For our writers, it’s hard to pinpoint when we became fans and when we wanted to write about the team. For Jack, it was Brad Stevens’ early years with the team and those magical runs with Isaiah Thomas. Make sure to check out his first piece at CelticsBlog about how Danny Ainge and then Stevens built around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
What got you into basketball and the Celtics?
I have been a Celtics fan my whole life, but I did not fall in love with the Celtics until those Isaiah Thomas teams. I was in 8th grade for the 2015-16 season and while I was not watching every night, I did make sure to keep up with the scores and the highlights. The next season was the Isaiah Thomas season and that for me is when I fell fully in love with the Celtics. Watching that team was so much fun and that playoff run was amazing to watch. Ever since that point, the Celtics have become a part of me. Going through the trials and tribulations of Tatum and Brown failing until they finally succeeded in chasing Banner 18 was amazing and felt rewarding even though I did not accomplish anything myself.
My love for basketball and the NBA as a whole is a little different. I played hoops my entire life and obviously loved the game. However, oddly enough the transitions and trades is what I really loved about the Association. I ran an Instagram account at the time called FTNBA, though it no longer exists, where I would create fake trades and post them to Instagram. As those Celtics teams were evolving so was my love for the league. I started to watch games every night when I started college and I have been hooked ever since.
What are your strengths and/or favorite topics as a writer?
My strengths as a writer, and my favorite things to write about, are writing about are big picture things and cause and effect issues — jow something that happened led to the next championship or the demise of a championship window. I am also really excited to write some game recaps, having a purpose of watching every night is going to be fun because I was doing it anyways.
What is your bold prediction for the coming season?
My bold prediction for this season is that Neemias Queta is going to start around ten games this season. With Porzingis missing the early parts of the season and Horford not playing back to backs, Coach Mazzulla is going to have to look to other places for center minutes and while I don’t think Queta will be the first option off of the bench, I think that Joe won’t want to mess with the rotations and therefore Queta will get a handful of spot starts. Also, his ability to play in the pick and roll will be effective with the starting five so it makes sense to put him out there with Tatum, Brown, Holiday and White.
