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Celtics’ Smart Calls On Tatum, Brown To Pass More

November 2nd, 2021 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics dropped their third consecutive game on Monday, falling to 2-5 on the season, and veteran guard Marcus Smart expressed some frustration in his media session following the loss to Chicago. As Brian Robb of MassLive.com details, Smart called out teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown when discussing the club’s ineffective late-game offense.

“I would just like to play basketball,” Smart said. “Every team knows we are trying to go to Jayson and Jaylen and every team is programmed and studies to stop Jayson and Jaylen. I think everybody’s scouting report is to make those guys try to pass the ball. They don’t want to pass the ball and that’s something that they’re going to learn.”

Smart added that the team is “proud of the progress” Tatum and Brown have made. However, he suggested the two young stars need to develop further as play-makers for others, rather than just looking to create their own shots.

“It’s something that we’ve been asking for them to do and they’re learning,” Smart said. “We just got to continue to help those guys do that and to help our team.”

The Celtics made a head coaching change over the offseason, with Brad Stevens moving to the front office and hiring Ime Udoka as his replacement. A highly-regarded assistant who is getting his first head coaching opportunity, Udoka may need to make some adjustments to a Boston offense that currently ranks 19th in the NBA.

“There’s only so much I can do without the ball in my hands, I’m just standing in the corner,” Smart said, per Robb. “We’re running plays for our best players, every team knows that. They do a good job of shutting that down. We can’t allow that. When they shut that down, we can’t keep trying to go to those guys. We gotta avoid that and find another way to give them the ball in the spots where they need the ball.

“Like I said for me, I can only do so much just standing there in the corner or when I give the ball away. I do everything I can on the other end to try to combat that. I try to talk, I try to make plays, get those guys the ball where they need it, where they want it.”

As Robb details, Brown declined to speak to reporters after Monday’s game. Tatum wasn’t scheduled to meet with the media.

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Celtics Exercising 2022/23 Options On Nesmith, Pritchard

November 1st, 2021 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics are picking up their team options for 2022/23 on swingman Aaron Nesmith and guard Payton Pritchard, a league source tells Brian Robb of MassLive.com. The moves had been expected. Boston also exercised its ’22/23 options on Grant Williams and Romeo Langford, as we relayed earlier today.

The 14th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Nesmith averaged 4.7 PPG and 2.8 RPG with a .370 3PT% in 46 games (14.5 MPG) as a rookie. He’s off to a slow start this season, having missed his first 10 field goal attempts in three games, but the Celtics have seen enough from the 22-year-old to feel comfortable guaranteeing his $3,804,360 salary for ’22/23.

Pritchard, who was selected 12 spots after Nesmith at No. 26 in the 2020 draft, had a bigger role as a rookie, putting up 7.7 PPG and 2.4 RPG on .440/.411/.889 shooting in 66 games (19.2 MPG). He remains a part of Boston’s backcourt rotation and is under contract at a bargain rate — $2,137,440 this season and $2,239,200 in ’22/23.

We’re tracking all of the 2022/23 rookie scale option decisions right here.

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Celtics Pick Up Options On Grant Williams, Romeo Langford

November 1st, 2021 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have picked up a pair of team options for 2022/23, according to a series of reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic, Jordan Schultz of the Pull Up Podcast, and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (all Twitter links).

Boston exercised its fourth-year option on forward Grant Williams, per Charania and Schultz, as well as its fourth-year option on guard Romeo Langford, per Wojnarowski. Williams is now guaranteed his $4,306,281 salary for the 2022/23 season, while Langford will earn $5,634,257.

Williams, the 22nd overall pick in 2019, has taken on a bigger role for Boston in the early part of this season. He has started two of six games for the team so far and is averaging 9.8 PPG in 22.8 MPG, both career highs. His shooting line so far is a scorching .576/.500/.917.

Langford’s time in Boston since he was selected 14th overall in the 2019 draft has been marred by injuries. The 22-year-old has appeared in just 53 career games, including three of six so far this season, but the Celtics remain high on his potential. He has played a rotation role when healthy this season, averaging 6.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 18.7 MPG.

The Celtics also have to officially make decisions on 2022/23 options for Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard by the end of the day. Both are good bets to have their options picked up.

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Rookie Scale Option Decisions Due For Celtics, Rockets, Suns

November 1st, 2021 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

It’s Monday, November 1, which means teams that haven’t yet exercised their 2022/23 rookie scale options on first-round picks from 2019 and 2020 must do so by the end of the day.

