WE ROLL 7 AS CELTICS GET READY

Seven Celtics storylines to get us started

There are so many things I’m interested to see as the Celtics open training camp this week. Here are just seven:

1 Take me to your leader: I have no concerns at all regarding Kyrie Irving as a player, but his job will be different here — and not just because he’ll be cast as more of a true point guard. As the man in the spotlight, Irving will be looked to by his teammates and everyone on the outside to provide leadership. No doubt Al Horford will continue to be a key presence, on and off the floor, and Marcus Smart’s grit will set a tone, as well. But we’ll be looking for clues from Kyrie.

Does he embrace media duties as part of the job and, more importantly, a chance to communicate team goals to the public and to his teammates, who — despite what they might say — will hear every word?

It’ll be interesting to see if and how Irving uses his platform to build confidence in the younger players.

2 Didn’t you use to be Marcus Smart? He’s slimmed down and is built more for speed and endurance now, but the Celts still need his strong safety mentality.

Before he left the C’s rather than take a different role, then-strength coach Bryan Doo talked to me about Smart: “Marcus is always trying to get better, trying to get to that next level. He wants to get his body fat down a little bit. And Marcus is the one pushing all this, which is awesome. We talk all the time during the season about, you know, the wear and tear and how hard he goes. Now it’s about trying to better prepare himself for that.”

Smart will look different now, but the true measure of his work will likely be in improved conditioning later in the season.

3 How much tailoring will be required? We might get a small idea in the preseason games, and we probably won’t know how things are really going until the Celtics roll into Cleveland for the season opener, but we’ll still be looking for signs right away as to how the skills of Irving, Horford and Gordon Hayward are meshing. In a star driven league, they comprise the Celts’ main constellation.

If these guys can get their stuff together quickly, it will certainly speed up the process of forming a rotation and getting those who will be playing off them into the proper roles.

4 Jaylen 2.0: Whether he starts or not, a lot will be expected from Jaylen Brown, who’s still a month shy of his 21st birthday.

There is every expectation that he will be a lot better than he was as a very impressive rookie, but the feeling here is that coach Brad Stevens will be most happy if Brown simply is more comfortable and instinctive in his surroundings and so leaves behind most of those first-year mistakes.

5 Dancing (Bear) with the stars: Guerschon Yabusele looked great in summer league last year. The video from China was encouraging. He jumped in and did very well with the Red Claws at the end of the season.

But how will he be when he’s playing with and against the best players on the planet?

6 Is Jason Tatum ready for advanced placement? Everything about this player says he’s a kid in chronological terms only. But Tatum will have to experience the full NBA life — travel, more condensed schedule than college, interminable regular season — to see how much he can contribute to a very good team with his clearly ready game.

7 Size applies: With all due nod to the fact Zaza Pachulia was the starting center for the Golden State Warriors last season, the Celtics are still taking applications for playing time from anyone who can get rebounds and make an opponent at least a bit concerned about an evening drive through the painted part of the floor.

Horford is still your rock, but considering how much he’s counted on in other areas, it’s important to have someone beside him to handle some of the dirty work.

Late in the week it was looking as if Marcus Morris might be tied up with his trial in Phoenix, and fellow former Piston Aron Baynes will get an opportunity. But this is where Stevens may choose to get really creative with his lineups. Also, we can’t wait to see how Semi Ojeleye fits into all this.