Celtics Rumors

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Holiday, Mazzulla, Scheierman

November 16th, 2024 at 6:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kristaps Porzingis continues to make progress after offseason surgery on his left leg and there’s hope that he might be able to return soon, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Porzingis underwent a procedure for a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in late June after the NBA Finals ended and was projected to miss five-to-six months. He appears to be right on schedule, as coach Joe Mazzulla said Porzingis has started doing some full-court one-on-five work with assistant coaches.

“I’m looking forward to him coming back,” said Jrue Holiday, who did some defensive work with Porzingis during Friday’s practice. “Even just doing little drills here with him today, he just makes the game so much easier with his length, being able to protect the rim. And then, obviously, offensively he just makes the game so much easier for everybody. Creating space for driving lanes or 3-point shots. Not being able to switch off of him, or when he gets a switch him being able to take advantage of that. Can’t wait for him to come back.”

Himmelsbach notes that Porzingis has tried to stay close to his teammates while he’s out of action. He has been accompanying the team on road trips and can frequently be heard shouting advice from the bench during games.

“I think that’s important, especially for a guy that’s not playing, to be as engaged as he is,” Mazzulla said. “It makes it easier for when he starts to come back and we’ll just plug him right in, because he’s been here the whole time. That’s a commitment. That’s hard to sit there day in and day out and do that. So I appreciate that he does that. I think it brings a level of professionalism and togetherness to our locker room, and it’s been fun to watch.”

There’s more from Boston:

The Celtics are coming off their first two-day break since the season began, so they were able to have their first practice session on Friday since the end of training camp, Himmelsbach adds. “I think we’re all professionals here,” Holiday said. “I think that watching film, either individually or as a team, does what it needs to do. But I do think having days where we can get on the court and actually run through it and kind of go through it in motion is obviously better. But I think we make it work.”
Holiday, who’s dealing with left knee tendinopathy, has been declared out for tonight’s game, the Celtics announced (via Twitter).
Rookie guard Baylor Scheierman is averaging 28.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in his first two games with the Maine Celtics, but Mazzulla views the G League experience as more than just putting up numbers, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. “Getting on the G League schedule, having to perform every single night, having to compete every single night, just getting those like last night again and that could be really hard,” Mazzulla said. “So, just good to see him do that and then obviously just continue to execute the things on both ends of the floor that are important for the Celtics.”

Atlantic Notes: Maxey, Raptors, Bridges, Celtics

November 15th, 2024 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who is recovering from a right hamstring strain, has resumed on-court work and will be reevaluated early next week, the team announced today (Twitter link via Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer).

When Maxey’s hamstring injury was confirmed last Thursday, the team said he’d be reevaluated in one week, while reporting from Shams Charania of ESPN indicated he would likely be sidelined for approximately two weeks. Based on the latest update from the Sixers, it sounds like Maxey is still on track to meet that timeline, though we’ll have to wait to see how next week’s evaluation goes.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Even after holding Milwaukee to 99 points on Tuesday, the Raptors rank 28th in the NBA with a 118.4 defensive rating. As Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes, the team will need to clean things up on that side of the ball in order to be competitive and seemingly has the personnel to improve its performance. According to Grange, two keys for the Raptors will be reducing their foul rate and their turnover rate. They rank dead last in the league with 24.4 fouls per game and are 29th in opponents’ points off turnovers (23.2 per game).
Knicks forward Mikal Bridges is looking forward to facing his old team, the Nets, on Friday for the first time since being traded from Brooklyn to New York over the summer. “I think it’ll be good to see my guys,” Bridges said, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “I have a lot of good friends over there, even the coaching staff that’s there, all the way up to (general manager) Sean Marks and (assistant GM) Andy (Birdsong). I’m real close with a lot of those guys, so it will be good to see them.” As Braziller observes, the 5-6 Knicks are just a half-game ahead of the 5-7 Nets in the standings so far, with Bridges (15.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, .304 3PT%) off to a relatively quiet start.
In a mailbag for MassLive.com, Brian Robb discusses Xavier Tillman‘s early-season struggles and explains why a reunion with former Boston center Robert Williams isn’t a viable trade option, among other Celtics-related topics.

Atlantic Notes: McCain, Bona, Quickley, Pritchard

November 14th, 2024 at 7:21pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Sixers fell to 2-9 on Wednesday with their loss to the Cavaliers, but rookie Jared McCain continued to be a bright spot for his team. The Duke product scored career highs of 34 points and 10 assists in the loss, making six of his 13 three-point attempts. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer observes, McCain’s 34 points were the most by a rookie in a game this season and they came in his first career start.

