Plenty still to learn about C’s
The shortened exhibition season, which drew a “hell yeah” stamp of approval from Kyrie Irving, was an NBA veteran’s dream.
But for a Celtics team with only four players from last year back on the roster, the laboratory phase of training camp left little room for the scientist, Brad Stevens, to review his findings.
The season begins Tuesday night in Cleveland, and for all sorts of reasons, the Celtics will be an unfinished product regardless of their 4-0 exhibition run. The Cavaliers, though not nearly as new — they got a lot older by adding Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose — also are mid-sculpt.
Are they still better than the Celtics? Probably for as long as LeBron James chooses to stay in Cleveland, and this season especially if Isaiah Thomas channels his new resentment of Danny Ainge into the drive necessary to return from his hip injury and flourish as the King’s new sidekick in the new year.
In the meantime, Irving has his hands on the wheel of Thomas’ old offense, which should be even more skillful, varied and efficient thanks to the additions of the 26-year-old ex-Cavs guard and the multi-faceted Gordon Hayward.
But with limited preparation time, Stevens knows what he puts on the floor this week will be a far cry from how the Celtics look next spring.
Talking specifically about Irving’s much-anticipated return to Cleveland on Tuesday, Stevens could have been talking about his entire lineup when he said, “I look at the season as a whole. Our goal is to be the best team you can be, and part of that is that you have to play through everything else.
“You have to play through the noise on the outside to focus on your task at hand. We won’t be a finished product Tuesday, so Tuesday will be great for us regardless. It will be a real challenge, and that’s part of it, not just for one person but for an entire team.”
Here are a few early plot lines.
New kind of magic
No one has forgotten what Thomas meant to this team last season, but the fact remained teams like Chicago in the playoffs were able to load up on the 5-foot-9 point guard. He persevered anyway — with an injury he admits he shouldn’t have played through — but the Celtics still were vulnerable when Thomas was anything other than record-breaking.
It’s a good question whether Thomas can reach that height again, especially as he recovers from a torn hip labrum. He’ll be just 29 in February, but Irving is younger and, yes, more proven during his six seasons. He’s probably the best finisher in the NBA and certainly has the best handle.
“I think I have a handle on all he’s capable of, and that’s a lot,” Stevens said. “He can do a lot more things with the ball, without the ball, he screens, he can cut. There’s a lot he can do besides just his ability to score in one-on-one situations. The hardest part for us right now is being connected in figuring out what each other does best and putting each other in the right position. But he does so many things well it’s hard to find a bad one.”
Less definition is more
Hayward said Wednesday he’s “far away” from feeling comfortable within Stevens’ evolving system, even if he knows the coach better than anyone. But the swing/point forward’s immersion is dependent on what else is happening on the floor. For one thing, the Celtics are less dependent on a point guard initiating the offense than ever, though Terry Rozier is doing some exciting things with the second unit. But the first seven likely players in the rotation — Irving, Al Horford, Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Rozier and Jayson Tatum — are all capable of driving the ball off a defensive rebound.
“Once everyone gets used to it, they’ll be able to focus on getting to their spots once people like me and Gordon get the rebound and bring it up,” Horford said.
Added Hayward: “Golden State does that too, where they put a lineup out there with all five guys who can get it and go. It makes your transition attack so much better because guys end up matched on the wrong people. You can push for early shots, early rim runs. If we get into the mindset of whoever gets it just goes, we’ll get a lot of good early looks.”
Will there be grit?
Smart takes it personally when the Celtics’ defensive blueprint is questioned. Last season, with Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder, the team actually slipped defensively. But it still was considered a gritfirst squad.
Smart’s response to this season’s doubters: “I think I was one of the guys who was out there defending last year.”
Smart already has shown he remains one of the most disruptive defenders in the league. Aron Baynes and Marcus Morris should help plug the Bradley/ Crowder/Amir Johnson void, especially with physicality on the glass. But Stevens’ early warning is that everyone, guards included, have to clean up rebounds. The Celtics are fortunate to have one of the most active rebounding guards in basketball in Rozier.
There is a faint danger here, with all of the skill Ainge has added, of being labeled a finesse team.
East the right place
It’s a little surprising that more people don’t mention Washington or even Toronto as challengers to the Celtics’ status in the Eastern Conference.
There’s actually more talk of the C’s overtaking Cleveland for the top spot. In any event, the migration of talent to the West and the youthful nature of East teams continue to ensure the Celtics will play a lot of home games in the playoffs.
Pecking order
If Cleveland is their chief worry in the East, just how does this increasingly skilled and efficient lineup stack up against the other side of the country?
The Celtics are better equipped than ever to score at the Golden State Warriors’ pace, though the jury is out on how well they defend the Warriors. The matchup will be wonderful to watch again this season.
But the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder now have super teams, and there’s always the San Antonio Spurs. The Celtics probably aren’t on equal footing with any of these teams yet, but they’re getting close.