziņģis is out.
The Celtics performed most of their typical starters throughout the first half Friday, however had been with out their prime two large males in Porzingis (foot) and Al Horford (relaxation). Of their absence, Kornet drew the beginning. He scored six factors, grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out three assists.
Derrick White was already in wonderful kind throughout the Celtics first preseason sport. (Francois Nel/Getty Photos)
Inventory down
Finish-of-rotation capturing
After utilizing their 4 typical perimeter starters with Kornet and Xavier Tillman for the whole first quarter, the Celtics started the second quarter with a bench unit. Jaden Springer and Jordan Walsh had been each within the lineup, suggesting they may have an early leg up on incomes no matter alternatives exist behind Pritchard and Sam Hauser.
Springer and Walsh every delivered spectacular passes and initiated the offense once in a while. They mixed for 5 offensive rebounds with some exhausting crashes from the nook. They confirmed off their promising defensive instruments. Additionally they mixed to shoot 2 for 7 from behind the arc, revealing a possible weak spot of the Celtics’ end-of-rotation items. Walsh produced each of these makes, but in addition hesitated from the perimeter at instances. His observe report courting again to his school days suggests his outdoors stroke is questionable at finest. The identical goes for Springer.
Preseason rotations don’t all the time imply a lot (keep in mind when Juancho Hernangomez began over Horford throughout the first preseason sport beneath Ime Udoka?), however the Celtics didn’t prioritize capturing with their ninth and tenth spots within the opener. Walsh and Springer had their moments, although, and are intriguing younger gamers in their very own methods. Amongst different potential perimeter choices, Baylor Scheierman didn’t play till the fourth quarter and Lonnie Walker solely appeared with the deep-bench gamers over the ultimate 4 minutes.
Rookie Scheierman
It’s by no means clever to overreact to a rookie’s preseason debut. Baylor Scheierman’s profession definitely received’t be outlined by how nicely he dealt with eight minutes, all within the fourth quarter, towards the Nuggets reserves.
That stated, Scheierman had an inauspicious begin. His first 3-point try struck the facet of the backboard. His second produced an airball. He threw an ill-advised move out of bounds and did not convert a contested layup on the break. Scheierman intercepted a move and virtually drew a cost, however might be hoping for a extra impactful offensive efficiency throughout his second day out. He didn’t play any minutes with the rotation regulars, maybe an indication he’s more likely to begin the common season with no function.
Anybody hoping to see the Celtics take fewer 3s
Do critics of Mazzulla’s 3-point-happy technique nonetheless exist? In the event that they do, they should have hated the Celtics’ offensive strategy in Abu Dhabi. They launched 35 3-point makes an attempt within the first half and completed with 61 for the sport. The latter quantity would have set a franchise report if it got here in an everyday season sport. And the Celtics did that with out their two stretch large males, Porziņģis and Horford.
Tatum, whose playoff woes from downtown turned a storyline, began the preseason by draining 3 of seven 3-point makes an attempt in 19 minutes. He was certainly one of six Celtics gamers to make a number of 3-pointers. That listing included two-way contract participant Drew Peterson, who scored 10 factors throughout a formidable fourth quarter towards the tip of the Nuggets bench. He went 2 for five on 3-point makes an attempt.
Some issues have modified for the Celtics. So much has stayed the identical. They nonetheless need to shoot, and shoot, and shoot some extra.
(Photograph: Fadel Senna / AFP by way of Getty Photos)
