Celtics Regular Season News

[Goldstar88]

Jay King: Al Horford raved about Kristaps Porzingis’ defense in the opener: “Kristaps with that back line was great protecting all of us. He really did a good job and I think he was the biggest difference because at the rim he was protecting us time after time.” – via Twitter ByJayKing

[Goldstar88]

At two points this offseason — during the three-team trade talks that fell apart back in June and the Jrue Holiday trade in October — Brogdon says he was already mentally preparing himself to be a Clipper alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. “Absolutely,” Brogdon confirmed to ClutchPoints. “Absolutely. You know, once Jrue was traded from Milwaukee, I knew Boston had a lot of interest in him and I figured Boston would have a good run at getting him because I was a guy that they were open to trading.” “I was a guy that’s viewed as a good vet in the league and to teams. I have good value in the league. So a team like Portland could either keep me as a good vet or flip me. I knew that Boston would be in play to get [Jrue Holiday]. So I did start to mentally prepare to be here [in Los Angeles].” 2 hours ago – via Tomer Azarly @ Clutch Points

Now in his eighth NBA season, the 31-year old point guard would be a strong addition to any team in championship contention. After a very long summer of uncertainty, Brogdon has been very open and accepting of his role as a mentor and backup with Portland’s young squad. “Man, I’m just trying to be a pro,” Malcolm Brogdon told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview after the Blazers’ season opening loss against the Clippers. “I’m a guy that relies on my work. So staying in the gym is really how I’ve been able to adjust. If your game is sharp and you’re ready for every opportunity and every change, you’re going to be fine no matter where you’re at. So for me, it’s keeping my head down and working.” – via Tomer Azarly @ Clutch Points

[SparzWizard]

Have to feel somewhat bad for Brogdon having to take on that journeyman role, but he is a 6MOTY and has the stats to back it.

Hope he has success with the LA Clippers and take down the Lakers for us. Think he'll be happier getting to play alongside stars Kawhi and Paul George.

[ozgod]

Have to feel somewhat bad for Brogdon having to take on that journeyman role, but he is a 6MOTY and has the stats to back it.

Hope he has success with the LA Clippers and take down the Lakers for us. Think he'll be happier getting to play alongside stars Kawhi and Paul George.

Well he has to get to the Clippers first 

[A Future of Stevens]

Have to feel somewhat bad for Brogdon having to take on that journeyman role, but he is a 6MOTY and has the stats to back it.

Hope he has success with the LA Clippers and take down the Lakers for us. Think he'll be happier getting to play alongside stars Kawhi and Paul George.

I think Brogdon would be a better match in LA than Harden. Harden is a "better" player but he could blow up that house of cards. Brogdon could have the same role there that he had here.

[hpantazo]

Have to feel somewhat bad for Brogdon having to take on that journeyman role, but he is a 6MOTY and has the stats to back it.

Hope he has success with the LA Clippers and take down the Lakers for us. Think he'll be happier getting to play alongside stars Kawhi and Paul George.

I think Brogdon would be a better match in LA than Harden. Harden is a "better" player but he could blow up that house of cards. Brogdon could have the same role there that he had here.

I hope Brogdon doesn't end up on the Sixers somehow.

[A Future of Stevens]

Have to feel somewhat bad for Brogdon having to take on that journeyman role, but he is a 6MOTY and has the stats to back it.

Hope he has success with the LA Clippers and take down the Lakers for us. Think he'll be happier getting to play alongside stars Kawhi and Paul George.

I think Brogdon would be a better match in LA than Harden. Harden is a "better" player but he could blow up that house of cards. Brogdon could have the same role there that he had here.

I hope Brogdon doesn't end up on the Sixers somehow.

True. I don't think he would put them over the top, yet he is the exact type of player to fit around Embiid.

[SparzWizard]

Have to feel somewhat bad for Brogdon having to take on that journeyman role, but he is a 6MOTY and has the stats to back it.

Hope he has success with the LA Clippers and take down the Lakers for us. Think he'll be happier getting to play alongside stars Kawhi and Paul George.

Well he has to get to the Clippers first 

Ah! For some reason I thought he was already a Clipper. Forgot he's still suited up for the Blazers.

[green_bballers13]

Does anyone still think we need to scrutinize our 13th and 14th players?

I think this is one of those teams that will play 8-9 guys in the playoffs. Jaylen and Tatum should get solid rest by the end of the reg. season, but should be playing almost every minute of every playoff game. I could see a backup big coming in for injuries/foul trouble. Pritchard is good enough to play every minute while Jrue or DWhite are resting.  Other than that, the Celtics have the most frontline talent 1-6 and should not be showcasing the bench in many meaningful moments. The only guys that need load management in the playoffs are Porzingis and Horford. Go get a legit backup big for them and this team is good to go.

