Celtics Off-Season News

[liam]

As I have said above, I don't know Brissett's game well enough to know if he is more PF or more SF.  Between Brissett and Hauser, it seems to give us a lot of flexibility to provide back up forward minutes.  It appears that Brissett should be at least as good as Hauser, probably a little better.

We might be able to "get by" with Brissett and Hauser backing up SF and PF but I would still like to see them bring in a solid bench PF or C (with Horford as the back up PF).  Not the end of the world if we don't, but that is what I see as the most pressing soft spot in the roster.  The PF vs. C distinction does not matter all that much with players like Horford and Porzingis, they are really either and both at the same time.

I've been watching some video on Brissett.  Going solely by my untrained eye he appears to be too small to play PF for more than just a few spot minutes.  He's not that big at 6'7" (210lbs).  Hauser is actually bigger than him (217lbs).

These highlights are filled with some little flip layups by Brissett, but boy they all just look like lucky flicks of the wrist that happened to go in while he was fouled.  Not like he absorbs contact and still has amazing body control to deftly lay it up.  Hope I'm wrong, but these highlights don't look like he's really creating any offense off the dribble that we could count on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljekZ0V8Fps

Brissett has more dog in him than Hauser.  But Sam plays a smarter game.  He's always looking for that sliver of daylight to be ready to receive a pass and shoot.  And he ALWAYS looks to find his man and box him out (even around the perimeter) to prevent any offensive boards. 

Hauser is a heady defender too, he just gets focused on by opposing offenses in iso ball because they believe he's a poor defender.  Just because of the odds he's gonna get scored on occasionally.  But so would everyone if they got into an iso situation like that, even someone like Jaylen Brown.

Brissett is an old school garbage man type player. He does play hard and with an edge. He has to give his all to see the court.

[Big333223]

As I have said above, I don't know Brissett's game well enough to know if he is more PF or more SF.  Between Brissett and Hauser, it seems to give us a lot of flexibility to provide back up forward minutes.  It appears that Brissett should be at least as good as Hauser, probably a little better.

We might be able to "get by" with Brissett and Hauser backing up SF and PF but I would still like to see them bring in a solid bench PF or C (with Horford as the back up PF).  Not the end of the world if we don't, but that is what I see as the most pressing soft spot in the roster.  The PF vs. C distinction does not matter all that much with players like Horford and Porzingis, they are really either and both at the same time.

I've been watching some video on Brissett.  Going solely by my untrained eye he appears to be too small to play PF for more than just a few spot minutes.  He's not that big at 6'7" (210lbs).  Hauser is actually bigger than him (217lbs).

These highlights are filled with some little flip layups by Brissett, but boy they all just look like lucky flicks of the wrist that happened to go in while he was fouled.  Not like he absorbs contact and still has amazing body control to deftly lay it up.  Hope I'm wrong, but these highlights don't look like he's really creating any offense off the dribble that we could count on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljekZ0V8Fps

Brissett has more dog in him than Hauser.  But Sam plays a smarter game.  He's always looking for that sliver of daylight to be ready to receive a pass and shoot.  And he ALWAYS looks to find his man and box him out (even around the perimeter) to prevent any offensive boards. 

Hauser is a heady defender too, he just gets focused on by opposing offenses in iso ball because they believe he's a poor defender.  Just because of the odds he's gonna get scored on occasionally.  But so would everyone if they got into an iso situation like that, even someone like Jaylen Brown.

Brissett is an old school garbage man type player. He does play hard and with an edge. He has to give his all to see the court.

One thing I like about that highlight package: a lot of blocks. Including a swat on Bobby Portis in the post a minute in.

Brissett doesn't have the build of Grant but he's taller and more athletic with longer arms. In today's NBA he can definitely play PF. I think we'll see some minutes with Brissett and Hauser where they're both playing "forward" and there's no other distinction.

[Goldstar88]

Speaking to Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett in Las Vegas, Cassell explained how he ended up landing back with the Celtics, noting that it was his connection with Mazzulla that made it a natural fit.

“Joe made this happen,” Cassell told Bulpett. “He’s watched me work a couple of guys out before and wanted to understand my personality and how I link to players. We have some mutual friends that he contacted, and we just made it work.”

Cassell believes his resume as an established point guard in the NBA gives him a distinct advantage now during his time as a coach, especially when it comes to communicating with players.

Of course, that messaging isn’t always positive.

“I’m just very truthful with players, man,” Cassell said. “Sometimes they don’t like it, but I speak the truth. I speak to the game plan of the head coach, and I tell them what the head coach expects. Sometimes players try to be reluctant to take that, but I think I have a way that I can be 100% honest with a player without them taking it personally. And that’s a trait that I know I have.

