The Celtics Are So Loaded That Even Their Bench Can't Stop Themselves From Kicking The Shit Out Of Their Opponent

Brian Babineau. Getty Images.

I know that tweet says the Celts won by just 4 points last night against the Raptors, which can be confusing based on how I titled this blog so allow me to explain.

Because the NBA doesn't always make the smartest decisions, last night was the Celts' turn to have a back to back in the preseason, and they sat everyone.The starting 5 got the night off, Horford got another night off, Tillman got the night off etc. It's no different from what the Sixers did the night before in the BOS/PHI game. Why there are B2Bs in the preseason is anyone's guess, but it was the Celts turn to hand the keys over to the bench and deep bench and see what they could cook up.

When the Sixers did this, they lost by 50 going up against the Celts starters, which was understandable. In this win going up against a handful of the Raptors starters and main rotation players, the Celtics bench did this

building a lead as high as 34 points before Joe Mazzulla decided to bench the bench players and let the deep bench close things out, which was when the Raptors went on their run and made it a closer game in the 4th quarter. Celts were up 22 by the time they entered that frame and it was abundantly clear that even their reserve players are more than ready for the regular season to start. 

You often hear how meaningless preseason basketball is in the NBA, and to me last night was a perfect example of why that couldn't be further from the truth. Imagine thinking the development of Jordan Walsh or Neemias Queta doesn't matter? Or that Lonnie Walker IV might have just secured a roster spot and proven to be a playable guy on a minimum deal? Of course it all matters! The only thing that you can throw away is the final score and the perfect 4-0 record, but everything else? It absolutely matters. 

What this preseason has shown us through these 4 straight wins is that this team looks to be every bit as awesome as we were hoping they'd look coming off a title. The starters and the best players look focused and locked in already, the bench is filled with guys who look to have made individual leaps, Joe is getting better and better running the show now with two years under his belt, and as a team they are stomping on the throats of everyone they play. 

Dare I say it's been a near perfect preseason? Because I'm not sure how things could look much better than they do at this moment in time.

The Good

- When we got then news that Joe was sitting all the starters, we all knew what that meant. It was time for the Payton Pritchard show. I love these moments because Pritchard has shown time and time again that when you give him the ball and tell him he's the #1 option for the night, he ALWAYS delivers

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Mind you, he had 16/4/5 in the first quarter while the Celts built a 20 point lead after the first 12 minutes. It doesn't seem to matter when it happens, when you give Pritchard that ultimate green light, this is the shit that happens. He destroys everything in his path. It's not like this was all against the Raptors bench either. Scottie Barnes was out there. Jakob Poeltl was out there, Grady Dick and Davion Mitchell were out there. Did it matter? Of course not. This is NBA Champion Payton Pritchard we're talking about here.

The patience he continues to show running the offense, the fact that his jumper looks as good as ever (48/48% splits with 4.0 3PM), and most importantly his mentality has really stood out in these 4 games

When people say the Celts as a unit are locked in. This is what we mean. Everyone is on the same page, everyone stays ready for their opportunity, and everyone understands what position the Celts as a team find themselves in as they enter the 2024-25 season. There are no agendas, no selfish players, nobody who wants to do anything other than win at a high level. You build an entire roster of these type of players who also happen to be really fucking good at basketball, this type of dominance is what happens.

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- In looking at the preseason as a whole, we know the starters are awesome. We know key bench guys like Pritchard and Hauser are legit rotation pieces on a title team. While it's been fun seeing those guys do their thing, what's stood out most to me through 4 games and what is easily the biggest story of their preseason is what's happening in the reserve wing department.

After a slow start in Abu Dhabi, Lonnie Walker IV is making it virtually impossible for Brad Stevens to not keep him on this roster. When the only hold up is luxury tax penalty money, I'm going to need Wyc and his Dad to suck it the hell up for one more season and just pay what it takes. You cannot let this type of skillset walk out the door because he's going to cost you $8-10M after penalties just to maybe not play. Don't be broke bitches

The win against the Sixers was about Walker's ability to create for others and show a different skillset than just being a microwave scorer off the bench. He looked awesome, but one thing we hadn't gotten yet was that offensive explosion.

That's what last night was about for him and boy did he deliver. He finished with 20 points on 8/13 shooting with 4 3PM, and it was a perfect blend of outside shooting and attacking the rim. If you get past Hauser and look at the wing depth, the Celts need a shot creator. I think it's risky having to rely so much on Walsh/Scheierman, which makes Lonnie Walker IV a logical choice to secure that final roster spot simply because of the type of skillset he possesses. He gives Joe a different look/weapon to use in certain situations, plus he has actual NBA experience which shouldn't be overlooked. You can spot start him, you can have him eat minutes on the wings to save the legs of Tatum/Brown, and again….he's a minimum deal. You aren't going to find that type of ability later in the year for the minimum. Just say the tax cost and be done with it, he's shown enough to earn a spot.

