Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns Named Players Of The Week

March 7th, 2022 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for February 28 through March 6, while Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns has won the award for the Western Conference, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

It’s the second time this season that Tatum and Towns have earned Player of the Week honors in the same week — they also both won the award on December 20.

Tatum led the Celtics to a 3-0 week, with home wins over Atlanta, Memphis, and Brooklyn. He averaged 41.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 5.0 APG on .525/.406/.844 shooting in 39.7 MPG in those three games, capped off by a 54-point explosion vs. the Nets on Sunday.

Towns’ Timberwolves, meanwhile, enjoyed a 4-0 week, with victories over Cleveland, Golden State, Oklahoma City, and Portland. The three-time All-Star led the way with 28.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, and 1.3 BPG on 64.1% shooting in just 31.5 minutes per contest.

Tatum beat out fellow nominees Saddiq Bey, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, Jrue Holiday, Tyrese Maxey, Terry Rozier, and Trae Young in the East. The other Western Conference nominees were De’Aaron Fox, Brandon Ingram, LeBron James, Donovan Mitchell, and Ja Morant (Twitter link).

Celtics Notes: Stauskas, Tatum, White, Nesmith

March 6th, 2022 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics were among several teams that expressed interest in Nik Stauskas, coach Ime Udoka told reporters before today’s game (Twitter link from Tim Bontemps of ESPN). Stauskas signed a two-year contract with Boston on Friday after scoring a combined 100 points in his last two G League games. Udoka said the C’s reached out to Stauskas because they need more shooting.

Stauskas has a chance to see playing time as a floor spacer for the rest of the season, adds Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Many fans were hoping Isaiah Thomas could be brought back to fill the roster opening, but Thomas has signed with the Hornets and Himmelsbach doesn’t think he would have been a good fit because of his defensive liabilities. He suggests that signing Thomas would have been a distraction and could have ultimately harmed his reputation in Boston.

There’s more on the Celtics:

When Nets forward Kevin Durant became the all-time leading scorer for Team USA at the Summer Olympics, he speculated that Jayson Tatum may someday break that record, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston recalls in a preview of today’s matchup between the two stars. Forsberg notes that Durant made a strong impression on Tatum during their time as international teammates. “It means a lot [to hear Durant’s praise]. I mean he’s definitely somebody I looked up to growing up,” Tatum said. “Getting to have that matchup with him during the playoffs and then being his teammate and having conversation with him overseas, is something I will always remember.”
The Spurs‘ decision to trade Derrick White last month took him completely by surprise, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. White has turned out to be a perfect fit for the defensive-minded Celtics, but he expected to spend more time in San Antonio. “He was sad, it’s hard to say goodbye to some of those guys you’ve had good relationships with,” said Alex Welsh, White’s friend and former college teammate. “But then he was pumped. We got him all fired up. It was a great day for him in Boston to be able to play that next day. But it was a total shock.”
Jaylen Brown has been cleared to play today after missing time with a sprained right ankle, but Aaron Nesmith‘s ankle sprain will keep him out for a while, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

Celtics Sign Kelan Martin, Malik Fitts To Second 10-Day Deals

March 5th, 2022 at 12:50pm CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 5: The Celtics have officially signed Martin and Fitts to their second 10-day contracts, the team announced (via Twitter).

MARCH 4: The Celtics are expected to sign Kelan Martin and Malik Fitts to a second pair of 10-day contracts, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). Both players’ current 10-day deals will expire on Friday night.

Fitts, 24, is a second-year power forward out of Saint Mary’s. He had a two-way deal with the Jazz earlier this season, but was waived by Utah in January after fracturing his right wrist. He later signed an NBA G League contract prior to catching on with the Celtics.

Across seven contests with the Jazz this season, Fitts averaged 5.0 MPG. In seven games with the Agua Caliente Clippers of the NBAGL this season, Fitts averaged 15.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 BPG and 1.0 SPG, on shooting splits of .396/.267/.846.