“I’m a great listener to players; I’m a former player, so I understand what they’re going through. Like I tell them all the time, I’ve been each player on a team, from the top guy to the 15th player. I’ve been all those guys. I understand what those guys are going through mentally.”

Both Cassell and new Celtics lead assistant Charles Lee (formerly with the Milwaukee Bucks) will look to add a steadying presence next to Mazzulla on Boston’s bench.

“We’ve got a chance,” Cassell said of Boston’s title hopes in 2023-24. “You’ve got the talent here. You’ve got to have health and chemistry. They are ready. … You know, I saw how it looked when the Celtics won their last championship.

“I was a part of that team. And once we get that thing accomplished, it’s a beautiful thing to win a championship in Boston. It’s awesome to be back in The Bean, especially when you’ve won there before.”

[obnoxiousmime]

As I have said above, I don't know Brissett's game well enough to know if he is more PF or more SF.  Between Brissett and Hauser, it seems to give us a lot of flexibility to provide back up forward minutes.  It appears that Brissett should be at least as good as Hauser, probably a little better.

We might be able to "get by" with Brissett and Hauser backing up SF and PF but I would still like to see them bring in a solid bench PF or C (with Horford as the back up PF).  Not the end of the world if we don't, but that is what I see as the most pressing soft spot in the roster.  The PF vs. C distinction does not matter all that much with players like Horford and Porzingis, they are really either and both at the same time.

I've been watching some video on Brissett.  Going solely by my untrained eye he appears to be too small to play PF for more than just a few spot minutes.  He's not that big at 6'7" (210lbs).  Hauser is actually bigger than him (217lbs).

These highlights are filled with some little flip layups by Brissett, but boy they all just look like lucky flicks of the wrist that happened to go in while he was fouled.  Not like he absorbs contact and still has amazing body control to deftly lay it up.  Hope I'm wrong, but these highlights don't look like he's really creating any offense off the dribble that we could count on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljekZ0V8Fps

Brissett has more dog in him than Hauser.  But Sam plays a smarter game.  He's always looking for that sliver of daylight to be ready to receive a pass and shoot.  And he ALWAYS looks to find his man and box him out (even around the perimeter) to prevent any offensive boards. 

Hauser is a heady defender too, he just gets focused on by opposing offenses in iso ball because they believe he's a poor defender.  Just because of the odds he's gonna get scored on occasionally.  But so would everyone if they got into an iso situation like that, even someone like Jaylen Brown.

If you want a really in-depth breakdown of Brissett's game, you should watch Bobby Manning's interview with Pacers reporter Caitlin Clark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPLhOI3cwco

The general scouting report is that he's an energy guy who likes cutting to the basket. His biggest hurdle is the inconsistency of his 3 pt. shot and his poor finishing at the basket (mid-30%) due to limited hangtime/finishing versatility. While he can play sometimes as a smaller 4, he's not strong enough to match up against bigger forwards and the Pacers always gave him help when he was posted up inside. In that sense he's definitely not a Grant replacement since Grant could hold up strength-wise against bigger 4s and even 5s.

It sounds like he will help the Celtics in terms of movement on the offensive end (he also likes to leak out, though good luck on this team getting anybody to notice you) and hustle on defense/grabbing rebounds. The biggest determining factor of his success, however, will still be the questionable 3 pt. shot. On defense, it's pretty clear his physical limitations make him more of a wing defender, he's not going to be successful full-time guarding anybody with size and strength inside the paint.

For that reason, I think he'll be an energy wing off the bench that offers a different flavor than Hauser who is primarily just a shooter. I don't see him as seriously contending for regular minutes at the 4 as maybe some of us anticipated when the signing was first announced.

[Vermont Green]

Not much has changed in the last week or so other than Davison being officially on a 2-way contract, not just a QO:

White           Pritchard           Banton
Brown          Brogdon            Champagnie (NG)
Tatum          Hauser              Brissett
Porzingis      OPEN                Walsh
Horford        RWilliams          Kornet (NG)

2-way   Davison   OPEN    OPEN

To fill the last spot, or waive and upgrade a NG slot (Kornet or Champagnie), or otherwise change/upgrade the roster we only have a few options:

1.   Sign a FA with a portion of the $5M MLE (this would hard cap us)
2.   Do a trade with the $6.2M TPE and picks (this would likely put us over the second apron, but no hard cap)
3.   Sign a FA with a vet min offer (Wood is still out there but not much else)
4.   Do a "regular" trade (likely options are send out Brogdon or Pritchard).
5.   And I guess we could do a "big" trade with Brown (I don't see this as very likely)

I think our core 7 players are set.  There is some question as to whether RWill or Horford will start but otherwise the top 7 is pretty set.  I am going to assume that RWill starts and Horford comes off the bench.  The question is about adding rotation depth or deeper depth insurance.  I see things as follows in terms of rotation depth:

1.  For Guard/Combo guard, we have Brogdon and Pritchard.
2.  For SG/SF/Wing, we have Hauser and Brissett.
3.  For PF/C/Big, we Horford and Kornet

I am assuming that Walsh, Banton, and Champagnie are the deep bench insurance.