- Outside of Lonnie Walker, I think we can all agree that the most surprising part of the Celts preseason has been this apparent Year 2 Leap from Jordan Walsh. I mean, holy shit. He looks like a completely different player than what we saw in Vegas and it's pretty clear what this rise in confidence is doing to his game. 

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16/10 on 6-12 shooting in his 30 minutes, you forget that Walsh is only 20 years old when you watch him play. The game really does look like it's starting to slow down for him, which is a big step in his development. Walsh looks much more in control when he's on the floor, he's showing flashes of his elite athleticism with the way he rebounds and attacks the rim offensively, and this new jumper? I think we can put legit stock into it. His 37% from deep on 4.0 3PA a game is more than good enough, and if you slide him next to players who actually possess offensive gravity, I see no reason why that percentage shouldn't continue in real games once his shot quality looks get even better.

There's a race for someone to take the Oshae Brissett role/minutes, and as of this second, I don't see how anyone could have another player ahead of Walsh at the moment. The length and size he gives you defensively, this improved jumper, better and quicker decision-making, it's all things you hoped to see in Year 2. There's a real role out there for him if he can win the battle, and at the very least he remains an extremely intriguing prospect. 

- When we talk about Mazzulla Ball, it's more than just 3PT shooting. That's part of it, but it's a culture. It's a mentality. It's playing a certain way. While some out there still want to discredit him and think he does nothing but benefit from a loaded roster, this latest win is a great example of why that couldn't be further from the truth.

Notice how absolutely nothing changed in their style of play/production even with the bench getting all the run? That's Mazzulla Ball. The Maine Celtics preparing these guys to play this way so when they get called up it's a seamless transition? That's Mazzulla Ball. Every single guy being competitive as shit when you go 1-15 on the roster? That's Mazzulla Ball.

Looking at the improvement of White, Pritchard, Hauser, Walsh, Queta, Tillman etc, that's coaching. That's Joe. 

- Speaking on Neemias Queta's improvement, we continue to get flashes that he's ready to assume his position as Rob-Lite. I can't help it, every time I watch him play that's the vibe I get. He's not 2022 Rob by any means, but the foundation is there. How he rebounds, how he seems to always get a hand on the ball, the passing, the lobs, the blocks, this is Rob-Lite

While Luke Kornet has pretty much secured the 3rd center spot and Tillman is making an interesting case for minutes with his new and improved 3pt jumper, do not sleep on Neemy. You can't teach 7ft and there can absolutely be a role for him to eat up regular season minutes, especially on back to backs. 

- The Celts aren't going to lose many games in which they finish with 29 assists and only 13 TOs. The fact that the ball movement looks as good as it ever has and people aren't falling into bad offensive habits by forcing things trying to make a name for themselves in these fake games tells me that everyone gets it. You play the right way and you will be rewarded. 

The Bad

- It was wild to see the Celts go up by 34 all while Sam Hauser couldn't buy a bucket. You'd think this was a night where he made like 10 3PMs or something given the score, and he finished just 2-11 (1-7) in his minutes. I will say I continue to be intrigued by his ability to now put the ball on the floor and attack closeouts, but this was for sure an off shooting night for him. He has a night like this about once every 6 months, so it least he got it out of the way in a fake game.

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- There's no other way to say it, at the moment Baylor Scheierman has exactly zero buckets in him. It's honestly impressive how he's just nowhere close on any shot he takes. A very nice tribute to Brissett if we're willing to joke about it and ignore that he was billed in the Draft as an automatic shooter with a magnet ball.

The more we see him, the more he gives off early Aaron Nesmith vibes. Guy just cannot hit an open jumper to save his life. It's pretty clear he's a long ways away, and why his year in Maine will be crucial. It's no big deal he can't shoot right now, but it will be if he continues to not be able to shoot after time in Maine. We're seeing the growth with Walsh right now so there's reason to be hopeful, but Baylor has been pretty brutal in essentially every opportunity we've seen him since Vegas.

- I would have liked to see Jay Scrubb get some run. People forget how awesome he was before tearing his ACL.

The Ugly

- When the deep bench has a 22 point lead entering the 4th and the Celts end up winning by just 4, that's not great. Defensively they gave up 42 points which is embarrassing, there was zero offensive flow, they turned it over 5 times and shot 4-12 from three. It felt more like they were just playing the clock than anything else, and that shit will always annoy me. Just play through the full 48!

I do think this was just prior PTSD from the Celtics past creeping in, but watching them have a 34 point lead get down to 4 was vintage Celts in all the worst ways. I know it was all Maine Celtics for the most part but even still, that was gross basketball.

With one more of these fake games to go, I think we can all agree that it's time to get to Opening Night. Just 8 more days to go until Ring Night and then thankfully these games will actually count. Given how they've looked over these last 4 fake ones, something tells me we're in for a hell of a year.