If a player’s option for next season isn’t picked up, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, and his team will be ineligible to offer him a starting salary higher than what his option would’ve paid him.

As our tracker shows, most teams around the NBA have already finalized their rookie scale option decisions. There are just eight options that have yet to be picked up, and one of those seven – Jarrett Culver‘s – reportedly won’t be exercised (though the Grizzlies could theoretically still change their minds before the deadline passes).

Here are the other seven outstanding options:

Boston Celtics

Houston Rockets

Phoenix Suns

Some of these decisions may be a little trickier than others, since a couple of these players have yet to emerge as regular contributors for their respective teams. Still, given that the salary cap for 2022/23 is projected to be $119MM and these options are worth less than $6MM, all seven seem more likely than not to be exercised.

Once today’s deadline passes, most teams won’t face any other important roster deadlines for a couple months, per our calendar of key in-season dates. The next big league-wide roster-related deadline will come in early January, when all non-guaranteed 2021/22 salaries become fully guaranteed.

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Examining Potential Celtics Trade Targets

October 30th, 2021 at 3:49pm CST by JD Shaw
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Injury Notes: Brown, Pacers, Raptors, Bucks

October 29th, 2021 at 9:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Celtics All-Star wing Jaylen Brown is dealing with lingering after-effects from contracting COVID-19, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Brown says it’s taking his body much longer to recover than normal, which is part of the reason he’s had up-and-down performances thus far.

“Like, I feel great. And then it feels like instead of playing one game, it kind of feels like I played three. I’m used to my body responding and recovering a lot faster. I know I just turned 25, but this can’t be what it looks like on the other side,” Brown said Friday.

Head coach Ime Udoka recently said Brown’s inconsistency has been “mind-boggling,” according to Bontemps. Brown agreed, but he’s still not feeling right.

“Ime came and talked to me about it yesterday,” Brown said. “It didn’t bother me. It’s mind-boggling to me too. I was surprised that my body didn’t respond the way it normally responds. I’m usually able to have that zip, that pop, flying up and down the court, but it wasn’t there. I think that was obvious.

“I don’t think he was out of line or anything for that. I gotta be better and get with my medical staff and figure how to get my body to the point where I feel normal. Some days I feel fantastic and then it’s like two, three days, it takes my body too long to feel fantastic again. That’s an issue for me. As I navigate that, we have to still tighten up on the details, tighten up on our defense and find a way to win games. Even though I don’t feel the same on the court, I could still be better in certain areas and detailed in certain areas. That’s more the conversation that we have,” Brown said.

Brown is also suffering from patellar tendinopathy in his left knee, relays Bontemps, which is why he missed a game versus the Rockets on Sunday.

Here are some more injury notes from around the league:

  • We noted yesterday that Pacers rookie Isaiah Jackson suffered an injury on Wednesday and will be out “a while,” per head coach Rick Carlisle. The team provided an update today in press release, stating that Jackson has a hyperextended left knee and is considered week-to-week.
  • Caris LeVert missed the game tonight, but he’s close to returning for the Pacers, relays Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link).
  • Raptors forward Pascal Siakam is progressing from his shoulder injury, but he’s still weeks away from returning, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Grange says the best-case scenario is Siakam might return in mid-November.
  • In a separate tweet, Grange says that Raptors forward Yuta Watanabe suffered a setback with his calf injury and was unable to practice today.
  • Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer doesn’t expect Brook Lopez or Jrue Holiday to play this weekend, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (via Twitter). In a follow-up tweet, Nehm relays that Bobby Portis will miss tomorrow’s game as well (reconditioning).
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Celtics Notes: Parker, Horford, Langford, Nesmith

October 27th, 2021 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jabari Parker didn’t really explore other options after the Celtics waived him last week, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Parker was cut loose so the team could avoid paying a $100K guarantee that would have taken effect with the season opener. He re-signed with Boston after clearing waivers and said it’s where he wants to play.

“I just knew (Boston) was the right place to be. I knew that,” Parker said. “This is a winning team and iron sharpens iron, so if anything, I’m going to get better here playing against the guys every day, being around true competitors, and obviously get a chance for me to learn. So this is just a great situation just because I’m just grateful for it and I’m counting my blessings.”

Parker didn’t play in the team’s first three games, but he got a chance Monday night with Al Horford sidelined by injury. He scored 13 points in 17 minutes and made a case for a larger role providing instant offense off the bench. No matter what happens, Parker is happy to get a second chance in Boston after three years of bouncing around the league.

