The first week of Celtics training camp is in the books under new head coach Ime Udoka with the team set to begin a slate of four preseason games over the next 12 days beginning with the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
Amid an offseason of change for the roster, coaching staff and front office, let’s take a closer look at some of the emerging stories as the team prepares for the 2021-22 regular season.
A new style for the stars
Ime Udoka is a discipline of Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, a team that has routinely featured some of the most unselfish basketball in the NBA over the last 20 years, with constant ball movement and quick decision making.
The Celtics ranked 27th in the NBA in assists last season, a weakness that Udoka brought up in his opening press conference after being hired for the job. The team’s two stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are not naturally great passers but Udoka has made it a priority to enhance that part of their game to the benefit of Boston’s offense.
“We just try to honestly teach them some things that they haven’t done lately, in the last few years,” Udoka said Saturday. “Like you said, their strengths have been to score the basketball, and we feel and I’ve talked about it quite a bit is them being unselfish, and being playmakers. Other guys rely on them, so we’ve been harping on quick decisions, not being ballstoppers, and it’s something they’re working on every day.
“We can always fall back on what they do naturally, but to incorporate that and get other guys shot will benefit our team hugely. It’s just almost like you have to prepare for two different things: the isolations, the post-ups, the mismatches as far as that but also the ball movement and some of the things that we’ve talked about, quick decisions, point five basketball. They know we’re harping on that, we’re really working on that, and we’re to some extent overemphasizing that the first few days this first week or so and putting less actual plays so we can learn to play that way and we think that will benefit our team as well as some other guys on the team.”
Just how well that work translates to the pace of an NBA game remains to be seen but a revamped offensive style will likely make the Celtics a less predictable offense out of the gate if Tatum and Brown become more willing passers.
The new additions are flexible
Brad Stevens offseason overhaul brought in a number of starting caliber players at various positions of the roster. Al Horford was the biggest name among them after he was brought back in a deal for Kemba Walker in June. Josh Richardson and Dennis Schroder also were added via trade and free agency respectively after spending the majority of last season starting in Dallas and Los Angeles respectively.
With seemingly only one open spot available in the starting five for those three players, Ime Udoka has had to massage some egos early in camp knowing that secondary roles were waiting for some of these players. However, that transition has gone smoothly so far according to Udoka.
“We were pretty upfront in free agency of certain roles and things we saw with guys,” he said. “They know what it is coming in honestly. We got guys that obviously have been here and the core guys. We know who’s going to start in certain situations but what we did talk to guys openly about is what the roles that we saw them coming in.
“A guy like Josh and Dennis, we spoke to them about what they can bring to enhance the team in general. Whether that’s starting or coming off the bench, they were receptive to that. We were straight up with them and they know that coming in. Then the last part, we don’t want to define roles early, we want them to kind of show us who they are. We got a good sense of that obviously with a lot of our guys.”
For their part, the backcourt additions are playing the part nicely publicly, acknowledging that they will be happy with whatever slot they fill, assuming they still get an opportunity to play regularly.
“I see myself being versatile with this group,” Richardson said. “I think I see eight or nine guys that can really play two, three good positions. As long as I’m playing, I’m fine. I know everybody wants to play. Roles will be defined eventually and we’ll just have to go from there.”
Grant Williams looks trim
One of the biggest position battles on the roster could come at reserve power forward. The team traded for Juancho Hernangomez last month who should be in the mix for reserve minutes along with third-year forward Grant Williams and Jabari Parker.
There is no guarantee Parker will even make the roster at this point (his contract is non-guaranteed) but the other name to watch is Williams who is coming off a disappointing sophomore season that was marred by constant foul trouble. Williams had one of the highest fouls per 36 minutes rate in the NBA and his struggles with keeping up with opponents from a speed standpoint led to a significantly weight drop this year it appears in camp which should help improve on those defensive struggles.
“It’s allowed me to dunk the ball,” Williams said. “Other than that, it’s been really nice to be able to float on the wing and play with a little bit more pop in my step and a little more pep. Just feeling pretty good out there. Getting a little more active, a little more mobile, a little more conditioned. That’s really helped me. In terms of usage, it’s just been kind of everywhere they throw me. Tell me what to do and I’ll walk to that spot. That’s basically it.”
There’s no guarantee that Williams, Parker or Hernangomez will work their way into the rotation since Udoka could elect to go small at the position off the bench with Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith or another wing. However, Williams’ has the inside track to contributing if his new shape translates to better success on the floor.
Starting lineup options are a work in progress but one will be settled on
Ime Udoka has a range of possibilities to choose from in his starting five but he has not headed camp with one strict idea on what his best look will be to begin games. Instead, the new head coach will use preseason games and practices to help determine the best balance for the starting group and the second unit.
“We’re starting to look at lineups and look at different people we want to see different combinations together,” Udoka said. “So what you see game 1, and game 2 and 3 in preseason, will probably look different every night, and just want to see those lineups and see who stands out with different groups. Like I’ve said, it’s not just about the starters, it’s about finding the right balance off the bench and who plays well together, so we’re looking at that every day.”
While Udoka will be tinkering with the possibilities over the next two weeks, he made clear that he would prefer to settle on one constant lineup to begin games rather than adjusting a fifth player in and out based on personnel.
“We’re going to determine a starting lineup that fits best and guys will know that’s an every night thing, Udoka said. “So they’ll get comfortable with that.”
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