Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jaylen Brown To Return On Monday

December 12th, 2021 at 5:04pm CST by JD Shaw

Celtics star Jaylen Brown (hamstring strain) will return from a five-game absence on Monday against the Bucks, Brian Robb of Masslive.com writes. Boston has lost three straight games and went 1-4 during the stretch that Brown was sidelined.

“I’m feeling good,” Brown said, clearly motivated to return. “I’m feeling like myself, like how I started the season and how I was starting to feel coming back from COVID, getting my legs back up under me.

“Obviously, it’s been difficult to watch, especially wanting to be out there seeing how our team’s been fighting for the most part. It’s been hard to watch, but coming back I’m looking to just add to winning, trying to get everybody on the same page, bring energy and make winning basketball plays.”

Brown originally suffered the injury on November 4 and had missed eight contests. He then returned on a minutes limit for a handful of games, which he now believes was a mistake.

“I think I came back maybe a little too early before because I was not myself,” Brown admitted, as relayed by Robb. “And hamstring’s are a little bit tricky so we were just taking time to figure it out. The organization and the medical staff had good communication and we figured it out.”

The Celtics have struggled so far this season, owning just a 13-14 record to date. For his part, Brown has averaged 21.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 32.8 minutes per contest, appearing in 13 of the team’s 27 games. He’s expected to be available for 30 minutes when the club plays Milwaukee, according to Robb.

Celtics’ Josh Richardson Enters Protocols

December 10th, 2021 at 5:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Celtics wing Josh Richardson has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, the team announced (Twitter link). He will miss the game against Phoenix Friday night, and possibly several more.

It’s unclear at this time whether Richardson tested positive or not, but if he did, he would need to isolate for at least 10 days or until he returns two consecutive negative PCR tests a minimum of 24 hours apart.

The Celtics acquired Richardson in a trade over the summer by using a trade exception and sending Moses Brown to the Mavs. He later inked a one-year extension with Boston, so he’ll earn $24MM over the next two seasons.

Richardson is having a solid season in a reserve role for the 13-13 Celtics, currently the No. 10 seed in the East. Through 20 games (24.4 MPG), he’s averaging 9.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 1.3 APG on .464/.354/824 shooting. Fellow reserves Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith, and Payton Pritchard figure to see more action in Richardson’s stead.

Inconsistent Play Irritates Udoka

December 9th, 2021 at 8:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics have a .500 record and their inconsistency has been maddening to players and coach Ime Udoka, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. “I don’t know, you probably don’t know, and that’s why you’re asking me and I don’t know either,” Dennis Schröder said of the team’s inconsistency. “We’ve got to come out and do it for 48 minutes. It can’t happen that we just do it for two or three quarters.” Udoka admitted, “The effort and the inconsistency is frustrating at times.”
Detailing the same topic, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston believes changes might be forthcoming for the Celtics but there’s no clear-cut solution to all of their problems. They do need to make defense a priority after ranking 18th over the last 10 games in the points per possession category.

Schroder Has Bolstered Isolation Offense

December 6th, 2021 at 6:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dennis Schroder has provided a jolt to the Celtics’ offense with his speed and isolation ability, Jared Weiss of The Athletic writes. Schroder has averaged 17.9 PPG and 4.9 APG while starting 14 of 23 games. Schroder is thus far pumping up his value after settling for a one-year, $5.9MM contract during a disappointing foray into free agency over the summer.

Jayson Tatum Dismisses Selfish Label

December 4th, 2021 at 2:45pm CST by JD Shaw

Celtics star Jayson Tatum dismissed the notion that he’s been playing selfish basketball, Jay King of The Athletic writes. A recent ESPN story from Tim Bontemps quoted an anonymous assistant coach who questioned how bad Tatum wants to win. “I laughed,” Tatum said when asked about the topic. “I think when people get upset or you get a reaction out of somebody, it’s probably because they feel like it’s kind of true. But I just laughed because I know it’s not true. I know my teammates, my coaches, anybody I’ve ever been around, selfish is the last thing.”

