Celtics (0-0) at 76ers (0-0) Preseason Game #1 12/15/20

[Sophomore]

If guys like Kemba, Langford and Thompson can't get healthy, we will see more of our 3rd unit.

Langford is third unit.

PP and NEsmith are well ahead of Langford on the depth chart.

Nesmith is pretty vulnerable on defense right now; Langford is well ahead of him there. Be interesting to see where both players are by March. 

Pritchard just plays a different position.

[Tr1boy]

If guys like Kemba, Langford and Thompson can't get healthy, we will see more of our 3rd unit.

Langford is third unit.

PP and NEsmith are well ahead of Langford on the depth chart.

I feel like Nesmith is better suited as a power small forward as a defender

Langford is a better defender.  He is similar to Brown.  If you want someone to try to guard Harden 1 on 1 you would give that job to Brown or Langford.  Not Nesmith

Nesmith footwork at the perimeter still needs work.  But should be fine in a zone D type system.    Its his rebounding that is the most impressive part of his defensive game.  He has that skill to be able to track the ball off a missed shot and come away with the ball.  Really uses his wingspan nicely for this purpose.  Also showed good shot block timing yesterday

[footey]

If guys like Kemba, Langford and Thompson can't get healthy, we will see more of our 3rd unit.

Langford is third unit.

PP and NEsmith are well ahead of Langford on the depth chart.

Nope.

Please explain to me why a no shooting shooting guard will be higher on the depth chart than the best shooter coming out of college and onto a team who desperately needs shooting off the bench.

Langford earned minutes last season and in playoffs for his excellent defense guarding multiple positions. He is projected to be an elite finisher based on his HS profile, and coach and GM observations from practice.  I get frustration over his injuries, and I don't project him to be a lights out 3 point shooter, although he projects to be average based upon his free throw shooting percentage, which is a good indicator.

I like Nesmith too; just not as much as Langford right now. 

[Vermont Green]

I don't know how you could put Nesmith into the rotation, ahead of Langford, based on what we saw last night.  Langford played decent (at an NBA level) in real games and in playoff games.  Nesmith played barely above poor in a preseason game.  I am certainly not giving up on Nesmith but he has not earned anything close to a spot in the rotation at this point.  And have we forgotten that Langford looked decent when he did play?

The Pritchard to Mark Price comparison is also jumping the gun.  I remember Mark Price.  He was an excellent PG, more in the class of John Stockton or Steve Nash.  Price took the basic Pick and Roll to a new dimension with his shooting and ability (quickness) to "split" the double.  Pritchard did what he is supposed to do in his first preseason game.  That is terrific for a 26th pick.  Plenty to be excited about with Prichard, as a back up PG (at least for now).  I don't want to put a ceiling on him after one preseason game but he still has a lot to prove.  For now, I am happy to say he looks like a great pick and should help the team off the bench.

COmparing Pritchard to Mark Price and stating that Nesmith was barely above poor last night is nuts to me.

I am not sure I understand.  I said that to compare Pritchard to Price after one preseason game was jumping the gun so I guess we agree on that part.

As to Nesmith and specifically Nesmith vs. Langford, I saw in Langford last season, by the end of the season, a player with NBA talent.  He got hurt and in the end, may not have the durability to stay in the NBA but I saw NBA talent.  Nesmith did not show that yet.  Langford didn't show it in his first preseason game either (actually, I think Langford was hurt and did play preseason but you know what I am trying to say).  I am not giving up on Nesmith or trying to define a ceiling for him based on this one game.  But I am far short of ordaining him the Langford successor for a spot in the regular rotation.   

I like Nesmith and like the pick.  I am certain he will improve in leaps and bounds through the season and beyond.  He may end up better than Langford or at a minimum, at least more durable I hope.  But as of today, Langford has actually performed on the court, Nesmith is still just promise, a rookie trying to figure it out, just like Langford was 1 year ago.

[Darth_Yoda]

If guys like Kemba, Langford and Thompson can't get healthy, we will see more of our 3rd unit.

Langford is third unit.

PP and NEsmith are well ahead of Langford on the depth chart.

