With The Preseason Now Over, The Celtics Title Defense Officially Begins

Vaughn Ridley. Getty Images.

And just like that, the preseason has come to an end. 

It's pretty fitting that the team that won at essentially an .800 clip for 100+ games on their way to the NBA title ended up winning at an .800 clip in the preseason, but I can't lie, losing by 1 point annoyed the shit out of me for about 35 seconds after the final buzzer last night. I can't help it. When the Celts step on the floor for a game whether it's fake or not, I'm the kind of guy that prefers they win.

Overall I'd say it was a successful preseason, with the most important factor being that everyone remained healthy. The starters looked ready to go and like they hadn't missed a beat, the young guys showed promise and development which is crucial for a team that's going to cost roughly 

moving forward before we know it. Through 5 games and a 4-1 record, the biggest takeaway from the defending champs is they looked poised for another monster season and should absolutely once again be the overwhelming favorites entering the year. While I do think we should all set our expectations accordingly and understand that they can still be incredible and not quite hit the levels of their historic 2023-24 season, everything we saw during the preseason suggests the wagon is in no way shape, or form slowing down. If anything, it's gaining speed.

It's definitely a little crazy to think about how the next time we see the Celts play a game they'll be getting their rings and raising Banner 18 to the rafters, which is a moment we've all collectively been dreaming about for the last 16 years. Let this be a lesson to all the kids out there, never give up on your dreams. 

But here's what I also know. If last night was supposed to serve as some sort of final "dress rehearsal", there were definitely things that need to be addressed and sorted out now that the games actually count moving forward. While it's fun to play stress free games that don't count towards your record, those days are now over. 

With that said, let's dive in.

The Good

- I'd say if you were to make a list of all the things you were hoping to see from Jayson Tatum entering this preseason, he delivered and then some

The big thing everyone has cared about since April has been Tatum's shooting right? Specifically his three point shooting. In the playoffs and then the Olympics it was dogshit, there's no need to sugarcoat it. If anyone else shot like 26% on high volume from deep, we would call that dogshit.

But like with most things with Jayson Tatum, it was taken to the extreme. Some out there were freaking out, declaring his jumper gone, and letting a small sample of games trump the years of evidence we have that tells us Jayson Tatum is a very capable outside shooter. This preseason, Tatum finished 14-36 from deep (38.9%) on 9.0 3PA a game, so if small samples are supposedly the end all be all, I guess things are just fine right?

The one thing that's undeniable is how much smoother and quicker his release looks, and with that new release has brought the return of Tatum's elite pull up 3PA. I'd say his best season ever with this shot came in 2019-20 when he shot over 40% on pull ups and all signs point to this being where we are headed. In those clips alone you'll see a handful of them, some coming in transition, some coming off a high screen where Tatum steps right into his jumper, the point is this has always been a confidence meter shot for Tatum, and when he's making them like we've seen this preseason he becomes even tougher to guard. For a player who can already get you 30 in his sleep, that's a fantastic sight.

I also was happy to see his ball security continue to improve. Just 6 total TOs in the 4 games he played, given how much he's going to have the ball and how important his decision making is to the success of this team, that's great to see. 

- The biggest winner of the Celts preseason has to be Jordan Walsh. Everything about his performance was impressive, and I'd go so far as to say that the competition for the back up wing depth spot is over. Walsh won it running away. While Lonnie Walker showed flashes, he's still not even a lock to make the roster, plus I walked away believing Walsh played the best out of any player from the deep bench

When you watch this version of Walsh you see a player who is clearly having things slow down on the court. Last year and in Vegas it looked as if things were still too fast for him, that he was trying to rely on his athleticism and not really understanding the right ways to attack a defense, and the results were pretty awful.

But now? We are seeing his patience more and more when it comes to putting the ball on the floor and attacking the rim. We're seeing him knock down threes off C&S which is crucial for a guy in his role. Remember, this is only Year 2 and the kid is 20 years old. We aren't even scratching the surface yet of what he could ultimately develop into, and him being playable is by far the biggest surprise of the preseason to me given how terrible he looked in Vegas.

He essentially went from looking nowhere close to being ready to a guy who I'd have no problem giving 10-12 minutes a night to in certain matchups. 

It was also bullshit how he didn't get that foul call on the final possession. Clear body foul. I get it's preseason and they just wanted the game to be over but that was bullshit. At the same time, maybe he really is baby Tatum if he also gets a terrible whistle?

- Nobody loves these fake games more than Payton Pritchard and it's not hard to see why. He gets the ultimate green light and when that happens he almost never fumbles the opportunity.

Did you know he led the Celts by a wide margin in 3PA (43) and finished the preseason shooting 48/48%? You may have expected that going in, but how about also leading the Celts in assists (30) while only turning it over 4 times and being a team best +68 in his minutes? If we're talking about players who look ready for the title defense, Payton Pritchard is certainly near the top of the list.

