Celtics basketball is back, and the team opened the preseason with a convincing 121–103 victory over the Grizzlies.
Here are ten key takeaways that stood out:
#1 – Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are ready
to lead
No surprise to anyone, the Celtics’ two stars looked like they were already in midseason form. Jaylen Brown came out sharp, starting 4-for-4 from the field and finishing with 21 points. He scored at all three levels, knocked down three of his six attempts from beyond the arc, and played with noticeable aggression, earning eight free throw attempts.
With Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons sidelined, Derrick White took the reins as the team’s primary ball-handler, and he delivered. He finished with 16 points and a game-high 10 assists, embodying the role of a true point guard. His timing and precision were spot-on, consistently hitting teammates in stride and initiating sets with control and poise.
In a season that promises its share of uncertainty, having steady, high-level contributors like White and Brown will be an undeniable asset.
#2 – Half-court offense was simple but effective
The Celtics didn’t unveil many of their more intricate offensive sets in this one, whether that was by design to keep things simple for new lineups still building chemistry, or just a case of holding back the good stuff for later. Either way, they found success with quick-hitting actions like handoffs and pin-downs, which proved to be efficient and reliable scoring options.
Handoffs are a simple action that maintain pace and promote constant movement within the offense. For dynamic scorers like Brown and White, they offer a seamless way to get downhill without the need for a set play. The beauty of the handoff lies in its versatility. The passer isn’t just a stationary figure, but has multiple options to aid the receiver. Whether it’s setting a solid screen and rolling or popping afterward, or slipping into a ghost screen to create confusion, the action keeps defenses guessing and opens up a variety of looks.
Even more effective than the handoffs in this game were the pin-down screens — particularly the wide pin-downs. In the play below, Derrick White simply directs Xavier Tillman to screen for Jaylen Brown. Tillman sets a firm screen that completely halts Cam Spencer, freeing up Brown for a clean look from beyond the arc.
This next one from Luka Garza frees Brown up again and gives him more than enough space for his quick trigger.
#3 – Luka Garza’s screening
After the first training camp practice, Luka Garza said that his “number one role playing with Jaylen [Brown] or Payton [Pritchard] or Anfernee [Simons], all of them is to get them open. Set good screens.”
He executed every type of screen that was asked of him and for the most part, understood what angle to set them at based on the defensive coverage. The play below is a perfect example of this.
First, he slows down like he’s setting an on-ball screen for White then sprints towards Brown to set what looked like another pin-down. Second, he immediately turns around to get into “Get” action with White. “Get” = passing the ball to someone to immediately get it back. This leads to another handoff where Garza sets a “Step up” screen (screen angled towards the opposite baseline) that freezes the defender.
Him setting such a good screen on White’s man forces the center that was guarding him to help his teammate and attend to White. Lastly, while that’s happening, Garza sprints over to Brown in a 2-on-1 situation to screen for him.
#4 – Defensive playmaking
During Media Day, Pritchard, Simons, and Baylor Scheierman emphasized that they’ve been focusing on defensive playmaking, specifically improving their ability to generate steals and stay active with their hands.
In a previous piece, I explored their comments and examined whether an increase in steals could help fuel a faster pace. What I found was telling: under Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics have ranked no higher than 26th in the league in steals per game over the past three seasons. However, last night was a different story. Their frenetic defensive energy resulted in 13 steals. They added 11 blocks, which is an area they’ve consistently excelled in over the years.
Most importantly, these stocks didn’t go to waste. The Celtics had a whopping 34 points off turnovers, a mark they’ve ranked 24th, 24th, and 23rd in over the last three seasons.
Everyone contributed to this last night, especially the next two players on the list.
#5 – Hugo Gonzalez showed some promise
Nineteen-year-old rookie Hugo Gonzalez showed exactly why the Celtics took a chance on him. In his preseason debut, he posted 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, and an impressive 3 blocks in just 18 minutes. What immediately caught my eye was his relentless energy on defense. While we caught glimpses of this during Summer League, Gonzalez elevated his intensity to a new level in this game. He guarded the ball with full commitment, rotated to the right spots with impeccable timing, and knocked down a three. Here he gets a steal and throws down an emphatic jam.
