What We Learned from Week 1 of Boston Celtics Camp
After a long and somewhat quiet offseason, media day and the first week of training camp have been a feeding frenzy of Boston Celtics news and information.
With some of the bigger news, like everything surrounding Rajon Rondo's injury and his general standing with the team, clogging up everyone's senses, it can be difficult to keep up with all the other stuff coming out of Boston's camp this fall.
It is good to have basketball back in our lives, but with it comes an influx of information that is difficult to keep track of and occasionally aggravating with excessive repetition.
We'll thin out the herd and spin the updates on what has been an informative and entertaining week of Celtics hoops.
Quick Hitters
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Evan Turner, student-athlete
After his strong preseason performance in the Boston Celtics opener, a lot more praise was bound to come out about the newest Celtic, Evan Turner. The former Philadelphia 76er put together 15 points, 10 rebounds and six assists after starting at small forward against his old team.
According to head coach Brad Stevens and MassLive.com's Jay King, Turner watches a ton of game film and has been impressing the coaching staff in that regard. Stevens has also given him some advice on how he is expecting him to play, telling him to "just hit singles" until his body takes over, per the Celtics' official Twitter account.
Jared Sullinger in shape, but not quite
Jared Sullinger got the start at power forward for Boston against Philadelphia, putting up 10 points and 13 rebounds. He looked good at times but struggled a bit to get off the ground and had a lot of shots altered at the rim, going 4-of-15 from the field. Some of that could be attributed to the shape he is in.
At training camp, Sullinger told the Boston Herald's Mark Murphy he was "not where I want to be, but really, really close."
He has apparently been using camp and scrimmages to get to where he wants to be.
Zeller earns rave reviews but doesn't showcase
We've heard a lot this preseason about Tyler Zeller and how important a role he is playing and will play in Brad Stevens and the Celtics' push to up their pace of play this year.
Zeller's greatest strength is his ability to get up and down the court. According to NESN's Zach Cox, that is what has struck most of his teammates thus far. Stevens has also admired the big man's passing abilities.
"Probably the thing I've been, maybe the biggest surprise about Tyler Zeller has been the way he passes the ball," Stevens told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.
However, in the preseason opener, Zeller didn't do a whole lot. In 18 minutes off the bench, he got to the line once but didn't attempt a field goal. He tallied four rebounds but also earned five fouls and turned the ball over three times. There were a handful of situations where he didn't look like he belonged, looking more like one of those training-camp invitees who are just hoping to get some run before heading overseas.
Brandon Bass Is Pleased with His Situation
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It wasn't always a foregone conclusion that last season's Red Auerbach Award winner would be on the Boston Celtics in 2014-15.
Brandon Bass is entering into a contract year, which makes his $6.9 million salary an intriguing expiring deal. He is also a long-tenured veteran with big-game experience who is capable of producing regardless of playing time. That would seemingly be enough to draw a fair amount of trade suitors. However, Bass has remained with Boston through an assortment of trade speculation.
Now, he is on the verge of beginning his 10th NBA season and fourth in a green jersey. He has been a fairly consistent producer for the team as well.
However, over the past couple of years, Boston has made young additions to the frontcourt. Drafting Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk and then trading for Tyler Zeller this summer mean limited minutes to go around.
Bass doesn't seem too worried about his standing with the franchise or on the depth chart, though. In fact, according to Scott Souza of The MetroWest Daily News, Bass is embracing his role as one of the few veterans on Boston's roster.
He showed a willingness to become that leader and succeeded at it last season. The Auerbach Award is proof enough of that. Since he isn't breaking the bank or poisoning the locker-room waters, there should be no problem with Bass remaining with the Celtics for as long as he wishes to.
The starting spots in the frontcourt went to Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk in Boston's first preseason game, but Bass got 20 minutes off the bench and went for 15 points and nine rebounds. He looked to be in very good shape and got to the line 10 times. Do keep in mind, though, that Bass was dominating a very weak team's second unit.
Jeff Green Put on Some Weight
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One idea that has been bounced around coming out of training camp is that Jeff Green could play some power forward.
Scott Souza of The MetroWest Daily News tweeted a quote from Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, stating that Green and fellow swingman Gerald Wallace might see some time as potential stretch 4s.
