Entering Wednesday night’s preseason opener, Joe Mazzulla liked where his team was at.
“We’ve had a great week of practice. I feel like we have an understanding of who we want to try to become over the course of this season. And tonight is our first opportunity to do that,” he said. “I’m kind of happy with where we’re at right now. But that could change in 48 minutes.”
It’s hard to imagine that feeling has changed much after his Celtics cruised to a convincing 119-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, trailing for only 1:22, leading by as many as 29, and by double-digits for the final 37:32.
Sure, it’s tough to draw too many conclusions from the first preseason game, especially against a shorthanded Memphis squad playing without Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke, Zach Edey, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Ty Jerome. In fairness, Boston wasn’t at full strength either, playing without Neemias Queta, Payton Pritchard, Anfernee Simons, and, of course, Jayson Tatum.
Still, Mazzulla made it clear what he wanted to see from his team in the opener, and they checked every box:
- Execute the system. Check.
- Know what you’re doing on offense and defense. Check.
- Compete at a high level. Check.
- Be in position to win. Check.
Was it perfect? No. And it’s not supposed to be in the first preseason game for a team with five new faces, eight if you include the two-ways. But for a new-look group, with a new playing style, the Celtics looked organized, connected, and confident. The time they spent in the facility over the summer showed early, and the result was a team that already seemed a step ahead of schedule.
“It was pretty good,” Mazzulla said after the game. “On both ends of the floor, at least we played with the right intentions, the right idea. Just got to continue to do that. Some stuff that we did well. And obviously, stuff that we need to get better.”
The Celtics played with high effort, were scrappy, aggressive, and fast. Defensively, they were active all night, forcing 22 turnovers, recording 13 steals, and 10 blocked shots. Offensively, they stayed true to their message, playing faster and crashing the boards hard, coming down with 16 offensive rebounds, and generating good, clean looks, 26 of which were assisted. Overall, they looked like a team buying into the style Mazzulla wants to play with.
“Out of the 48 minutes, I’d probably say 32 to 34 of them were at the pace that we wanted to play with on both ends of the floor. We just have to work to maintain those habits, regardless of what the lineups are, who’s in. The Grizzlies did a great job of trying to dictate the game at their pace and their ball pressure as well. So we just got to keep getting better at that.”
The contributions came from all over.
Jaylen Brown and Derrick White appeared ready to step up in their elevated roles, with Brown scoring a game-high 21 points in just 20 minutes, while White recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists, adding two blocks, which matched Memphis’ team total.
The newcomers also impressed.
Hugo Gonzalez finished with eight points, three rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a team-high three blocks. Former Timberwolves Josh Minott and Luka Garza also had solid debuts. Minott lived up to his “Lawnmower” moniker with relentless energy, grabbing seven rebounds (three offensive), scoring eight points, dishing out three assists, recording three steals, and adding a block. Garza recorded a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, a block, and was active in his screening. Boucher, the most established of the group, contributed 11 points, four rebounds, a block, and a steal.
It’s one preseason win over a banged-up team, but the Celtics got meaningful contributions from everyone who stepped on the court. And perhaps, after losing Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet, and spending the summer watching Tatum’s rehab updates on social media, the new-look Celtics gave fans a sense of optimism they haven’t felt since early May. While plenty of questions remain about how the team will look once the season gets underway, Wednesday night offered at least a glimmer of hope.
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