“I just attribute [the career night] to my work,” McCain said. “I work so hard, so I feel like I need these games. I’m starting to learn more about being a lead guard. I feel like in college [at Duke], it was more off-ball. So definitely learning the process there, cutting back on turnovers and reading the game a little slower. But then again, I feel like I’m finding my shot, whether it’s midrange, getting to the rim, and obviously shooting the three.”

As we noted Wednesday, McCain has logged 30 or more minutes in each of his last four games. Without Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers are leaning more on the rookie’s guard skills.

“Obviously, another great game for him,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “I think the biggest thing was the 10 assists for me. I know 34 is a huge number. Again, he’s mostly been doing it one way. And to do that you are starting to … create. I felt he did a good job for the most part, getting it out to other people to get some buckets. And that’s pretty fast learning, right?”

As Pompey notes, McCain is one of five Sixers to play in every game, and his 13.5 points per contest rank fourth on the team. He’s making 38.5% of his three-point attempts this season.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Fellow Sixers rookie Adem Bona received his first big minutes on Wednesday against the Cavaliers. Bona produced four points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes, which left him feeling encouraged, Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “It felt amazing having the opportunity to do what I do out there,” Bona said. “The coaches trusted me, putting me in the game. That was like a little confidence boost for me, to show the coach I can contribute and help the team.” Bona might not play much this season, but he got this opportunity with Joel Embiid out due to injury management and Andre Drummond sidelined due to an illness. “He should be excited to get his opportunity,” Nurse said. “Let’s see what he does with it.“
The first anniversary of the trade for Immanuel Quickley is coming up for the Raptors, but he has only played 25 games alongside fellow cornerstone Scottie Barnes, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. Quickley and Barnes have traded off time on the injured list since the acquisition, and Quickley’s now likely to miss about a month with a UCL injury, Grange notes.
The four-year, $30MM deal Payton Pritchard signed with the Celtics in 2023 continues to look like a bargain, Brian Robb of MassLive.com writes. Pritchard has been a tremendous factor in the rotation this season, averaging 16.2 points per game while shooting 42.7% from three. His 23 points on Wednesday against Brooklyn helped the Celtics turn an 11-point first-half deficit into a blowout win. “Payton’s been excellent,” teammate Jaylen Brown said. “He’s been great, and that’s what we need. He’s been a superstar in his role. It’s almost like now it’s kind of expected because he’s done it so much and he’s done it so well. But obviously, it’s a long season. We’ve got to keep encouraging and finding him. And at times even playing through him; let Payton run the show. I don’t mind, especially when guys have a role in it. Just have the mindset that we’re a team, and whatever it takes to get it done.“

Celtics Notes: NBA Cup, Tatum, Paint Problems, Mazzulla

November 13th, 2024 at 6:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics‘ hopes of stacking an NBA Cup title on top of last season’s championship got off to a rocky start Tuesday night, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Jaylen Brown blamed a lack of focus as Boston squandered a 15-point second half lead while losing at home against Atlanta.

“I think mentally we were careless tonight,” he said. “We expected to win. Too careless and it showed. I think the No. 1 category it showed in is our turnovers. Uncharacteristic of us to have 20 turnovers in any circumstance. I think that just displayed that we weren’t in sync like we normally are, so we’ve got to be better at that, and I’ve got to be better at that.”

Following a 7-1 start, the Celtics have gone 2-2 in their last four games and are now three games behind Cleveland in the race for the top spot in the East. Their wins over the weekend against Brooklyn and Milwaukee came after slow starts in both games.

“It’s just a mentality,” Brown said. “This is a part of the journey. We’ve got some stuff to clean up. We’re not a perfect team. It’s a new season, a new journey, and we’re looking forward to embracing those moments. We’re going to watch it and we’re going to address what needs to be addressed.”

There’s more from Boston:

Jayson Tatum is no longer on the injury report after being listed as questionable with soreness in his left ankle prior to Tuesday’s game, Robb adds in a separate story. Tatum turned his ankle during Sunday’s contest, but was able to keep playing.
The Celtics continue to have matchup problems with big, physical teams, observes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, as the Hawks collected 20 offensive rebounds and scored 38 second-half points in the paint. Atlanta’s center tandem of Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu shot a combined 15-of-22 from the field. “They got rebounds and layups on everybody, bigs, smalls, mediums,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “They just outplayed us at both ends of the floor.”
Mazzulla told reporters that he would prefer to see the NBA Cup as a standalone event rather than having the games count in the regular season standings, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. He compared it with tournaments held in European soccer. “They don’t count toward your domestic league,” Mazzulla said. “It’s its own league entirely. That, to me, is my only negative toward it. I like it. I think having something like it in the middle of the season is good, especially in a long year. Just, that’s the difference between what you do here and what you do around the world. But it’s an opportunity for us to win something, an opportunity for us to go after something. So we’re going to go after it from that perspective.”

