The Celtics have had a brief offseason for all the right reasons. Their route to the NBA Finals kept them playing until June 17th, with the title parade and other celebrations lasting into the summer.
Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday had to cut short their victory tour to assist Team USA in their pursuit of gold at the Paris Olympics, while Derrick White joined them shortly after as a replacement for Kawhi Leonard. Together, they were able to bring home another gold medal, but their basketball activities continued until August 10th.
Many people were surprised when Jaylen Brown was not asked to join Team USA in the Olympics, but he still had a busy summer, traveling around the world, announcing a new organization, and releasing a song with rapper A$AP Ferg.
Even so, Jaylen appears to be the team’s first and only returning starter. The Celtics have released film from an unofficial practice held at the Auerbach Centre:
Jaylen is joined in the 20-second movie by two-way signees JD Davison and Drew Peterson, rookie Baylor Scheierman, and Jordan Walsh. If you slow down enough, you might be able to catch a peek of Xavier Tilman and Anton Watson, this year’s second-round choice.
Ben Simmons haters and admirers (if they exist) both know not to place too much stock in off-season exercise videos, but what else will we talk about till the season begins?
Based on what I’ve observed, I feel Scheierman and Walsh are in a good position to carve out some time for themselves this season.
The work never stops 😤 pic.twitter.com/mqdiYVlBd0
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 18, 2024
Part of Baylor’s appeal has been his “NBA readiness.” We see him hit JD Davison with a silky pocket pass as JD cuts to the hoop for a simple dunk, with the coaches admiring the dime. Ultimately, Scheierman’s shooting ability will likely determine whether or not he sees the court, but even in the Summer League, he demonstrated that he’s a solid playmaker, and being able to read the game at an NBA level is a great way to earn minutes early on. I’m sure as the season develops, his game will slow even more.
Walsh has a lanky, athletic body that can translate well to the NBA, which appears to be becoming more of a wing’s league. Jordan is mostly responsible for guarding Jaylen Brown here. First, he works to prevent an entry pass to Jaylen, and then he hustles to keep the ball from going out of bounds. In the next cut, we see him pressing up against Jaylen in the post, reaching in to poke the ball away but ultimately allowing a layup.
Even the NBA’s finest defenders will struggle to stop the Finals MVP, but Walsh is not afraid of the challenge. After spending the majority of last season in the G-League with the Maine Celtics, it’s apparent he works hard. He plays a rugged game, and it appears that, at first, he will try to make a name for himself on defense.
Aside from Jaylen’s amazing left-handed finish through two defenders, there isn’t much else to observe in the footage. I’m sure we’ll see more video and familiar faces as the team prepares to begin training camps.
The Celtics will also begin their pre-season earlier this year, contributing to the abbreviated offseason. Their first two games will be in Abu Dhabi against the Denver Nuggets on October 4th and 6th. As a result, they will formally begin practicing one week from today, on September 25th.
Basketball will return soon enough, Celtics fans.
