Nesmith’s NBA education has barely started
Stevens laments having fewer bodies available
Limited practices considered, not a lot has emerged thus far about the two Celtics rookies, Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard.
It’s not that Nesmith’s fabled shooting is a work in progress. The wing player simply hasn’t had a lot of opportunity to put his form and range on display thus far in a team setting.
“In the live section of practice he may have five total shots thus far,” Brad Stevens said Monday. “I think it’s more about, we haven’t played very much obviously up and down, so there’s not a lot of possessions there.
“I’m not worried about his shot at all,” he said. “I think everything else is what needs to (happen). He just needs to learn as quickly as possible. He’s a good shooter, he’s a smart kid, I think he’ll pick things up very quickly. But there’s a lot to pick up. And making shots at the college level is much different than making shots at the professional level. Not just the line, not just the longer game, the speed of the game, the shot challenges, all that stuff.”
Safety first
The very act of testing players for COVID-19 can be a complication, especially when it’s time to practice.
Technical issues involving the testing equipment forced the Celtics to move Monday’s practice from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“No health issues, just technical issues in the machines that run our tests,” said Stevens. “So we all have to stay on our toes
and all have to be able to get better regardless of how many bodies are in here and regardless of what all the curveballs that come our way.”
Perhaps the biggest impact is being felt beyond the regular rosters of NBA teams. The Celtics only have 14 players in camp this season, a lower total than the training camp norm.
“Where I’m probably more concerned with the lack of bodies, is just the lack of opportunities for guys,” said Stevens. “Usually we have three extra guys in here and then you know they’re going to go up to Maine, and get to play a season, and maybe find their way onto a 10day, and maybe be on an NBA team the next year. I hurt for those guys that
are on the cusp of playing in the NBA, or high-level Europe, or whatever the case may be. Their next steps are in flux in a lot of ways. That’s one of the things about this that I think is difficult. We obviously talk about all the people that are already in the NBA and all of us that are impacted by the schedule, but that’s nothing compared to the guys that are just trying to hang on or find their way in.
“Everything is so compressed,” he said. “I mean, I do think usually in camp, and even when we were in the bubble we had 17 to 16 bodies practicing with Kemba ( Walker) out those first couple of weeks. But right now, we have 14 that are practicing, and if feels thinner than normal as far as doing drills, if you want to break into three teams you can’t do that. If you want to do some of the things in practice and training camp, that’s getting put to the side just because of the number of bodies. But we have a plan of attack as far as progressing and getting better and getting ready to play. And also, we have to sit and be ready to hit curveballs every day.”
Edwards high on Lawson
Kara Lawson had one particularly impactful season as a Celtics assistant before being named head coach of the Duke women’s program last summer.
Carsen Edwards, one of the young Celtics players who worked closely with the former WNBA star, sees her having a major impact as a Div. 1 college coach.
“First off, Kara knows the game really well and so at that point anyone can learn from her, she’s been through it,” said the Celtics guard. “She’s played at the highest level. People will be able to be coached by her, I know they can really listen in and soak in everything she says because she’s been through it and she knows the game from both aspects, as a player and as a coach. At the end of the day, she’s caring and she does want to see everyone do well so I feel like she’s going to make a huge impact at Duke and is just a good person to be around.”