Nope.

Please explain to me why a no shooting shooting guard will be higher on the depth chart than the best shooter coming out of college and onto a team who desperately needs shooting off the bench.

Langford earned minutes last season and in playoffs for his excellent defense guarding multiple positions. He is projected to be an elite finisher based on his HS profile, and coach and GM observations from practice.  I get frustration over his injuries, and I don't project him to be a lights out 3 point shooter, although he projects to be average based upon his free throw shooting percentage, which is a good indicator.

I like Nesmith too; just not as much as Langford right now.

I have a hard time taking anyone who views Langford as a better player than Nesmith seriously. If you count romeo as being an elite finisher at the rim, then you have to project Nesmith being an elite scorer from the outside based on the same indicators.

Bodies are similar with Aaron being much stronger overall. And coming into the league, Aaron has better defensive tools according to stepian.

Nesmith was the better college player, was better coming into the league and will be a better pro.

But I guess I will begrudgingly agree that Romeo has played better defense in an actual NBA game, seeing how Aaron has only played in a single preseason game without all of the team on the court.

[knuckleballer]

I don't know how you could put Nesmith into the rotation, ahead of Langford, based on what we saw last night.  Langford played decent (at an NBA level) in real games and in playoff games.  Nesmith played barely above poor in a preseason game.  I am certainly not giving up on Nesmith but he has not earned anything close to a spot in the rotation at this point.  And have we forgotten that Langford looked decent when he did play?

The Pritchard to Mark Price comparison is also jumping the gun.  I remember Mark Price.  He was an excellent PG, more in the class of John Stockton or Steve Nash.  Price took the basic Pick and Roll to a new dimension with his shooting and ability (quickness) to "split" the double.  Pritchard did what he is supposed to do in his first preseason game.  That is terrific for a 26th pick.  Plenty to be excited about with Prichard, as a back up PG (at least for now).  I don't want to put a ceiling on him after one preseason game but he still has a lot to prove.  For now, I am happy to say he looks like a great pick and should help the team off the bench.

COmparing Pritchard to Mark Price and stating that Nesmith was barely above poor last night is nuts to me.

I am not sure I understand.  I said that to compare Pritchard to Price after one preseason game was jumping the gun so I guess we agree on that part.

As to Nesmith and specifically Nesmith vs. Langford, I saw in Langford last season, by the end of the season, a player with NBA talent.  He got hurt and in the end, may not have the durability to stay in the NBA but I saw NBA talent.  Nesmith did not show that yet.  Langford didn't show it in his first preseason game either (actually, I think Langford was hurt and did play preseason but you know what I am trying to say).  I am not giving up on Nesmith or trying to define a ceiling for him based on this one game.  But I am far short of ordaining him the Langford successor for a spot in the regular rotation.   

I like Nesmith and like the pick.  I am certain he will improve in leaps and bounds through the season and beyond.  He may end up better than Langford or at a minimum, at least more durable I hope.  But as of today, Langford has actually performed on the court, Nesmith is still just promise, a rookie trying to figure it out, just like Langford was 1 year ago.

I think Langford has a lot of potential, he just hasn’t been able to stay healthy.  He can’t work on his shot with a cast on his wrist.  If he can develop an average shot, he’s going to be a good player.  I see a lot more nba skills and potential in him than Nesmith at this point.  He also needs to hit the weights.  He already plays strong despite a scrawny physique.  He even weighed 215 without much muscle.  But he can’t hit the weights with his injuries.  If he can stay healthy for a prolonged period of time, he could be a beast scoring at the rim, getting to the free throw line, and defending.

[Darth_Yoda]

If guys like Kemba, Langford and Thompson can't get healthy, we will see more of our 3rd unit.

Langford is third unit.

PP and NEsmith are well ahead of Langford on the depth chart.

