The Celtics moved to 2-0 in the preseason Sunday by rolling over the Nuggets 130-104.
Preseason results don’t necessarily matter, but the details do. Here’s a stock report from the Boston win.
Stock up
The starters’ sharpness
Boston had a sloppy start during the preseason opener Friday but looked sharp with the starters on the court two days later. The Celtics appeared advanced for a team that just started practicing fewer than two weeks ago, as they probably should after returning nearly the entire roster from a championship team.
Jrue Holiday defended with his usual intensity. Jaylen Brown used the weight he added over the offseason to muscle through contact. Jayson Tatum, whose jumper went missing during the playoffs, drilled three of seven 3-point attempts for the second consecutive game. Derrick White did a little bit of everything while piling up 13 points, six assists and five rebounds over 23 minutes.
Midway through the second quarter, the Celtics provided one example of how continuity and basketball IQ matter. When the Nuggets blitzed Tatum, he quickly passed to White across the court. White didn’t hold onto the ball for more than a tick before rifling the ball to Luke Kornet diving to the hoop. It took fewer than two seconds for the Celtics to move the ball from Tatum to White to Kornet for an and-1.
Together, they showed perfect trust in the offense. This is the beautiful ball movement of a team firmly believing the next man will make the right play.
Kornet has been pulling defenders inside on his touches. When he doesn’t, he has to be able to finish like he does here pic.twitter.com/CFYtZbRuZM
— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) October 6, 2024
After playing big minutes in the first half, Tatum, Brown and White all started the third quarter. They immediately went on a big run, prompting Nuggets head coach Michael Malone to call a frustrated timeout. It would have been easy for the Celtics to relax in the preseason after winning a title, but they haven’t done that over the first two games.
Cutting backdoor
During Marcus Smart’s time with Boston, he would often find Brown cutting backdoor for an easy bucket in semi-transition. Thanks to the great chemistry with his longtime teammate, Brown picked up all sorts of easy points. He and Smart didn’t need words to communicate on the break.
Those opportunities didn’t entirely disappear last season after Boston traded Smart, but they dwindled without him constantly looking for Brown. Joe Mazzulla wanted White and Holiday to look for Brown more in such situations, but that type of on-court bond doesn’t materialize overnight. The Celtics have room to find Brown for more open layups.
They connected on the backdoor fewer than two minutes into Sunday’s win, when White spotted Brown streaking toward the hoop. Later in the first quarter, another benefit of the play surfaced when Brown started to cut backdoor again with Tatum handling the ball in transition. When the defense reacted to Brown’s off-ball movement, Tatum pulled up to splash home a 3-pointer. The attempt was open because the Nuggets feared Brown’s cut.
Good things happen when the Celtics hunt that type of play. It would be a significant help if they’re more comfortable doing it now. They didn’t hit it on every chance, though. During the final minute of the second quarter, Holiday probably could have dished it to Brown on a backdoor cut but hesitated and decided not to throw the pass. Afterward, Holiday slapped his hands together as if to express he should have fed Brown. At least the Celtics are looking for Brown on the baseline now.
Chances of contributing for Springer and Walsh
When healthy, the Celtics won’t necessarily need to use any perimeter players on the bench beyond Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser. Still, situations will pop up for other bench players to receive opportunities. The team often used Oshae Brissett in such scenarios last season, but his departure left an opening for someone to step up.
That spot could still be up for grabs but, based on early playing time, Jaden Springer and Jordan Walsh seem like the frontrunners to win the competition. They received minutes with the regular bench rotation in each of the first two games. Though neither one posted a sparkling individual stat line Sunday, both were effective in their roles. Walsh collected two steals. Springer applied plenty of ball pressure. They showed chemistry with Pritchard and Hauser while feeding the sharpshooters in transition. The Celtics dominated by 19 points over the 13 minutes Walsh and Springer shared the court Sunday. They weren’t central figures to the spurts by the Boston bench but helped things flow.
Just like in the preseason opener, Lonnie Walker and Baylor Scheierman didn’t appear on the court until Mazzulla had already pulled his regulars. At least for now, it looks like Springer and Walsh have likely separated themselves from the rest of the competition for perimeter minutes at the end of the bench.
Stock down
Springer’s awareness of the bonus
Springer has a rare ability to stick to ballhandlers. He stays attached to his assignment around screens. He mirrors the movements of the man he’s guarding. His ability to pressure the ball is a gift.
He needs to know when to dial it back a bit, though. About three minutes into the second quarter, with the Nuggets already in the bonus, he picked up Jalen Pickett beyond halfcourt and tried to steal the ball from the Nuggets guard several times. Pickett held onto the ball, drove at Springer and picked up a foul on him. Because it was Boston’s fifth, Pickett went to the line for two free throws. Though Springer had good intentions on the play, his aggressiveness cost the Celtics.
After the foul, Mazzulla had a chat with Springer and likely explained that he should tone down his pressure in such a situation. It was a good learning moment for a ballhawk whose defense will often cause problems for opponents.
Horford’s preseason playing time
The other starters have all played in each of the first two preseason games, but Al Horford has yet to make an appearance. After the preseason opener on Friday, Mazzulla told reporters in Abu Dabhi that the Celtics were managing the 38-year-old’s workload.
They sat Horford again Sunday and probably will continue finding ways to limit the stress on his body, like they have in recent seasons by sitting him on one leg of back-to-backs. Resting Horford could be more damaging during Kristaps Porziņģis’ early-season absence, but the Celtics should prioritize whatever it takes to get Horford to the finish line strong. A slow approach with him makes sense. He will likely be critical again during the postseason, especially if Porziņģis is forced to miss playoff time.
Without Horford, the Celtics started Kornet for the second straight time. Neemias Queta also spent some time with the starters.
Kornet’s open-court skills
Midway through the first quarter, Tatum looked ahead to Kornet in transition. The pass, which set up Kornet to handle the ball on the break, was probably not the best idea, but the defense parted to allow Kornet a path to the basket. He looked ready to score an easy basket until his layup attempt struck the front of the rim.
Kornet in transition 😂 pic.twitter.com/Nufs8KbWLU
— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) October 6, 2024
Whoops! Maybe next time will go better, but that was a rare lowlight for a Celtics squad that looked cohesive and intense in Abu Dhabi during Sunday’s win.
(Photo: Francois Nel / Getty Images)