- As someone who believes all of these reps matter, I actually liked the fact that the Celts got down by 24 early and had to climb their way back. It took them about 4 minutes in the second quarter to erase that deficit, and while we all want to see them up 30 every game, that's not realistic. There are going to be games where their opponent shoots like crazy and they get punched in the mouth. What makes this team so special is how they respond, so it was good to see they didn't just mail it in once that first quarter started to get out of hand,

In fact, it was the opposite. They locked in on both ends and executed. This was true of both the starting unit and the bench unit in the 4th quarter once they fell back down by 10+. There was no quit. To me, that matters.

- Never forget how blessed we are that we get to watch Derrick White play basketball as a member of the Boston Celtics.

It was nice to see DWhite start to hit his open 3s (5 3PM) after struggling a little bit from deep this preseason, and he's another guy who doesn't look fatigued at all after his busy summer. Even in the preseason, the defensive effort he gives leads you to believe we can write his name in pen when it comes to All NBA Defensive teams, and his finishing with 4 STOCKS should surprise exactly zero people.

- Aside from Jordan Walsh, I'd say Luke Kornet (5-5) is the other Celt who made the most of his preseason opportunity. With the way he rebounds on the offensive glass and how comfortable he is as a short roll passer in the P&R, you can see why there's this idea floating around that he should be the starting center while KP is out in order to help save Al's legs.

You could always start Al and have a quick sub, and frankly I think that's how Joe approaches it, but I've reached the point with Kornet where I trust him to be on the floor and execute his role. He clearly understands how to play with the starters and what he needs to do in order to maximize his minutes, and as a 3rd center I'm not sure what more you could want. 

If you put a shooter in the corner and then run a Tatum/Kornet P&R, he's going to make the right decision. The ball never sticks with him and I truly think his passing is perhaps his most underrated skill. Plus he's legit from the FT line which is always nice to have.

- Is JD Davison a guy? I feel like this is something we are all trying to will into existence and part of me thinks we may be making progress. 

Lord knows he's been in the system forever at this point, and while I'm not suggesting he's ready for NBA minutes on a consistent basis, I am suggesting that should a guard go down I think he'd be able to handle that opportunity. His three point shooting looks WAY better, the game also seems to be slowing down for him, and I do think he's one of their best natural lob throwers which is a great skill to have.

People forget he's young as shit too, and while he'll spend most of his time in Maine again this season, we saw flashes of what could be during these fake games, and that's intriguing. 

The Bad

- After an 0-5 night, Jaylen finished the preseason shooting just 19% from deep on 5.3 3PA a night. While not concerning, I wouldn't exactly call that "good". He does appear to be much stronger which I didn't even know was possible, and I'd say every other part of his game looked good outside of his 3pt and FT shooting. 

It's also important to note that we did see what can happen when Jaylen's responsible for initiating and running a unit. The offense can stall at times. That's where there's still room for growth in my opinion, and something to watch for during the year. Can the offense thrive in the non-Tatum/Jaylen led minutes? In order for that to happen his decision making needs to be on point in terms of not forcing things and making sure he's taking what the defense gives him.

- He has lifetime immunity, but this was a pretty rough debut for Al. Granted it was his first game of the preseason so rust was to be expected, but guys were finishing over him with ease and his shot wasn't all that close finishing 1-6 (0-4). Again, anything and everything Al Horford gives us at this point is a bonus, but a team worst -29 in his minutes matches what the eye test told us.

- I can't remember a time we saw the Celts get manhandled on the glass like they did in this loss (57-36). They allowed 12 OREB which led to 24 2nd chance points, and I don't particularly care when that shit happens, that's losing basketball. Jaylen finishing with 0 rebounds in 25 minutes? That's bad. No starter other than Tatum having more than 3 rebounds? Also bad. 

You combine that with 56 points in the paint and it did not feel as though the Celts matched the Raptors energy from the opening tip. Maybe they were extra motivated after what happened in the prior game, but I thought they played much harder which is never acceptable.

The Ugly

- I mean, the Celts gave up 46 points in the first quarter on 64/71% splits with 10 3PM. That was as poor a quarter on both ends of the floor as you're going to possibly see all season. Sure some of those 3s were prayers, but where was the contest? Where was the stopping of the bleeding? Instead, they got dicked down by Grady Dick. Not great!

It was more of the same coming out of the break where the Celts lost the 3rd quarter 31-19. Turnovers, lack of energy, lazy offense, all things that result in disgusting basketball. Part of me is happy it happened so Joe has tape to dive into and teach from, but also….stop playing like assholes and you'll basically never lose. It's honestly that simple.

- I can't tell if Baylor Sheierman just has an old man game, or if we're seeing that his athleticism is going to be an issue at this level. I'm basically telling my brain to reserve judgment until we see his Year 2 after a season in Maine, similar to how my brain works with Walsh. But I think we can all agree this wasn't all that impressive of a preseason for Brad's first round pick.

Like I said, what truly matters is that the team made it through these 5 games with perfect health and they now have a week off to prepare for what should be a very emotional Opening Night. You know the Knicks are going to be motivated to spoil the festivities, so once the team gets their ring and the banner is up in the rafters it's time to lock in.

The title defense has officially begun.