I feel like Nesmith is better suited as a power small forward as a defender

Langford is a better defender.  He is similar to Brown.  If you want someone to try to guard Harden 1 on 1 you would give that job to Brown or Langford.  Not Nesmith

Nesmith footwork at the perimeter still needs work.  But should be fine in a zone D type system.    Its his rebounding that is the most impressive part of his defensive game.  He has that skill to be able to track the ball off a missed shot and come away with the ball.  Really uses his wingspan nicely for this purpose.  Also showed good shot block timing yesterday

I can agree with that, problem is that Romeo doesnt provide anything else other than the ability to defends a guy like Harden, which can also be done by Smart, Brown, Semi, Tatum

[Darth_Yoda]

I don't know how you could put Nesmith into the rotation, ahead of Langford, based on what we saw last night.  Langford played decent (at an NBA level) in real games and in playoff games.  Nesmith played barely above poor in a preseason game.  I am certainly not giving up on Nesmith but he has not earned anything close to a spot in the rotation at this point.  And have we forgotten that Langford looked decent when he did play?

The Pritchard to Mark Price comparison is also jumping the gun.  I remember Mark Price.  He was an excellent PG, more in the class of John Stockton or Steve Nash.  Price took the basic Pick and Roll to a new dimension with his shooting and ability (quickness) to "split" the double.  Pritchard did what he is supposed to do in his first preseason game.  That is terrific for a 26th pick.  Plenty to be excited about with Prichard, as a back up PG (at least for now).  I don't want to put a ceiling on him after one preseason game but he still has a lot to prove.  For now, I am happy to say he looks like a great pick and should help the team off the bench.

COmparing Pritchard to Mark Price and stating that Nesmith was barely above poor last night is nuts to me.

I am not sure I understand.  I said that to compare Pritchard to Price after one preseason game was jumping the gun so I guess we agree on that part.

As to Nesmith and specifically Nesmith vs. Langford, I saw in Langford last season, by the end of the season, a player with NBA talent.  He got hurt and in the end, may not have the durability to stay in the NBA but I saw NBA talent.  Nesmith did not show that yet.  Langford didn't show it in his first preseason game either (actually, I think Langford was hurt and did play preseason but you know what I am trying to say).  I am not giving up on Nesmith or trying to define a ceiling for him based on this one game.  But I am far short of ordaining him the Langford successor for a spot in the regular rotation.   

I like Nesmith and like the pick.  I am certain he will improve in leaps and bounds through the season and beyond.  He may end up better than Langford or at a minimum, at least more durable I hope.  But as of today, Langford has actually performed on the court, Nesmith is still just promise, a rookie trying to figure it out, just like Langford was 1 year ago.

I think Langford has a lot of potential, he just hasn’t been able to stay healthy.  He can’t work on his shot with a cast on his wrist.  If he can develop an average shot, he’s going to be a good player.  I see a lot more nba skills and potential in him than Nesmith at this point.  He also needs to hit the weights.  He already plays strong despite a scrawny physique.  He even weighed 215 without much muscle.  But he can’t hit the weights with his injuries.  If he can stay healthy for a prolonged period of time, he could be a beast scoring at the rim, getting to the free throw line, and defending.

That is a lot of Ifs.

[Vermont Green]

I don't know how you could put Nesmith into the rotation, ahead of Langford, based on what we saw last night.  Langford played decent (at an NBA level) in real games and in playoff games.  Nesmith played barely above poor in a preseason game.  I am certainly not giving up on Nesmith but he has not earned anything close to a spot in the rotation at this point.  And have we forgotten that Langford looked decent when he did play?

The Pritchard to Mark Price comparison is also jumping the gun.  I remember Mark Price.  He was an excellent PG, more in the class of John Stockton or Steve Nash.  Price took the basic Pick and Roll to a new dimension with his shooting and ability (quickness) to "split" the double.  Pritchard did what he is supposed to do in his first preseason game.  That is terrific for a 26th pick.  Plenty to be excited about with Prichard, as a back up PG (at least for now).  I don't want to put a ceiling on him after one preseason game but he still has a lot to prove.  For now, I am happy to say he looks like a great pick and should help the team off the bench.

COmparing Pritchard to Mark Price and stating that Nesmith was barely above poor last night is nuts to me.

I am not sure I understand.  I said that to compare Pritchard to Price after one preseason game was jumping the gun so I guess we agree on that part.

