I asked for mailbag questions and you guys answered. So now I’m going to answer your questions. Teamwork makes the dream work.
pdelevett
Gut feeling on Oshae Brissett? Hard to think anybody is going to pay him more than Boston could, although he’s understandably after more playing time. I think it could be available in Boston this season, if Joe can refrain from running the Jays into the ground.
I know we’ll want to get a look at Walsh and the rooks, but Brissett has the advantage of familiarity with the system. I wondered if he might be too duplicative with Tillman, but X seems like a 4-5, while Brissy can hypothetically cover four spots. Is there a mutual fit as the season draws closer?
My gut feeling on Brissett is that he’s gone, and while I enjoyed parts of the Oshae experience, I’m ok with him moving on. He didn’t have much of an offensive game but he provided energy on defense and rebounding. He deserves a shot at more playing time on a team with a longer timeline. All the Celtics need is a wing that eat up some regular season minutes when needed. We’ll see if any of the young guys can step up and provide that.
Honestly I’d value keeping a roster spot open over bringing him back. Near the end of the summer you might see a veteran free agent accept a minimum deal to chase a ring. Or perhaps after preseason a team has to make hard roster cut decisions that shakes loose a player you didn’t think would be available.
ezwind
Do we add another big before KP comes back or do we roll with what we have? If we don’t, are Luke, X and Q enough to manage the back to back games when Al sits or do we just live with a few losses?
What’s your take on the JB Olympic snub and the ramifications if any? There has to be more to the story than we know right now; do you have any access to insider info?
I think that Kornet, Tillman, and Queta are a good enough stopgap rotation of bigs to get us through a few months without Porzingis as well as the load management we’ll need to give both Horford and Kristaps throughout the year.
That’s essentially what we had last year and they did just fine. Xavier Tillman in particular could see his role grow this year. He’ll have more time in the system and a training camp to get up to speed.
There will be times when Jayson Tatum plays a bit more at the 5 as well, though I’d limit that to certain matchups so he isn’t worn down against huge centers like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokić.
As for Jaylen Brown I can’t offer any insider info on the Team USA snub (only outsider observations). On one hand, I do think Derrick White was a more logical fit for what the team needs (defensive guard that is used to playing in a deferring role). On the other hand, there may also be something to Nike influencing the team roster.
That feud between Brown and Nike always seemed awkward since Tatum is seemingly now one of the main faces of Team Jordan. But with all things I think there’s nuance to keep in mind. Brown seems to have issues with things that Nike does, not necessarily with the players that are earning money from the company. I’m sure he’s talked about it with Jayson and they are cool with each other.
Brown has said he’ll use the snub as motivation going forward. Cue the Michael Jordan “and I took that personally” meme. This is a guy that signed the richest contract in history and came back better than ever. I am not worried at all about his motivation or work ethic.
TalesOfaCelticFan
Impact of wear and tear from Olympics and long post season? We have three Celtics Olympians on Team USA who just had an extended jaunt through the postseason, plus Pritchard is on the select team helping out (and some rumors that Brown could still be added to Team USA if Durant has to drop). That’s a lot of basketball without long rest. Should we be concerned, or does this fall under “they’d be playing pick-up and training throughout the summer anyway?”
I think on a scale of 1 (not concerned at all) to 10 (terrified) I would put this at a 3 or 4. It’s not nothing, but also nothing to stay awake worrying about.
They are professional athletes that train and play basketball during the summer. They did get some time away and would have been back in the gym by now. There will also be time to recover between the Olympics and training camp.
What gives me a bit of pause is the fact that they are still playing at a pretty high level. Injuries can happen at any time, but with the intensity up, I wonder if the risk is greater than it would be in pickup games and working drills.
Tatum in particular makes a big deal about wanting to play every game, and that’s admirable and valuable for one of your team leaders. I just hope that they can convince him to take a few extra days off throughout the season.
bigislandbob
How important will home court be in defense of the title? Do we have enough depth at center? Will Joe give the bench in game opportunities to show what they can do? Who might be potential trade deadline acquisitions?
Home court was surprisingly not important this season. For one thing, they just dominated teams throughout the season. Then 2 of the 3 losses that they had in the playoffs were at home in game 2 (thus losing the home court advantage). With that said, I think home court is still fundamentally important. Perhaps more for seeding than the physical location (I’d much rather be the 1 seed than the 2 or 3).
I think most playoff teams have an 8-10 man rotation, which is naturally going to leave a few bodies on the bench. Those guys are there for injury insurance and the occasional learning opportunity. We will need our bigs to play a lot in the first few months and be available for the rest of the year (as covered above). It will be interesting to see if Springer, Walsh, or Scheierman can prove enough to contribute occasionally (though I’m not expecting them to play major roles).
I’d be surprised if the Celtics made any trades before the season begins, though I wouldn’t rule it out. They just don’t have a lot of movable salaries. The one exception is Jaden Springer’s $4M deal. My guess is that they save that for the deadline or in case they have to find a depth replacement due to injury.
GraniteState_CsFan
Thanks, Jeff! A couple questions for consideration:
1.) What is your biggest concern threatening the Celtics’ chances of repeating as champions in 24/25? General complacency? Chemistry concerns? Bench depth, etc.?
2.) On July 15, if you had to guess, and assuming good health (a big assumption, always), which of the following teams poses the biggest threat to the Celtics next season? The Knicks, Bucks, Sixers, Magic, or ____________ (name your team)?
On paper the Celtics are just as strong as they were last season, when they dominated the league all year. Even if they took a 10% step back, they’d still be one of the top 4 teams in the NBA. So I’m not worried at all.
The only concern I have is the fact that this team has gotten overconfident and lazy at times in the past. Usually just for a single game or so, but it happened. Does that sense of entitlement grow now that they’ll have rings? Or does getting the monkey off their backs help them to play looser and more confident? I think those things ultimately balance out and the team will be just fine.
I think the Knicks are the clear number 2 seed in the East. They have continuity (even with a “new” face on the roster) and matchups that could give the Celtics fits. The Sixers made the bigger splash but I’m a skeptic. I know you said “assuming good health” but even an average health year for that squad means both Embiid and George missing significant time. It just feels like Clippers East to me. On their best day they can beat anyone, but how many best days can they have?
I respect the Bucks top 2 but I could see them being the team that slips back a bit while a younger team makes a leap (it happens every year). The Pacers seem like the logical choice but I think the Magic are primed for a leap into the top 4. I still don’t know what to make of the Cavs. Feels like they could be a 2 seed or a 7 seed depending on how things shake out.
Continued on Part 2 coming soon
