Thoughts on Last Night's Preseason Game 1 vs. Hornets

[PhoSita]

I noticed the team was -12 in the 5 minutes Yabu played in the first half.


Baynes looked good but I don't think we want to rely on his jumper too much as a pressure valve during real games.  Apparently Tommy was very impressed by his physique.

Smart's jumper looked good but we've seen that before.


Theis is nice but very methodical in his movements, will be interesting to see how it translates in real games.  The Celts are gonna need big man depth.

[Rosco917]

Overall I was very happy. Baynes and Theis showed very well. Nice to have some talented, aggressive size.

I'd like to see more chemistry between Irving and Hayward being developed next. I felt Hayward wasn't sure what his role was, and Kyrie couldn't see it.

I'm hopeful this will correct itself. We can't have a player like Gordan Hayward being just one of the guys.

[Yazfan]

This is Hayward's biggest fault. He shares and over passes for the better play even though he is a top guy.

I just Hope Irving/Hayward/Horford realize their shot needs to get taken over the rest.

I saw too many role players dominating the shots with Hayward/Irving on the floor. Maybe it was by design, who knows.

[smokeablount]

I noticed the team was -12 in the 5 minutes Yabu played in the first half.

Yabu was by far the worst player on our team last night.  Physically he's a specimen and I was very impressed by the fluidity of his movement, but skills-wise and in terms of BBIQ he has a lot to work on.  He could barely keep his hands on the ball and you could tell his experience in China and the D League didn't prepare him for NBA speed.  I'm hopeful he'll improve with reps.

[PAOBoston]

Theis, Theis, baby...

Talk about leaving a good first impression!

[CelticsJG]

Kyrie, & Hayward looked rusty.

Al already in season form

Brown was a little disappointing

Tatum had the rookie jitters.

Marcus & Rozier look good.

Yabu terrible

[RJ87]

Some initial rust, but the offense should be great. The ball movement of the 1st unit was spectacular at times.

DBB Blog's analysis of Aron Baynes was spot on. He's going to be a nice role player for us.

Theis exceeded expectations.

Tatum seemed anxious but the talent is there.

Brown showed some flashes, but I still don't get the overall "star" hype with him.

Yabu's a big body. He didn't show me anything last night to think he may be more than that down the line. Certainly not the next Draymond as some have dubbed him.

I'm officially over Rozier.

I liked skinny Marcus. Wanted to see him run the offense a bit more.

[Greyman]

Larkin started well when he came on. His game seemed to go away a bit as he didn't seem to have the same amount of time to do things. While he was fluent he showed he can do a few things that will benefit the team.

Everybody else has been covered by others, overall a good first up effort, especially with Morris still to be added.

[Eja117]

Every player seemed to add something.

Very deep team. I hope we really use that in the playoffs...rest days...go with the hot guys

Some of the practices are going to be incredible

If I were Kadeem Allen's or Jabari Bird's agent I'd tell em "Be young Avery Bradley. Don't take a shot. Crazy insane defense and passing. And that's it."

[LilRip]

I'm really excited for the team. They were rusty but boy, the potential is exciting! Definitely an upgrade over last year's team.

Also, did anyone notice Kyrie diving for loose balls? I saw him hit the floor maybe thrice trying to battle for possession. Love it!

--
On the downside, I hope Yabu gets it soon. And I hope Tatum shakes off his jitters and gets ready for the next game, so he can show that he can hang vs starters of other teams.

[makaveli]

nothing new to report here, you guys sumed it up pretty nicely, but here it is, by order, first being most impressive:

1: Theis...if he can play like this on a regular basis, he is going to be an asset. He did everything, and did it on a high level. just wow

2. Baynes...pretty much the same, just wowed me, looks comfortable scoring, a tough guy, great great D, and PnR as advertised.

3. Smart looks terrific out there, he is going to be a MONSTER on D. Guards look out, but he destroyed batum on a couple of possessions, just his overall strength level is out of this world.

4. Irving / Hayward / Horford , nothing to be surprised about, guys are veteran all star - superstar players

5. Tatum will be special...no doubt about it - NONE

6. Brown / Rozier i expect them to emerge in a bigger role than last year, talent quality and hard work, all evident

7. Yabu's nickname is perfect for him, the game will slow down for him eventually

[guava_wrench]

I was annoyed by Smart launching from way beyond the 3pt line just because he hit a few. I am troubled that he would think for a moment that it was a reasonable shot for him. It's as if he was upset to be shooting well and wanted to make sure to get his percentages down.

[droopdog7]

Biggest thing I noticed was that this team WILL need time to gel.  First team was passing but you could tell it was because they were being nice to each other.  Over time, the better scorers (Kyrie and Hayward) will do less passing and more scoring, which is fine.  For instance, the underhand pass that Kyrie made to Smart (for three) made me cringe.  Smart hit a few shots but he's not the guy that should be getting those passes when you have other options.  He'll clank more than not. 

I thought Smart definitely looked slimmer.  His quickness a little improved but still not especially explosive. Also not especially effective as a finisher.  So great for him for working on his fitness but let's not expect a transformation.  He'll still never be much of a scorer.  His improvement shooting will still largely determine his usefulness on the offensive end.

Baynes and Thies were both pleasant surprises.  Baynes was more mobile and a better shooter than anticipated.  He's a nice addition and an upgrade over Johnson.  Theis is a wait and see but boy was he fun.  I think he can be maybe the ninth man and I would play him over Yabu, Semi, Nadar, Bird and others. 

Thought Tatum looked pretty good.  Was obviously pressing in the first half.  Not worried about that. Main thing was he just had so many easy makeable shots.  Not sure how that kept happening.  Brown also looked pretty good.  Very fluid and confident.  Don't picture him as a big time scorer but he'll do damage in spurts.

Yabu looked ordinary to me.  Not bad, not great, but limited athlete and frame.  He'll have to carve out a niche to have an impact long term.  Nader is effective but not much of an athlete (so low upside).  Rozier continues to improve.  Still not much of a PG but has role. 

By and large, you can see the upgrade in talent.  After yesterday though I do question how well the pieces will fit.  For instance, instead of Brown and Smart, we'd probably be a better team if you could surround Kyrie and Hayward with knock down shooters.  And I'm not saying they aren't valuable, or don't have potential to be good players.  But once the pecking order is clearly established around Kyrie and Hayward, the other players will need to play a supporting role and do it well.

[Spilling Green Dye]

Loved what I saw.  Really good passing, better players shooting open shots (than last year), much better physicality around the hoop on the defensive end, better team rebounding...

Considering how many of them have never played an actual game together, I was pleasantly surprised by their movement & passing.

[SHAQATTACK]

 I had forgotten what Celtic reboundimg was .  Seeing Hornets get mostly one and done looks at the rim .....was like being in a dream from 1000 yeas ago.

Tommy has a serious man crush on Baynes .....



Seeing Haywards height and defense on guys that normally get ANY shot they want got my attention .     ......with IT and AB were were so short.   I like Browns and Haywards impact defendimg the jump shots . 

Hayward impacts the game alot without scoring .  I saw good stuff.


bad side ...Yabu looked like a very raw bad version of Bass .  He needs to up his ability to process the plays as they ar happening ....and think ahead alittle .......he looked lost and confused too much .