Martin, 26, played for the Pacers the past couple years, but Indiana waived him in January before his contract for the rest of this could become guaranteed. Through 27 games with Indiana this year, the third-year small forward out of Butler averaged of 6.3 PPG and 2.0 RPG.

Martin and Fitts have each made one appearance with the Celtics, receiving just three minutes apiece. The Celtics are currently 38-27, fifth in the East.

Celtics Thrive With Horford On Court

March 5th, 2022 at 10:04am CST by Dana Gauruder

Al Horford has proven his worth during the Celtics’ turnaround, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe writes. Boston has outscored opponents by 7.6 points per 100 possessions with Horford on the court. Horford, whose $26.5MM salary next season is partially guaranteed, has been a defensive anchor during the resurgence. “Everybody thinks Al is up there in age and that he’s lost it,” Marcus Smart said. “He’s still got it.”

Tatum Has Become Vocal Leader; Stayed Patient With Udoka

March 4th, 2022 at 10:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Star Jayson Tatum has stepped up and become a vocal leader for the Celtics, per Taylor Snow of Celtics.com. “He has taken a step forward in that regard,” said Al Horford. “He is being more vocal. He’s letting us know what he’s thinking, how he’s feeling. For me, it gives me a lot of confidence, and it’s encouraging to know that he has my back. He’s obviously really trying to win, he’s trying to do things the right way … Seeing him that excited, that engaged, it’s a good sign for our group.”
The Celtics remained patient with head coach Ime Udoka and now they’re reaping the rewards, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe writes. Udoka was recently named the Eastern Conference’s coach of the month for February after leading Boston to an 9-2 record. It’s taken time for the players to adjust to Udoka’s hard-line coaching style. “That’s what really matters, that they’re letting us coach them,” Udoka said, per Washburn. “They’re letting us push them and learning and growing throughout the season and kind of what we thought we’d have when we got healthy. Credit to them for allowing us to coach them hard. That’s what they asked for and they’ve been great with it.”

Nik Stauskas Signs Two-Year Contract With Celtics

March 4th, 2022 at 6:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

MARCH 4: The Celtics have officially signed Stauskas, the team announced. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

MARCH 3: Nik Stauskas is signing a two-year deal with the Celtics, agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The veteran guard has been lighting it up in the G League, scoring a combined 100 points in his last two games for the Grand Rapids Gold, the Nuggets’ G League affiliate. Overall, Stauskas is averaging 26 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 4.7 APG in G League competition over 14 games this season.

Stauskas, a lottery pick by Sacramento back in 2014, played two games for the Heat this season under the 10-day hardship exemption. Prior to that, Stauskas had not appeared in an NBA game since the 2018/19 season, when he played in a combined 68 contests for Portland and Cleveland.

In 338 career NBA appearances, Stauskas has averaged 6.8 PPG in 19.8 MPG while making 35.4% of his long-range attempts.

Boston has an open roster spot, plus two players with 10-day contracts (Kelan Martin and Malik Fitts) that are near expiration. Jaylen Brown missed Thursday’s game against Memphis with an ankle injury and Aaron Nesmith left the game early with an ankle sprain.

While the exact terms of Stauskas’ deal aren’t yet known, a minimum-salary contract that isn’t guaranteed for next season seems likely.

Injury Notes: J. Brown, Edwards, Brooks, Iguodala

March 4th, 2022 at 7:18am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on the Toucher & Rich radio show in Boston on Thursday, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens confirmed that Jaylen Brown‘s sprained ankle, which sidelined him for Thursday’s game vs. Memphis, doesn’t look like a significant injury.

“I think he’s doing better than I originally thought when I saw him go down,” Stevens said, per Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston. “He’s going to be constantly reevaluated over the next couple days … but it doesn’t look like a long-term thing.”