Holiday, Pritchard
DWhite
Jaylen
Tatum
Porzingis, Horford

Sprinkle in Brissett and Hauser and you have 9 players getting noteworthy minutes.

This team reminds me of the 08 Celtics. The new additions are very talented and exciting. There's a buzz that I haven't felt in 15 years.

[SparzWizard]

I just hope Joe doesn't run Tatum to the ground. Last night he had 41 minutes. It's only two games though, hope minute adjustments will be made eventually

[Roy H.]

I just hope Joe doesn't run Tatum to the ground. Last night he had 41 minutes. It's only two games though, hope minute adjustments will be made eventually

That's what I'm keeping an eye on, too.  We need to be able to win games without killing our starters.

We need one more top-9 player.

[Vermont Green]

The "start the season" regular season roster is a matter of fact now but after 2 games, there is some variation in the bench rotations.

Holiday            Pritchard           Banton
White              Mykhailiuk         Stevens
Brown             Hauser              Walsh
Tatum             Brissett         
Porzingis         Horford             Kornet     

two-way:  Davison, Knight, Queta 

I don't agree with it but it appears that the starters will include both White and Holiday and Horford will come off the bench as the 6th starter.  Pritchard and Hauser seem to have their slots established the 7th and 8th guys.  In game 1, Kornet got 8 min, Brissett 0 min and in game 2, Kornet 0 min and Brissett 14 min as I guess the 9th guy or 3rd big (so I gave Brissett the edge over Kornet as he played more minutes).  The remaining players did not play so it is hard to say for example where Stevens is relative to Mykhailiuk, I gave the edge to Svi as he got his contract first, but for sure, Banton and Walsh are 3rd string.

I felt that Brissett was much better in the back up PF role (with Horford as the back up C) than having Kornet as the back up C (forcing Horford to be the back up PF).  The latter forced Holiday to cover Randle because Kornet couldn't, he did fine, but it makes no sense to me to have an elite guard defender covering a PF.  To me, it would have made way more sense to use Brissett to cover Randle, like they had Brissett on Adebayo, even if that meant less minutes for Kornet and/or Pritchard.

My problem with the starting unit (and using that unit so much) isn't so much about Horford coming off the bench, I actually see that as a good role for him, it is just too many guards on the floor.  You end up with things like Holiday covering Randle.  And the other thing is that it needs to be established who is the PG when Holiday and White are on the floor.  You don't need two.  I think it is White that needs to play off Holiday, and he can probably do that, but why not split these guys so that we have at least one on the court as the PG all the time?  The more time they are on the court together, the more time they are off together and that means more time Pritchard is the PG.

The line up numbers are early but already, there is a trend that indicates we are best with only one of Holiday or White on the court (per36), OK with both, but clearly worse without either (meaning Pritchard):

White + Holiday together        53 min / +5  (+3.4 per36)
One of Holiday or White          35 min / +8  (+8.2 per36)
No White/Holiday (Pritchard)   10min / -1     (-3.6 per36)

I know it is only 2 games and I think White and Holiday will figure out how to play better together and get that number up some (I sense that Holiday is deferring as he figures it out), but it isn't surprising that if both White and Holiday are off and we have Pritchard, that the result is demonstratively worse and this trend is likely to continue.

[green_bballers13]

My problem with the starting unit (and using that unit so much) isn't so much about Horford coming off the bench, I actually see that as a good role for him, it is just too many guards on the floor.  You end up with things like Holiday covering Randle.  And the other thing is that it needs to be established who is the PG when Holiday and White are on the floor.  You don't need two.  I think it is White that needs to play off Holiday, and he can probably do that, but why not split these guys so that we have at least one on the court as the PG all the time?  The more time they are on the court together, the more time they are off together and that means more time Pritchard is the PG.

Holiday and DWhite are both superior defenders and deserve to play 48 minutes, if physically possible. Horford isn't as good as them, and deserves to come off the bench. I also like Pritchard dropping 30 footers right off the bench. Tatum and Jaylen should get more primary ball handling experience this year (esp against scrubs). Marcus Smart turned into an adequate 3pt shooter, and I think Jaylen can improve his handle.

[obnoxiousmime]

The "start the season" regular season roster is a matter of fact now but after 2 games, there is some variation in the bench rotations.

Holiday            Pritchard           Banton
White              Mykhailiuk         Stevens
Brown             Hauser              Walsh
Tatum             Brissett         
Porzingis         Horford             Kornet     

two-way:  Davison, Knight, Queta 

I don't agree with it but it appears that the starters will include both White and Holiday and Horford will come off the bench as the 6th starter.  Pritchard and Hauser seem to have their slots established the 7th and 8th guys.  In game 1, Kornet got 8 min, Brissett 0 min and in game 2, Kornet 0 min and Brissett 14 min as I guess the 9th guy or 3rd big (so I gave Brissett the edge over Kornet as he played more minutes).  The remaining players did not play so it is hard to say for example where Stevens is relative to Mykhailiuk, I gave the edge to Svi as he got his contract first, but for sure, Banton and Walsh are 3rd string.