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Brown, Sunday Win, Pritchard

November 11th, 2024 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was able to stay in the game after landing on Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s foot and turning his left ankle on a three-point attempt in the third quarter of Sunday’s matchup with the Bucks (Twitter video link). Speaking to reporters after pulling out the win, Tatum downplayed the injury, referring to his ankle as just “a little sore.” However, he wasn’t pleased with the fact that no foul was called on Antetokounmpo on the play.

“There are certain calls you can’t miss,” Tatum told reporters, per Brian Robb of MassLive.com. “Your job is to protect the guys on the court, protect the shooter. That’s something I could have been out for six weeks or whatever. For it to be a no-call, let alone they didn’t even get to review it or look at it, right?”

Head coach Joe Mazzulla also referred to the non-call as “ridiculous” during his post-game comments, though Tatum credit the head coach and his staff for helping him cool off in the moment. As Robb points out, the star forward has already racked up four technical fouls in the first three weeks of the season — he was able to avoid a fifth on Sunday.

“I mean, coaches kind of calmed me down,” Tatum said. “It’s a tough situation. I get my fair share of techs throughout the season, rightfully so, unrightfully so. … That s–t is frustrating when all you get is a ‘Sorry we missed it.’ Your ankle is sore and you got to figure it out. I definitely was frustrated.”

The Celtics have a back-to-back set vs. Atlanta and at Brooklyn on Tuesday and Wednesday, so Tatum will have just one day to rest the ankle, assuming he doesn’t plan to sit out any games.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

As he was heading back up the court in the second quarter of Sunday’s game after being whistled for an offensive foul, Antetokounmpo offered his hand to Jaylen Brown for a handshake, then pulled it away when Brown reached to shake it (Twitter video link). Antetokounmpo laughed and quickly offered his hand back to Brown with a smile, but the Celtics wing didn’t make a second attempt to shake it and suggested after the game that he didn’t see the humor in the moment, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “Giannis is a child,” Brown said. “I’m just focused on helping my team get a win. And that’s what we did tonight.”
Antetokounmpo was surprised to hear of Brown’s post-game comments, telling reporters in his own media session that he plays the game with “joy” and that he and Brown have joked around on the court in the past. “I’m just going to continue to be me,” Giannis said, according to Collier. “And at the end of the day, if I’m called a child, so be it.” Brown committed a hard foul on Antetokounmpo in the fourth quarter and was called for a flagrant-1, but said after the game that it was unrelated to the interaction earlier in the game.
Sunday was Brown’s first appearance following a four-game absence due to a hip flexor injury that had been nagging at him since training camp. As Souichi Terada of MassLive.com relays, Brown provided a positive health update after the Celtics’ win. “I’ve been playing through it,” he said. “Didn’t really get any better while I was playing, so we decided it was best to get a little bit of rest to get off of it. I think that did me well. Today, I felt a little bit more of that burst. I felt a little stronger physically and able to go both directions. Something good to build on.”
Payton Pritchard‘s play this fall has been an early-season highlight for Boston, Terada writes for MassLive.com. Pritchard contributed 18 points in Sunday’s victory and has now scored at least 15 points in nine of the team’s first 11 games. After the game, Jrue Holiday referred to Pritchard as “somebody you love to play with,” while Brown said his teammate has been “excellent” so far this season. “His growth has been incredible to watch,” Brown added. “Payton has been making those steps and he’s a big-time player.” Pritchard is in the first season of a four-year, $30MM extension that he signed in 2023.

Atlantic Notes: Powell, Quickley, Brown, Simmons

November 10th, 2024 at 8:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Norman Powell played for the Raptors from 2015-21. The veteran forward is enjoying the best start of his career with the Clippers this season, averaging 25.5 points per game. Toronto traded him for Gary Trent Jr. and now Powell, 31, has emerged as an offensive force, while Trent is no longer on the Toronto roster.

“I’ve always had the confidence in myself and the belief that when an opportunity came to be one of the go-to guys every single night and I can play at a high level and compete against the top guys,” Powell told Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. “That’s the reason I’ve worked so hard. It’s something that’s been on my mind for a long time, so I’m just excited and grateful for the opportunity.”

Powell had 24 points in the Clippers’ two-point win over the Raptors on Saturday.