Celtics Will Be "Cautious" With Jaylen Brown

December 3rd, 2021 at 2:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jaylen Brown experienced tightness in his right hamstring during Wednesday’s game and Celtics coach Ime Udoka plans to be “cautious” about playing him, tweets Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. Brown missed eight games last month with a hamstring strain.

Claxton Changes Agents, Reportedly Coming Off Mono

December 2nd, 2021 at 8:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on Toucher and Rich on Boston radio on Thursday morning, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens expressed displeasure with one of the quotes included in Tim Bontemps’ ESPN report on the team last week. As we relayed, an anonymous assistant coach who spoke to Bontemps questioned Jayson Tatum‘s desire to win, suggesting that the forward only wants to win “on his terms.” Stevens vehemently disagreed, calling the comment “a joke.”

Stevens said that anonymous assistant coach shouldn’t be making that sort of comment without putting his name to it, but acknowledged that wouldn’t happen because it would provide Tatum with bulletin-board material when the Celtics played the assistant’s team.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Simmons, Drummond, Horford

December 2nd, 2021 at 10:13am CST by Luke Adams

After missing nine games due to a case of COVID-19, Sixers center Joel Embiid had a huge game in his first night back on Saturday, racking up 42 points and 14 rebounds. However, he struggled on Monday and again on Wednesday, scoring a total of 29 points on just 7-of-33 shooting in a win over Orlando and a loss to Boston.

Embiid said after Wednesday’s game that he feels like he’s still rounding into form again following his COVID-related absence, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays.

“I would never use it as an excuse but obviously I think it’s going to take me awhile to get back, especially legs and cardio and all that stuff,” Embiid said. “But every single day I got to keep working hard, and keep getting better.”

Head coach Doc Rivers acknowledged after Wednesday’s loss that Philadelphia needs improved shooting from Embiid, but said the issues on offense extend beyond the team’s star center.

“We’ve got to get Joel going,” Rivers said. “We get him going, the whole team gets going. That’s the number one thing. But that’s two games in a row I thought the offense was lackluster. Execution is really bad right now. But, again, I’m not concerned by it. We’re going to get through it. It’s just that we’re dropping games while we’re getting through it.”

Here’s more on the Sixers:

Asked on Wednesday about the Ben Simmons situation, Rivers said it’s not an issue that’s at the front of his mind. “I literally don’t even talk about it,” Rivers said (Twitter link via Justin Grasso of SI.com). “I coach the team and the guys that I can see every day. I let (president of basketball operations) Daryl (Morey) and (GM) Elton (Brand) deal with all of the other stuff.”
Speaking to Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire, veteran center Andre Drummond said he has loved his time in Philadelphia so far and dismissed the idea that he ever had any “real beef” with Embiid.
Al Horford only spent one season with the 76ers after signing a four-year, $97MM deal with the team in 2019. He wasn’t a fit in Philadelphia and admitted on Wednesday when his Celtics faced the Sixers that 2019/20 was a “difficult year” for him, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “No question about it,” Horford said when asked if his reputation took a hit during his time with the Sixers. “But it’s everything on me. It was my decision to leave [the Celtics], and it was like, ‘How are you going to respond when you’re faced with adversity?’ Being down, being talked down about and those things. I was written off, and I’m glad I got another opportunity in a place where I want to be.”

Atlantic Notes: Durant, Walker, Kanter, Riller

November 30th, 2021 at 10:46pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Ahead of the Knicks‘ eventual 112-110 loss to their cross-town rival Nets on Tuesday night, New York All-Star forward Julius Randle praised Brooklyn All-Star forward Kevin Durant, per Peter Botte of the New York Post.

“He’s the best player in the league, for sure,” Randle raved on Monday. “[I’ve] never seen a 7-footer that skilled… [He can] do anything, everything, on the court. No weakness. That’s him. He’s tough. Great player, but I love competing against him.”