I felt that Brissett was much better in the back up PF role (with Horford as the back up C) than having Kornet as the back up C (forcing Horford to be the back up PF).  The latter forced Holiday to cover Randle because Kornet couldn't, he did fine, but it makes no sense to me to have an elite guard defender covering a PF.  To me, it would have made way more sense to use Brissett to cover Randle, like they had Brissett on Adebayo, even if that meant less minutes for Kornet and/or Pritchard.

My problem with the starting unit (and using that unit so much) isn't so much about Horford coming off the bench, I actually see that as a good role for him, it is just too many guards on the floor.  You end up with things like Holiday covering Randle.  And the other thing is that it needs to be established who is the PG when Holiday and White are on the floor.  You don't need two.  I think it is White that needs to play off Holiday, and he can probably do that, but why not split these guys so that we have at least one on the court as the PG all the time?  The more time they are on the court together, the more time they are off together and that means more time Pritchard is the PG.

The line up numbers are early but already, there is a trend that indicates we are best with only one of Holiday or White on the court (per36), OK with both, but clearly worse without either (meaning Pritchard):

White + Holiday together        53 min / +5  (+3.4 per36)
One of Holiday or White          35 min / +8  (+8.2 per36)
No White/Holiday (Pritchard)   10min / -1     (-3.6 per36)

I know it is only 2 games and I think White and Holiday will figure out how to play better together and get that number up some (I sense that Holiday is deferring as he figures it out), but it isn't surprising that if both White and Holiday are off and we have Pritchard, that the result is demonstratively worse and this trend is likely to continue.

Holiday and White actually became our best interior defenders somehow in the Heat game. Holiday grabbed some huge rebounds and disrupted passes that allowed White time to make key blocks as the Heat tried and failed to take advantage of a perceived mismatch with Bam or Jimmy down low. Holiday was also excellent again Randle, frustrating him to a poor shooting night.

I understand your concerns with the smaller lineup. The Smart/White lineups bothered me last year, especially in the playoffs. However, I do think that Holiday is slightly better than Smart from a physical and rebounding standpoint (he made some absolutely huge rebounds in the Heat game). Without any evidence to back this up, I always felt like Smart in recent years played lighter than he used to be which decreased his ability to pound inside. I don't know if this was a personal choice for him or some decision based on becoming more svelte for offensive/speed purposes, but it was noticeable to me. It also helps that White underwent a bulking up regimen over the offseason which was a direct response to his inability to match up physically when targeted on switches, most notably in the Heat series. Yesterday's performance must have been a tremendous validation for him and the work he put in.

Regarding their ability to play together, I think both are known for their versatility on and off the ball so it's not a big deal that neither is designated the "point guard." Regarding Pritchard's minutes, I think if he can't prove to be capable as a regular rotation guy, they'll just eventually find a replacement instead of rejiggering White and Holiday's minutes to account for his ineffectiveness.

The thing is, as much as players say the right thing there are always politics involved. Let's be totally honest, they were never going to seriously consider not starting Holiday. He's not able to sign an extension yet and he has little trust built with the staff or management. It would have been difficult at such an early stage to convince him he's now a bench player after he made the All-Star team last year. Also, from a purely box office/marketing standpoint he was a splashy new addition and not starting at the jump would have diminished that. Besides, Horford is a 37 year-old who can't play extended minutes anymore. The only reason the team danced around the issue for so long is due to him being a stubborn and prideful vet who didn't want to concede the spot so easily. I really don't think there was an actual debate over this internally after they got Jrue, it was just about figuring out how to break it to Al.

[Goldstar88]

Does anyone still think we need to scrutinize our 13th and 14th players?

I think this is one of those teams that will play 8-9 guys in the playoffs. Jaylen and Tatum should get solid rest by the end of the reg. season, but should be playing almost every minute of every playoff game. I could see a backup big coming in for injuries/foul trouble. Pritchard is good enough to play every minute while Jrue or DWhite are resting.  Other than that, the Celtics have the most frontline talent 1-6 and should not be showcasing the bench in many meaningful moments. The only guys that need load management in the playoffs are Porzingis and Horford. Go get a legit backup big for them and this team is good to go.

Holiday, Pritchard
DWhite
Jaylen
Tatum
Porzingis, Horford

Sprinkle in Brissett and Hauser and you have 9 players getting noteworthy minutes.

This team reminds me of the 08 Celtics. The new additions are very talented and exciting. There's a buzz that I haven't felt in 15 years.

Not until those players have to see the court due to injuries and back to backs. It’s a long season.