“It’s the journey that I chose, so definitely appreciative of the Celtics organization, just my teammates always being supportive,” he said. “Regardless of anything, I’m around good people, I’m around a great team, and I’m just grateful for the moment.”

There’s more from Boston:

  • Horford has been providing more than just veteran leadership since rejoining the Celtics, notes Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston. The 35-year-old big man is averaging 14.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in his first two games. “I love everything about Al,” Jayson Tatum said. “How he plays the game, how he goes about his duties on a day-to-day basis. He’s a true professional. I’m sure everyone’s going to say the same thing about him. He’s just a great teammate and a great person to be around.”
  • An MRI on Romeo Langford‘s left calf didn’t show any damage, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Coach Ime Udoka said there’s hope that Langford won’t have to miss much time.
  • Aaron Nesmith is off to a rough start in his second NBA season, going scoreless in his first three games and missing all 10 of his shots, but Udoka told reporters that he hasn’t lost confidence in what Nesmith can do, tweets Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. “We told him to take his time, slow down, and play like he did in the summer,” Udoka said. “… With Romeo being out, there’s opportunity for him there. So just got to slow down and take the shots that he always has.”
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Rookie Scale Option Decisions Due Next Monday

October 26th, 2021 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Outside of the occasional back-of-the-roster transaction – like Orlando signing Mychal Mulder to a two-way contract earlier today – the first few weeks of the NBA’s regular season are generally a fairly quiet time for roster moves.

However, one noteworthy deadline arrives next Monday — teams have until November 1 to exercise the 2022/23 third- and fourth-year rookie scale options for players who were first-round picks in the 2019 and 2020 drafts. For instance, the Cavaliers will have to pick up the fourth-year option for 2019 first-rounder Darius Garland, while the Hornets will have to exercise the third-year option for 2020 first-rounder LaMelo Ball.

Typically, the deadline for these decisions is October 31, but that’s a Sunday this year. When the deadline falls on a weekend, it’s moved to the next business day, per CBA expert Larry Coon.

As our tracker shows, there are still a number of options that have yet to be picked up, including Garland’s and Ball’s. However, there’s no suspense about whether those ones – or most others – will be exercised.

Rookie scale contracts for productive rotation players are among the biggest bargains in the NBA. Most teams even pick up their options on players who haven’t cracked the rotation, since controlling a young player with upside is usually worth the modest cost of his option.

Here’s the list of option decisions that have yet to be announced or reported:

Boston Celtics

Charlotte Hornets

Cleveland Cavaliers

Golden State Warriors

Houston Rockets

Indiana Pacers

Philadelphia 76ers

Phoenix Suns

Utah Jazz

It wouldn’t be a shock if all 18 of these options are ultimately picked up, but there are a few players who are more at risk than others.

Windler, for instance, has been limited to just 32 games since being drafted in 2019 due to health problems and isn’t a lock to have his $4MM option for 2022/23 exercised.

Azubuike logged garbage-time minutes in just 15 games as a rookie and doesn’t project to have a rotation role in Utah anytime soon. Third-year options are rarely declined and Azubuike’s $2.17MM salary would be very modest, but we saw the Clippers turn down Mfiondu Kabengele‘s option at the same price point a year ago.

Langford, Bitadze, and Smith are among the other players whose option decisions won’t be automatic, though I’d be a little surprised if their teams don’t opt in.

We’ll continue passing along all of these option decisions as they’re reported over the next week, so be sure to keep an eye on our tracker for the latest updates.

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Kanter Ires China With Tibetan Comments

October 21st, 2021 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks guard Evan Fournier made an impressive debut against his former team, posting 32 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists in a double OT victory over the Celtics on Wednesday. Fournier struggled with his shooting in preseason games, but coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t fazed, according to Zach Brazilier of the New York Post. “I was never worried about him making shots,” he said. “To me, he has proven throughout his career that that is who he is.” Fournier was acquired in a sign-and-trade with his four-year contract worth up to 78MM.

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Richardson Out For Opener With Migraine

October 20th, 2021 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown, who had been sidelined due to a positive COVID-19 test, will be in the starting lineup against the Knicks tonight, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. Brown said he experienced “some mild symptoms for the most part” and used meditation to recover from the virus. He’ll have an inhaler at the ready if he has any breathing issues. Al Horford, who also recently contracted COVID-19, remains sidelined to start the season, though head coach Ime Udoka said the veteran center is doing well physically.
  • Celtics guard Josh Richardson will not play in the opener due to a migraine, the team’s PR department tweets. Richardson was acquired in a trade with Dallas in late July.
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