In an MVP-level season for the Nets, Durant is averaging 28.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 5.6 APG in 35.8 MPG, with a shooting line of .539/.389/.863.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The demotion of Kemba Walker from starting Knicks point guard to a DNP-CD serves as clear evidence of head coach Tom Thibodeau‘s zeal to win, per Ian O’Connor of the New York Post. Though the move for the 31-year-old hometown hero may not be a popular one, Thibodeau knows it will help the club’s defense significantly. “I just don’t like the way we’ve been trending, the inconsistency of our team,” Thibodeau said. “I want to get bigger. I want our defense to get bigger at the point of the attack.” The six-foot Walker, never a good defender, has seen his efficacy on both sides of the ball decline following knee injuries while with the Celtics. Fred Katz of The Athletic notes that the disparity in points per possession when Walker plays as opposed to when he sits represents the difference between what would be the best defensive efficiency in the NBA (when he sits) and what would be the worst (when he plays).
Upon becoming a US citizen on Monday, Celtics reserve center Enes Kanter has officially changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). “It was really important to me” to acknowledge the freedom that the Turkish native gets to enjoy as an American citizen, the freshly-anointed Kanter Freedom said.
Sixers two-way player Grant Riller injured his right shoulder during a contest for Philadelphia’s NBA G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, this past Sunday, tweets Derek Bodner of The Athletic. Bodner adds that Riller’s health status will be reassessed in a week. The No. 56 pick in 2020 out of the College of Charleston, Riller has yet to appear in a game for the Sixers this season. The 6’2″ point guard is averaging 5.5 PPG, 2.3 APG and 1.5 RPG across four games for Delaware.

Celtics Notes: Third Star, Brown, Williams, Kanter

November 24th, 2021 at 7:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics probably need to find a third star to become title contenders, but they may not have the assets to acquire one, Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes in an extensive look at how the franchise arrived at its current position. Boston has been on a hot streak this month, winning eight of its last 11 games and putting up the NBA’s best defensive numbers during that stretch. But as Bontemps talked to team officials around the league, he found skepticism about whether the Celtics are built to win in the playoffs.

“They probably need another guy,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “I love Al Horford, but he’s getting older. And I love (Marcus) Smart. But once you get past (Jaylen) Brown and (Jayson) Tatum — and especially past (Horford and Smart) — every guy is a question mark for me. They’re down to two legitimate stars, (and) you normally need three (to win).”

Bontemps traces Boston’s misfortunes over the past three years, including the losses of Horford, Kyrie Irving and Marcus Morris in free agency and draft picks acquired from the Kings and Grizzlies that both fell to 14th, which was much lower than initially expected. Center Robert Williams has been the only full-time rotation player the Celtics have drafted in the past four years.

There are also concerns about whether Brown and Tatum are good enough to lead the team to a championship.

“Jaylen and Jayson aren’t making anyone better,” a Western Conference scout said. An Eastern Conference assistant coach added, “Jayson Tatum is about Jayson Tatum. I don’t think he cares about winning now, and if he does, it is on his terms. He doesn’t want to score 15 and win. He wants to score 39 and win.”

There’s more from Boston:

Brown was cleared to play tonight, but coach Ime Udoka said he will be considered questionable for every game for the next week or two as he works his way back from a strained hamstring, Bontemps tweets.
Williams was thrilled to receive an extension during the offseason that will keep him in Boston for four more years, he said in an interview with Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. “I told my agent as soon as the season was over, I want to go back. I want to be back,” Williams said. “I feel like we’ve building something great here with a young core getting stronger and stronger every day. And I want to be a part of that celebration when we get to the chance where we raising that banner, I want to be a part of it. To be able to say we went through it all together. It was a big emphasis on me staying.”
Nets owner Joe Tsai is the latest target of criticism from Celtics backup center Enes Kanter, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. In a Twitter post, Kanter calls Tsai a coward and a puppet of the Chinese government.