I feel we are fine at Guard/Combo Guard.  Sure, Brogdon might get hurt and Pritchard is not someone you want stepping in to replace a starter but I feel that rotation is fine.

The SG/SF/Wing depth is probably an area that could be improved some, but I don't see this as a problem.  Hauser and Brissett can give us different looks for different situations/match-ups.  If Oubre or someone like that becomes available, I would be fine with that, but I don't see a problem with what we have.

For the PF/C/Big depth, that is probably where we are the most vulnerable.  Even if everyone is healthy, having Kornet as your 4th big is not ideal.  I would prefer Kornet in the deep bench insurance role, not a rotation depth role.  But things would suddenly become very thin if there is an injury (and there likely will be) or if nights off are needed (which there will be).  It is not the end of the world if we start the season as is but some move will likely be needed at some point.

I don't know if there is a FA that can fill our back up PF need, maybe Wood.  To me, the ideal move would be trading for say Isaiah Stewart with the TPE and picks and then waiving Champagnie (you can always find a deep bench insurance SG/SF) as I am not convinced that going over the second apron is a big deal.  I would also be fine with doing that by trading Pritchard and signing a vet min to replace him (to save some cap room under the second apron).

[PAOBoston]

Not much has changed in the last week or so other than Davison being officially on a 2-way contract, not just a QO:

White           Pritchard           Banton
Brown          Brogdon            Champagnie (NG)
Tatum          Hauser              Brissett
Porzingis      OPEN                Walsh
Horford        RWilliams          Kornet (NG)

2-way   Davison   OPEN    OPEN

To fill the last spot, or waive and upgrade a NG slot (Kornet or Champagnie), or otherwise change/upgrade the roster we only have a few options:

1.   Sign a FA with a portion of the $5M MLE (this would hard cap us)
2.   Do a trade with the $6.2M TPE and picks (this would likely put us over the second apron, but no hard cap)
3.   Sign a FA with a vet min offer (Wood is still out there but not much else)
4.   Do a "regular" trade (likely options are send out Brogdon or Pritchard).
5.   And I guess we could do a "big" trade with Brown (I don't see this as very likely)

I think our core 7 players are set.  There is some question as to whether RWill or Horford will start but otherwise the top 7 is pretty set.  I am going to assume that RWill starts and Horford comes off the bench.  The question is about adding rotation depth or deeper depth insurance.  I see things as follows in terms of rotation depth:

1.  For Guard/Combo guard, we have Brogdon and Pritchard.
2.  For SG/SF/Wing, we have Hauser and Brissett.
3.  For PF/C/Big, we Horford and Kornet

I am assuming that Walsh, Banton, and Champagnie are the deep bench insurance.

I feel we are fine at Guard/Combo Guard.  Sure, Brogdon might get hurt and Pritchard is not someone you want stepping in to replace a starter but I feel that rotation is fine.

The SG/SF/Wing depth is probably an area that could be improved some, but I don't see this as a problem.  Hauser and Brissett can give us different looks for different situations/match-ups.  If Oubre or someone like that becomes available, I would be fine with that, but I don't see a problem with what we have.

For the PF/C/Big depth, that is probably where we are the most vulnerable.  Even if everyone is healthy, having Kornet as your 4th big is not ideal.  I would prefer Kornet in the deep bench insurance role, not a rotation depth role.  But things would suddenly become very thin if there is an injury (and there likely will be) or if nights off are needed (which there will be).  It is not the end of the world if we start the season as is but some move will likely be needed at some point.

I don't know if there is a FA that can fill our back up PF need, maybe Wood.  To me, the ideal move would be trading for say Isaiah Stewart with the TPE and picks and then waiving Champagnie (you can always find a deep bench insurance SG/SF) as I am not convinced that going over the second apron is a big deal.  I would also be fine with doing that by trading Pritchard and signing a vet min to replace him (to save some cap room under the second apron).

Stewart just signed an extension for $16 mil per so he’s off the table at this point.

[Vermont Green]

Stewart just signed an extension for $16 mil per so he’s off the table at this point.

Hadn't seen that.  Wow, that is a nice contract for him.  He has started 132 games for DET in 3 seasons.  Guess getting him was a pipe dream.