The Celtics have two days off before facing Brooklyn on Sunday, and then another two days off before visiting Charlotte on Wednesday. It’s unclear at this point whether Brown will play in either of those games.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Timberwolves wing Anthony Edwards missed Tuesday’s game due to a left knee issue and has been ruled out for Friday’s contest too. Head coach Chris Finch stated earlier in the week that the club was considering giving Edwards multiple games off to try to get him right for the stretch run, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “Everything is on the table right now to try to get him where he needs to be,” Finch said.
Dillon Brooks (ankle) doesn’t yet have a specific return date lined up, but Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said the forward took a “huge step” in his recovery process this week, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “He’s been fully integrated,” Jenkins said. “We haven’t had a lot practices to get him out there. We’re not going live or contact. He’s doing contact in other settings, but he’s been fully involved in all of our team film sessions.”
Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala (back), who has played just once since January 20, is “making strides,” according to head coach Steve Kerr (Twitter link via Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area). The team still wants to have Iguodala participate in more scrimmages before he’s cleared to return, so he’s considered day-to-day for now.

And-Ones: Brown, Brogdon, Biyombo, Udoka, Snyder, Russia, Smith

March 3rd, 2022 at 11:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jaylen Brown, Malcolm Brogdon and Bismack Biyombo have been re-elected as VPs on the National Basketball Players Association’s Executive Committee, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. They’ll serve new three-year terms, according to the players’ union.

We have more from around the basketball world:

The Celtics’ Ime Udoka and Jazz‘s Quin Snyder were named Coaches of the Month for February, NBA Communications tweets. Boston had a 9-2 record during the month, while Utah went 8-1.
In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the NBA has suspended all activities in Russia, Mark J. Burns of the Sports Business Journal tweets. According to Burns’ source, that includes activities related to content distribution such as digital and broadcast. There is no timeline on when business activities will resume in Russia.
Forward Roscoe Smith, who has appeared in 149 G League games, has signed in Palestine with Orthodoxi Beit Jala, agent Derek James of Global Pipeline Agency told JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).

Isaiah Cousins Joining Celtics' G League Affiliate

March 3rd, 2022 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

Former Oklahoma guard Isaiah Cousins has signed an NBA G League contract and is joining the Maine Celtics, according to our JD Shaw (Twitter link). Cousins was a second-round pick in the 2016 draft, but has yet to appear in a regular season NBA game, having spent most of his professional career in Europe.

Celtics Notes: Brown, Ryan, Open Roster Spots

March 2nd, 2022 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

With Tuesday’s win over Atlanta, the Celtics moved to within a single game of a top-four spot in the East, but it wasn’t all good news for Boston. As Tim Bontemps of ESPN details, Jaylen Brown left the game in the first half due to a right ankle sprain and didn’t return.

“[He] rolled it,” head coach Ime Udoka said after the game. “Got some swelling and soreness, obviously. He tried to give it a go in the back and wanted to come back out and play, [but] just decided big picture, where we’re at in the season and be smart. So we’ll know more over the next few days.”

Although Brown walked with a limp when he left the game, he was able to exit the court under his own power, which was a positive sign. Udoka is optimistic that the injury won’t be a significant one.

“You would hope not,” Udoka said, per Bontemps. “He walked off by himself and then tried to go in the back. So you would hope not. But we’ll evaluate him over the next few days and, hopefully, it doesn’t seem like it. But you never know; it can change overnight with swelling and pain.”

Let’s round a few more notes out of Boston…

Jared Weiss of The Athletic takes a closer look at what the Celtics are getting in swingman Matt Ryan, who signed a two-way contract with the team earlier this week. As Weiss outlines, Ryan is a very talented outside shooter, but is still working on improving his defense.
The Celtics likely won’t be active in the buyout market, Udoka said on Tuesday (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe). That’s not a surprise, given the lack of appealing available options. As our tracker shows, Enes Freedom and DeAndre Jordan are the only notable healthy veterans who were waived since the trade deadline and have yet to line up new teams — Freedom is ineligible to re-sign with Boston after being traded by the C’s last month.
The 10-day contracts signed by Kelan Martin and Malik Fitts last week will expire this Friday night. At that point, the Celtics will dip back down to 12 players on standard contracts, so if they don’t re-sign both Martin and Fitts right away, they’d have up to two weeks to get back to the league-mandated minimum of 14 players.