This information came on the heels of Green showing up to camp in very good shape and with a little more muscle on his frame.
"I'm able to take some of the bumps and continue to play through it and finish at the rim," Green told Celtics.com reporter Marc D'Amico.
Stevens added to MassLive.com's Jay King that Green appeared to be in very good shape physically.
"To Jeff’s credit, I think he did come back stronger," said Stevens. "And Jeff’s in great shape. Jeff would be in that group that he doesn’t need a whole lot of conditioning. He looks good."
Boston's frontcourt is already crowded with a host of quality players fighting for real minutes. However, if this is something Green can excel at, he would definitely be the most talented of the bunch as an overall player. The question is, Would he be fully invested on a day-to-day basis?
Unfortunately, Green was held out of Oct. 6's preseason game, the first for Boston this year. However, ESPN.com's Brian Robb reports that he is likely to play in the second game on Oct. 8. Perhaps then we will see some of Green playing that power forward spot.
Kelly Olynyk Could Be in Store for a Breakout Year
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One of the biggest storylines coming out of the early stages of Boston Celtics training camp concerns Kelly Olynyk.
Boston's 2013 first-round draft pick had a solid rookie season that ended on a particularly high note, as he averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in April. Through one week of camp, the reviews have been positive about Boston's second-year big.
According to ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg, everyone from team president Rich Gotham to head coach Brad Stevens has been impressed with the 23-year-old.
"I think our best bet is to make him a big part of what we're doing," said Boston's second-year head coach. "I think the reason for that is because he's a skilled, savvy basketball player who can play a number of positions and can stretch the floor for you."
Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe reports that Stevens thinks Olynyk is an option at center. This would be a major help in thinning out the depth chart and clearing what could be a serious logjam at power forward.
No matter where he plays, though, Olynyk appears to be earning more and more minutes each day at camp. He was Boston's top player in the recent scrimmage, according to the team's Twitter account.
In the first preseason game, Olynyk started at center and saw 29 minutes. Only Evan Turner (31) got more playing time. Olynyk went for 14 points and nine rebounds, with a game-high plus-17 rating. He shot 4-of-12 from the field but was 4-of-7 after halftime. He also held his own against Nerlens Noel at the center position.
Boston Has Some Minor Dings
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According to MassLive.com's Jay King, the Boston Celtics opened training camp with a few minor injuries that were nagging some players, including Gerald Wallace, Joel Anthony and Vitor Faverani.
Wallace's issue was well-known in advance, as he underwent season-ending surgery on his knee and ankle last spring. Despite being somewhat limited, though, he thinks he is responding well, reports the Boston Herald's Mark Murphy.
Anthony has been dealing with a groin injury that has limited him in some capacities, but the Worcester Telegram & Gazette's Bill Doyle reports that he should only be held out for a couple of days.
Faverani has been experiencing some knee soreness and actually had an MRI recently to rule out anything serious, per NESN's Zach Cox. It doesn't appear to be anything that serious, though, as Faverani has been practicing, albeit in a limited capacity, during training camp.
Those minor ailments continued to make their way around the roster, as guys may be pushing their bodies a little hard to get back into competitive basketball shape quickly. Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston reported that both Marcus Smart and Jeff Green sat out of Sunday afternoon's practice. Green is nursing a strained left calf, while Smart is dealing with a groin issue.
In the same update, Forsberg stated that Brandon Bass suffered a corneal abrasion to his eye at the hands of a rebounding Kelly Olynyk.
In Boston's first preseason game on Oct. 6, Green, Anthony and Faverani sat out, while Bass, Smart and Wallace all played.
And Some Bigger Ones
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Obviously, the biggest news to come out of Boston Celtics media day and training camp was Rajon Rondo and his slippery shower.
Rondo broke his left hand, a left metacarpal fracture to be exact, while in the shower recently and required surgery to repair the damage. According to the Zach Harper of CBSSports.com, Rondo could miss six to eight weeks of action.
While that original report, handed down from the team, would have Rondo likely missing all of November, the player thinks that may be an overstatement.