[No Nickname]

As I have said above, I don't know Brissett's game well enough to know if he is more PF or more SF.  Between Brissett and Hauser, it seems to give us a lot of flexibility to provide back up forward minutes.  It appears that Brissett should be at least as good as Hauser, probably a little better.

We might be able to "get by" with Brissett and Hauser backing up SF and PF but I would still like to see them bring in a solid bench PF or C (with Horford as the back up PF).  Not the end of the world if we don't, but that is what I see as the most pressing soft spot in the roster.  The PF vs. C distinction does not matter all that much with players like Horford and Porzingis, they are really either and both at the same time.

I've been watching some video on Brissett.  Going solely by my untrained eye he appears to be too small to play PF for more than just a few spot minutes.  He's not that big at 6'7" (210lbs).  Hauser is actually bigger than him (217lbs).

These highlights are filled with some little flip layups by Brissett, but boy they all just look like lucky flicks of the wrist that happened to go in while he was fouled.  Not like he absorbs contact and still has amazing body control to deftly lay it up.  Hope I'm wrong, but these highlights don't look like he's really creating any offense off the dribble that we could count on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljekZ0V8Fps

Brissett has more dog in him than Hauser.  But Sam plays a smarter game.  He's always looking for that sliver of daylight to be ready to receive a pass and shoot.  And he ALWAYS looks to find his man and box him out (even around the perimeter) to prevent any offensive boards. 

Hauser is a heady defender too, he just gets focused on by opposing offenses in iso ball because they believe he's a poor defender.  Just because of the odds he's gonna get scored on occasionally.  But so would everyone if they got into an iso situation like that, even someone like Jaylen Brown.

Brissett is an old school garbage man type player. He does play hard and with an edge. He has to give his all to see the court.

One thing I like about that highlight package: a lot of blocks. Including a swat on Bobby Portis in the post a minute in.

Brissett doesn't have the build of Grant but he's taller and more athletic with longer arms. In today's NBA he can definitely play PF. I think we'll see some minutes with Brissett and Hauser where they're both playing "forward" and there's no other distinction.

If Brissett and Hauser are on the floor together it's because it's garbage time.

Or there have been injuries to our backcourt and Sam is playing shooting guard and Brissett is at the SF... with Tatum and a big on the floor too.

[radiohead]

Do you think the Celtics will use up all the 3 2-way slots allowed by the league? Obviously JD got one already so we have two more to go. I don’t really see anyone from our summer league roster worth developing save for maybe Azubuike (just because he’s big). The Polish guy looks really raw but maybe Brad sees enough in him to offer him a 2 way deal? Not the two most exciting prospects/projects I must admit.

[liam]

Do you think the Celtics will use up all the 3 2-way slots allowed by the league? Obviously JD got one already so we have two more to go. I don’t really see anyone from our summer league roster worth developing save for maybe Azubuike (just because he’s big). The Polish guy looks really raw but maybe Brad sees enough in him to offer him a 2 way deal? Not the two most exciting prospects/projects I must admit.

I  liked what I saw from Olek Balcerowski. Good screener and a good positional player. I think he'd look much better in a structured offense and defense. He wasn't going to shine in the unstructured summer league. He also changes ends quicker than I thought he could.

[radiohead]

Do you think the Celtics will use up all the 3 2-way slots allowed by the league? Obviously JD got one already so we have two more to go. I don’t really see anyone from our summer league roster worth developing save for maybe Azubuike (just because he’s big). The Polish guy looks really raw but maybe Brad sees enough in him to offer him a 2 way deal? Not the two most exciting prospects/projects I must admit.

I  liked what I saw from Olek Balcerowski. Good screener and a good positional player. I think he'd look much better in a structured offense and defense. He wasn't going to shine in the unstructured summer league. He also changes ends quicker than I thought he could.

Fair point. I just imagined putting Luke Kornet in with those summer league guys and he’d probably look bad too.

[Celtics4ever]

I think the big polish guy, O. Balcerow, plays below the rim and is really nonathletic.

[boscel33]

I saw where JD signed a second 2-way.

https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/7/10/23789373/point-guard-news-from-vegas-j-d-davison-signs-two-day-deal-boston-celtics-attend-john-wall-workout

[radiohead]

Here’s the guy I really want the Cs to get. Go get him Brad!

https://www.si.com/nba/2023/07/11/harry-giles-private-workout-video-nba-comeback

[Roy H.]

Here’s the guy I really want the Cs to get. Go get him Brad!

https://www.si.com/nba/2023/07/11/harry-giles-private-workout-video-nba-comeback

I'm surprised that there were only a dozen or so scouts there.  To me, he seems like a no-brainer for a two-way slot, or at the very least a training camp contract.