The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach spoke with Celtics international scout Benas Matkevicius about Gonzalez’s play. Below is a piece of what he had to say.
We all know the relentless hustle Marcus Smart brought to the court, so to say that is high praise indeed. But the play that truly encapsulated this last night was his spectacular chase-down block, a testament to his defensive tenacity and effort.
#6 – Josh Minott was everywhere
Newcomer Josh Minott made an immediate impact in his Celtics debut, stuffing the stat sheet with 8 points, 7 rebounds (including 3 offensive boards), 3 assists, 3 steals, and a block.
The energy that earned him the nickname “The Lawnmower” in Minnesota was on full display tonight. He played with relentless effort on defense, actively disrupting passing lanes, and applying constant pressure. Offensively, he was flawless from two-point range, going a perfect 4-for-4 by being opportunistic and capitalizing on what the defense gave him. While he still has room to improve his three-point shooting, if he can consistently bring the intensity and smart decision-making he showed tonight, I think he can find his way.
#7 – The dominant 2nd quarter lineup
Boston closed the first quarter comfortably with a 35-23 lead, but it was the opening 2:47 of the second quarter where they truly turned up the heat. The lineup of White, Gonzalez, Scheierman, Minott, and Boucher was their best of the night, stringing up an 8-0 run in just under three minutes. They had seven offensive possessions where all three of the makes were assisted on, but the defense was legit amazing.
In only seven defensive possessions, Memphis of course didn’t score, but the C’s had 3 blocks and a steal with five points off turnovers. The numbers easily would’ve been gaudier had the Grizzlies not called a timeout to stop it, but the way it looked on screen brought Celtics Twitter to cheers.
#8 – Playing to strengths of personnel on defense
Mazzulla was asked numerous times about the style of play this roster would adopt after losing so much talent in the offseason. He constantly alluded to “playing to the strengths of the new roster” and I saw some of that defensively last night.
Garza isn’t the most physically gifted big so when he was out there, Mazulla elected to show/hedge pick-and-rolls and play drop coverage.
But when he knew he had capable switchers in the mix, he had no problem nixing that coverage and playing to the strengths of the new group.
This was encouraging to see in the first game, but I’m intrigued to see how Mazzulla does this in other ways.
#9 – Celtics not taking any crap
In an interview with Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston, a clip was shown to both Joe Mazzulla and Chris Boucher capturing a moment when Boucher bumped into Mazzulla during his time with the Toronto Raptors.
Boucher didn’t think much of it saying he actually “didn’t even see him,” but Mazzulla said, “I appreciated that” and “I respect that he did it” regarding the bump. Boucher also added that when he signed with the Celtics, Mazzulla mentioned that moment to him and said, “that’s the type of guy that he likes.”
Last night, Boucher showed more of that side Mazzulla likes. In the second quarter, Hugo Gonzalez got a block and got tied up with an opponent and was fighting for the ball. He ended up on the ground and Boucher quickly came to his defense.
Brown had his share of action later in that quarter, too. Brown drove against Vince Williams Jr. and drew a foul but felt a tug from Williams at the end that he felt was unnecessary. Brown then retaliated with a two-hand shove to the chest.
I personally love this team playing with such edge and I know that Mazzulla appreciates it, too.
#10 – Defensive rebounding could be a problem
The only glaring problem that could carry over to regular games was the defensive rebounding. Memphis had 13 offensive rebounds with 8 of those coming in the first half. The size of Neemias Queta, who didn’t play last night, should help some, but the Celtics will be without four of their top five defensive rebounders from last season with three moving on to new teams and Jayson Tatum injured. The team was 7th in defensive rebounds per game last season.
Sheer height was lost leaving the Celtics with only one 7-footer (Queta), so gang rebounding will be a very important emphasis this season.