"Hopefully, I won't miss any games this year. Lord willing I heal correctly, and I'll be back in no time," Boston's captain told CSNNE's Mike Gorman. "They're telling me six to eight [weeks]. But that means nothing to me."
Rondo is, of course, eager to get back on the floor after missing 96 games the past two seasons, primarily with an ACL injury. Also, as he told Gorman, this injury isn't a knee like that one. It is a finger injury, and this is a player who has played through quite a bit of pain in his career.
Opening day for the Celtics is on Oct. 29, when they will take on the Brooklyn Nets. That would be only about five weeks from his surgery to playing an NBA game.
While unlikely, given the six-to-eight-week timetable given by the franchise, no one should put anything past a willful Rondo. Also, Marc D'Amico of Celtics.com reported that Rondo was actively participating in some pregame drills before Boston's first preseason game on Oct. 6. He obviously did not play in that game, though.
Coach Is Impressed by the Rooks
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Most Boston Celtics fans will be keeping their eyes on the youngsters this season—Marcus Smart and James Young in particular.
Boston's two first-round picks from this summer will both be seeking to make an immediate impact on a rebuilding team. Both have also gotten off to fairly strong starts, at least in head coach Brad Stevens' eyes, which are the most important set of all. He will be the one who chooses how much playing time Smart and Young receive and in what positions and situations.
With a strong training camp, both could serve as immediate mainstays in the Celtics' regular rotation.
Smart came out of the draft as one of the more NBA-ready players. That is one of the many things Stevens has noted thus far. Most of his praise has landed on the young guard's defense. According to MassLive.com's Jay King, Boston's second-year head coach believes Smart can make a huge impact on that side of the ball.
Stevens' faith in Smart showed through when he was given the opportunity to start at point guard in the Celtics' first preseason game. Though he went 0-of-8 from the field, he received the third-most minutes on the team, racking up three steals and six assists with just two turnovers.
In that game, a 98-78 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, Young saw 20 minutes of action off the bench. The 19-year-old had 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting and got to the free-throw line five times. There was some tentativeness at times, but we also saw some of that basketball IQ that Stevens was telling WEEI's Ben Rohrbach about.
Even general manager Danny Ainge has been suitably impressed by the young swingman.
"My expectations for him aren’t really high right now, but we do have high expectations for him in his career," Ainge told The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn about Young. "I will say that through the first couple of days, that he’s been a great surprise. He’s exceeded my expectations this early."
Erman, Staff Jelling Nicely in Year 2
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One concern with the 2014-15 Boston Celtics is the departure of Brad Stevens' lead assistant Ron Adams.
During the offseason, he swapped coasts and is now an assistant on Steve Kerr's staff with the Golden State Warriors. The split seemed amicable, and Adams, an older coach at 67 years old, is now on a contending team.
"I have nothing but great things to say about the Celtics organization, Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens," Adams told The Boston Globe's Baxter Holmes, who first reported the move back in June.
Still, Boston's coaching staff has been a reported bright spot thus far in training camp, even without Adams. Coincidentally, the man whom Adams kind of switched places with, Darren Erman, has led Stevens' group. Back in April, Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Erman had been signed by the Celtics after a less-than-graceful exit from Golden State.
Erman is making an impact on the defensive end already, which was something he got a lot of credit for with the Warriors, according to Wojnarowski's piece. Recently, Stevens went in-depth with MassLive.com's Jay King about what makes Erman so important:
"Darren’s really a great defensive coach. He’s more than that. I think sometimes we pigeon-hole guys because he’s obviously specialized in that. But he is detail-oriented as detail-oriented gets. If your hands aren’t in the right place as you’re guarding in a pick-and-roll, or if your body positioning’s not at the right angle, or you don’t guard the post in the exact right way, he’ll stop it and he’ll correct it.
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Stevens went on to comment on the continuity of his staff being an important factor in being more prepared for the season this year. All members return, with the exception of Adams. Jay Larranaga, who has been with the franchise since 2012, was promoted to lead assistant, according to King.
"We’ve really developed a great chemistry and how to work efficient," added second-year assistant coach Walter McCarty to ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg. "It [was] a great summer, we spent a lot of time together at summer league, and just being in the office. Just trying to make our team better."
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