The Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers in their home preseason opener. The 76ers have played 2 games so far, winning the first and losing the second. They sat their starters in the first game and won and played all of their starters in the second game and lost. Philly has one preseason game left after this one, at home against the Celtics. The Celtics have 2 more preseason games, one at home against Charlotte and the final game on the road at Philadelphia.
Jaylen Brown’s play with the 76ers will
be a point of interest for Celtics fans all season. He was the only regular starter to play in both games. Nick Nurse has said that he will play his starters in one of the 2 games against Boston and it will likely be their home game. Since the Celtics starters sat out the first game. I expect them to play at least the first half in this one. But, with Joe, you never know.
The 76ers made one of the biggest moves of the off season, trading Paul George to get Jaylen Brown. They also signed LeBron James, Dean Wade, Ariel Hukporti and Anfernee Simons as free agents. They drafted Labaron Philon, Jr with the 22nd pick in the draft. Along with Paul George, they lost Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre, Jr and Andre Drummond.
I’m not going to post possible starters for this game. Both coaches are unpredictable and I’m sure whatever lineups I pick, the coaches will start someone else. Philadelphia started Caldwell-Pope, Edgecombe, Brown, Wade and Hukporti in their first game. They started Maxey, Edgecombe, Brown, James and Embiid in their second game. The Celtics started Conley, Scheierman, Walsh, Gonzalez and Garza. He may go with the starters in this game or possibly even all the end of the bench guys.
The Celtics have just one player on the injury list and that is Ron Harper, Jr who is a game time decision with a shoulder injury. The 76ers have 5 players listed as out including Taco Fall (hip), Dminick Barlow (back), Adem Bona (foot), Ariel Hukporti (Achilles), and Anfernee Simons (hamstring). I’m sure there will be at least a few players out for rest as well. With Hukporti out for the season and Bona nursing a sore foot, they are weak at the center.
Boston Celtics Roster
Chris Cenac, Jr
Mike Conley
Luka Garza
Paul George
Hugo Gonzalez
Ron Harper, Jr
Sam Hauser
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Mitchell Robinson
Baylor Scheierman
Jayson Tatum
Jordan Walsh
Derrick White
2-Way Players
Dillon Mitchell
Amari Williams
Exhibit 10 Players
Devin Carter
Tucker DeVries
Hayden Gray
Gabe MccGlothan
Milos Uzan
Injuries
Ron Harper, Jr (shoulder) game time decision
Players to Watch
Jayson Tatum and Paul George
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Philadelphia 76ers Roster
Jaylen Brown
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
VJ Edgecombe
Justin Edwards
Joel Embiid
LeBron James
Tyrese Maxey
Labaron Philon, Jr
Dean Wade
Jabari Walker
2-Way Players
Caleb Love
Rayan Rupert
Exhibit 10 Players
Taco Fall
Dillon Jones
Duke Miles
Jameer Nelson, Jr
Saint Thomas
Injuries
Taco Fall (hip) out
Dominick Barlow (back) out
Adem Bona (foot) out
Ariel Hukporti (Achilles) out
Anfernee Simons (hamstring) out
Players to Watch
VJ Edgecombe and Jabari Walker
Head Coach
Nick Nurse
What to Watch
How Jayson Tatum Plays – Jayson Tatum played in just 16 games last season, plus 6 playoff games. He looked good and averaged almost 22 points and 10 rebounds, however, he didn’t seem to have the same explosion that he did before the injury. He also played along side of Jaylen Brown for the past 10 years and will be playing as the Alpha without him for the first time in his career. We didn’t get to see him in the first game, so hopefully he will play in this game.
How About the New Guys– Conley looked good in the start on Thursday and may or may not play in this one. How will Paul George’s game fit with Jayson Tatum and how will he play in the Celtics’ system. Does he still have a lot in the tank and can he still play at a high level? Will Mitchell Robinson start or come off the bench and how will his game fit with Mazzulla Ball? Can he hit his free throws? Chris Cenac, Jr, Dillon Mitchell and Devin Carter all impressed in game 1. Can they do it again in this game?
Offensive Rebounding – The Celtics dominated the boards on Thursday against the Cavaliers. They had 21 offensive rebounds to just 6 for the Cavs. Can the starters do just as well? Rebounding will be a key for the Celtics this season. The 76ers had 10 offensive rebounds in their first game and 6 in their second. The Celtics need to once again dominate the boards in this game.
3 Point Shooting – The Celtics picked up where they left off last season, shooting 47 three pointers and hitting 36.2% of them The 76ers reserves shot 46 threes in the first game against New York and hit 34.8% of them. In their second game against Brooklynwith the starters in, they shot just 27 threes and hit just 29.6% of them.
X-Factor
It’s the Preseason – The preseason is a time for the coaches to get a look at players who may or may not make the team, to experiment with lineups and different plays. Wins and losses are not as important as learning things about the players and the team. We certainly won’t see the regular rotation for either team and that’s ok.