As to Nesmith and specifically Nesmith vs. Langford, I saw in Langford last season, by the end of the season, a player with NBA talent.  He got hurt and in the end, may not have the durability to stay in the NBA but I saw NBA talent.  Nesmith did not show that yet.  Langford didn't show it in his first preseason game either (actually, I think Langford was hurt and did play preseason but you know what I am trying to say).  I am not giving up on Nesmith or trying to define a ceiling for him based on this one game.  But I am far short of ordaining him the Langford successor for a spot in the regular rotation.   

I like Nesmith and like the pick.  I am certain he will improve in leaps and bounds through the season and beyond.  He may end up better than Langford or at a minimum, at least more durable I hope.  But as of today, Langford has actually performed on the court, Nesmith is still just promise, a rookie trying to figure it out, just like Langford was 1 year ago.

I think Langford has a lot of potential, he just hasn’t been able to stay healthy.  He can’t work on his shot with a cast on his wrist.  If he can develop an average shot, he’s going to be a good player.  I see a lot more nba skills and potential in him than Nesmith at this point.  He also needs to hit the weights.  He already plays strong despite a scrawny physique.  He even weighed 215 without much muscle.  But he can’t hit the weights with his injuries.  If he can stay healthy for a prolonged period of time, he could be a beast scoring at the rim, getting to the free throw line, and defending.

That is a lot of Ifs.

Yeah, the big IF with Langford is durability, and it is a big IF.  Langford will get stronger, all 20 year olds do as they naturally mature but some people's bodies just can't hold up to the NBA.  Time will tell with Langford.

The IF with Nesmith is will his talent develop.  Langford has already shown NBA talent, barely, but in spite of injuries, he has shown it.  Nesmith has not yet, but who would expect him to in one preseason game.  So for now, that is his "IF".

I actually think both will overcome their "IFs".  I think Langford will eventually get and stay on the court and will have an NBA career.  I also think Nesmith will improve steadily like most rookies do.  These guys are not mutually exclusive of each other or anything like that.  I like them both, "ifs" and all.  It is just that one has played in actual games, including playoff games and the other has played in one preseason game.

[knuckleballer]

I like the enthusiasm for Nesmith, but I think we need to temper expectations a bit.  He played one game against a team from a power conference last year.  Going from playing against second rate college players to NBA players is a massive leap.

[Phantom255x]

I like the enthusiasm for Nesmith, but I think we need to temper expectations a bit.  He played one game against a team from a power conference last year.  Going from playing against second rate college players to NBA players is a massive leap.

Sir, this is Celticsblog/Celticsstrong. There's no room for reasonable takes, so either celebrate or grab the pitchforks right now 

[nickagneta]

I like the enthusiasm for Nesmith, but I think we need to temper expectations a bit.  He played one game against a team from a power conference last year.  Going from playing against second rate college players to NBA players is a massive leap.

Sir, this is Celticsblog/Celticsstrong. There's no room for reasonable takes, so either celebrate or grab the pitchforks right now 

WHERE'S DEM ROOKIES?!?!?!

[86MaxwellSmart]

Nesmith was pretty good,considering he only played in the 2nd half...Pritchard was very good, apart from those 2 dumb bounce passes to Tacko---gotta throw those passes high.....Tacko has improved, might get some minutes...Edwards still sucks.

[liam]

Nesmith was pretty good,considering he only played in the 2nd half...Pritchard was very good, apart from those 2 dumb bounce passes to Tacko---gotta throw those passes high.....Tacko has improved, might get some minutes...Edwards still sucks.

Edwards looks like all confidence is just shattered. He just is playing with no joy or positive energy.

[ScoobyDoo]

The sky isn't falling but Ainge is catastrophically bad at his job to an inexcusable extent. I would very much welcome a new regime - can Zarren take over? Brad remains a good coach but Ainge is putting the screws to him and particularly to Tatum. The idea is to get better each year, to build upon something and improve what you have. Ainge consistently proves his goal is the opposite. We are where we are - which is way further away from competing for a title than we were last year.