After a week and a half of training camp and a strong showing in the Celtics’ first preseason 121-103 win over the Grizzlies, Josh Minott has become Boston’s best spokesperson for how they’re going to play this season. He declared himself “the fastest on [a] team” that intends to speed up opponents “so they can’t keep up,” and on Wednesday night, the fourth year pro finished a +8 in 26 minutes with eight points, seven rebounds including three off the offensive glass, three steals, and a block.
Minott, who spent a year of college with the Memphis Tigers, was back in his old stomping grounds, doing his thing. “He has a knack for the situation on both ends of the floor, whether it’s getting an offensive rebound where he poked it from behind and got an extra possession there, a couple of steals, a couple of blocks,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the game. “He’s got some good versatility. He has a knack for the ball and just being in the mix.”
Minott isn’t necessarily part of the creation process on the offensive end. In Boston’s first preseason game, initial actions involved primary ball handlers like Derrick White and Jaylen Brown working off of screens from Xavier Tillman Sr. and Luka Garza with the bigs often re-screening based on the defense’s reaction. It was then that second side wing players like Minott, Hugo Gonzalez, Chris Boucher, and Jordan Walsh could freestyle make another read and cut to the basket or space to the corners.
Minott’s two most impressive plays came off of good reads working as a secondary option in the offense. Late in the first quarter, he’s part of a three-man dribble handoff weave with White and Brown and drives strong with his left hand for a layup. Later in the third, he uses a Gonzalez hard cut to drive behind him for another easy runway to the cup.
“I’m just reading spacing, just looking at where the other guys are, determining where I need to be to not only set myself up to be in the best position to score, but also our scorers — Sam, JB, Dwhite — position myself to maybe screen their man off ball,” Minott said.
This is the 22-year-old’s fourth season in the league after spending his first three years in Minnesota. He sports tattoo’s on his shin with the words “now” and “later” as a reminder from his grandfather to take advantage of the moment in the immediate.
And right now, Minott is loving it in Boston.
“I love where my feet are at, man. I love the environment. I love the people around me. Great training staff, great group of guys. Couldn’t ask for anything better, top to bottom.”
It’s still early, but The Lawnmower — a nickname he’s earned for his relentless energy — has already made a strong impression as an early candidate for several Tommy Points down the road.
