Before Monday’s Media Day, fans marveled at Jayson Tatum’s seemingly speedy recovery from a May Achilles tear. But once the preseason starts next week, it might be the speed of the team that will take center stage.
With the championship team, Mazzulla Ball was defined by three-pointers and mismatch-hunting. They could win like that with their star-studded roster. Now, the Celtics will have to generate more of their offense with what they have: youth and speed.
“Whatever your roster is, you try to play to its strengths and what wins night in and night out over the course of the NBA. The league is always changing, so you have to stay up on the trends,” Joe Mazzulla said.
If the Finals are any indication, teams are leaning towards a more free flowing style that features a 10-man rotation. Call it a product of the new CBA that favors roster utilization deep into the bench or the game trending towards more movement, but Mazzulla and President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens see the writing in the wall with the Jays heading into the second half of their careers.
“I definitely think we need to adapt. We do not have the same team, a lot of different players. I think we need to play a lot faster,” Payton Pritchard said. “It’s a great opportunity for the new faces and show what they’re capable of doing and helping winning.”
Even though training camp officially starts today, Fast PP and other players have been at the Auerbach Center for weeks now and it’s clear what the point of emphasis will be in the preseason.
“Obviously, I wasn’t here before. All I know is what we’re putting in now and the structure we’ve been working on,” Luke Garza said of the team’s early work. “A lot of it has to do with playing at a high, fast pace and getting up and down the court. Definitely as a player, I enjoy. I feel like that’s where I’ve been my best, being able to push the pace, run the court, set early screens, get guys open.”
Fellow former Timberwolf teammate was also on the same page.
“We definitely speak about the pace we want to play with. We want to be the fastest team,” Josh Minott said. “We want to have no lag time in any decision-making we do, whether that be taking the ball out after a bucket, or transition. We have to make it a point of emphasis to be the fastest team on the court.”
You could argue that on most regular season games, Mazzulla will elect to play 11-12 players a night. Pritchard, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, and Anfernee Simons are locks for playing time. Garza and Minott will get their rips. Returning players Neemias Queta, Baylor Scheierman, Xavier Tillman, and Jordan Walsh will also warrant an opportunity.
“I think that what Joe wants it is to be more of a five-in, five-out type of rotation where it’s like, ‘we’re all going super hard four or five minutes, boom, switch out. Come with new five,’” Walsh said. “Then fight, fight, fight for four or five minutes.”
We’re not even twenty-four hours into training camp and the pedal is already to the metal.
