As the Celtics travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets for preseason game No. 3, this is an important time for guys fighting for a spot on the roster or in the rotation. With just two exhibition games remaining, it's also an important time for rotational players to get back into the swing of things before taking the court Opening Night. Here are three things to keep an eye on Friday night against the Hornets:
Turnovers
Turnovers were the death of the Celtics in last year's Finals run. The Celtics turned the ball over 353 times total, including 100 from Jayson Tatum, which is the most all-time in a single season. The magic number last season was 15. When the Celtics turned the ball over 15 or more times in the postseason, they were 0-8. Turnovers were a massive problem in the Celtics' first exhibition game against the Hornets last week, as the Celtics turned the ball over a whopping 23 times. Fifteen of those 23 turnovers came from the starting unit.
The Celtics responded well in their second exhibition game against the Raptors though, as they totaled just 10 team turnovers, with five coming from the startling lineup. In almost any sport, if you don't win the turnover battle, it's going to be tough to win the game and basketball is no different as evidenced by the Celtics' 0-8 record when turning the ball over 15 times or last postseason. Though much inflated from the first game,17.5 turnovers a game is not going to cut it. They need to keep that number down in order to win.
Assists
One thing the Celtics have done exceptionally well this preseason is move the ball. In two games, the Celtics have totaled 72 assists with 41 in Game 1, and 31 in game two. Including playoffs, the Celtics were 35-8 when they reached 26 or more total assists. Unselfish play was a major factor in the Celtics' second-half turnaround last season. 78% of the Celtics made field goals have come off assists this preseason, a trend that will help this offense in a big way if they can keep it up.
Sam Hauser
Hauser has been outstanding for the Celtics so far this preseason. He is making it difficult for Coach Joe Mazzulla not to give him more minutes off the bench. He is shooting an astonishing 13/18 (72%) from the field, and 9/13 (69%) from three. From what we have seen Hauser do this preseason, it appears he could fill the role that Danillo Gallinari was supposed to fill off the Celtics bench. The idea of having Malcolm Brogdon, Payton Pritchard, and Hauser off the bench is very intriguing given what he has seen so far. If Hauser continues to play as well as he has, it would be tough to not see him get a bigger role, especially given the injuries to the Celtics right now.