We have more on the Atlantic Division:

Immanuel Quickley, out since the Raptors’ opener due to a pelvic injury, gave his club an immediate offensive boost upon his return. He had 21 points and four assists in 26 minutes against the Clippers. “He was just turned up, and he obviously turned us up offensively, defensively,” wing Ochai Agbaji told Eric Koreen of The Athletic. “He brought a lot for us.”
Jaylen Brown returned to the Celtics’ lineup against the Bucks on Sunday after missing the previous four games with a strained left hip flexor. He had 14 points in 37 minutes. Brown had been listed as questionable on Boston’s injury report. Brown was averaging 25.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in six games entering the contest.
New Nets coach Jordi Fernandez is reluctant to start both Nic Claxton and Ben Simmons due to Simmons’ offensive limitations. Simmons, a free agent after the season, views himself as a starter but will accept whatever role he’s given. “For the flow of the team, whatever the team needs me to do in terms of whether it’s coming off the bench or starting, I’ve got to do. So, that’s what coach wants right now,” Simmons said, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

Jaylen Brown Upgraded For Sunday's Game

November 9th, 2024 at 7:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics guard Jaylen Brown has been upgraded to questionable for Sunday after missing the past four games with a hip flexor strain, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Celtics Notes: Season, Sale, Scheierman, Tatum

November 6th, 2024 at 10:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Despite missing starting center Kristaps Porzingis so far this fall and also having All-Star wing Jaylen Brown unavailable for multiple games, the 7-2 Celtics have picked up right where they left off after winning a title last season.

Tim Bontemps of ESPN even sees similarities between this year’s loaded Celtics squad and the 73-win Warriors of 2015/16, noting that Boston is similarly deep in its roster construction and three-point heavy in its shot diet — the C’s are also looking to quiet critics who may have thought their first championship was a bit of fluke.

All-NBA Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, for one, is aiming to win multiple titles during his tenure in Boston. The Warriors won four championships with their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Thompson departed the team this summer to join the Mavericks.

“It was never just about trying to just win one,” Tatum said. “All the guys I looked up to growing up won at least one championship. Now it’s just a conversation of, ‘How great are you trying to be?'”

Could this Celtics club win 73 or even 74 games this season? Odds seem slight, given this extended Porzingis absence.

There’s more out of Boston:

On the heels of his second title with the franchise, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck made the surprise announcement that he was looking to sell his controlling interest in the team. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic observes that this impending potential sale represents part of a growing trend. Several longtime owners have cashed out while team valuations have soared over the past few years. “Most owners that have been in for a while in any of the sports leagues are sort of asset rich and cash poor,” an investor observed. “Most of the long-term standing owners, I think, if you ask them, I think in their wildest dreams, they could never have imagined that these teams would become these mini-Disneys as I call them, or these phenomenal entities that have tremendous economic capacity.”
Celtics rookie swingman Baylor Scheierman has been assigned to the club’s G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, with the NBAGL season slated to tip off soon, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Scheierman had been competing for rotation minutes during the team’s preseason, but was ultimately pushed out by Jordan Walsh for the opportunity. Scheierman has instead suited up for just three NBA games, logging 18 total minutes, and should have an opportunity for more reps in Maine.
Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum‘s father, Justin Tatum, recently reflected on his son’s underwhelming gold medal run with Team USA this summer, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Tatum was a DNP-CD in multiple games and was up and down when he did play. “He wasn’t in the room pouting or throwing chairs around or it was a topic of conversation at dinner,” Justin, currently the head coach of the NBL’s Illawarra Hawks in Australia, said. “He said he could’ve stayed with his family, stayed home or done this… But he was happy to be out there winning the gold.”

Atlantic Notes: Claxton, Simmons, Boucher, Brown

November 5th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets center Nic Claxton received his first start of the season on Monday. Claxton, who signed a four-year deal worth up to $100MM during the summer, had 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in a win over Memphis. He missed the preseason due to a hamstring injury.

“It’s just still getting back into the swing of things. I had like one stint where I was really tired, but other than that, I was good. Just trying to communicate, just find my balance again,” Claxton told Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Ben Simmons sat out Monday in the second game of a back-to-back. Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez wants Simmons to shoot more often — he’s taken five or fewer attempts in his six games, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post notes. “He is physically getting where he’s supposed to be, and those attempts need to go up,” Fernandez said. “Because then we are all going to benefit from it. I don’t care about makes-misses. I just want to see shots going up. He’s more than capable of doing it, so he’ll get there for sure.”
Chris Boucher was in and out of the Raptors‘ rotation last season. He came back this season determined to reestablish himself as a reliable reserve. So far, so good. He’s averaging 9.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 17.3 minutes per game. “I think there was a lot of stuff that I was doing that I kept saying I gotta do better, but I never changed it,” Boucher told Josh Lewenberg of TSN. “Obviously, when things are going well and you’re playing all the time you [think], well, I’m just going to keep doing what I’m going. But by the time I wasn’t playing, I was like, all right, well, now I’ve gotta figure it out or I won’t be here no more.” Boucher will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown will miss his third consecutive game on Wednesday, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. Brown is dealing with a hip flexor strain. He’s averaging 25.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest in the early going.

Atlantic Notes: Kolek, Queta, Dick, Barnes

November 5th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

After playing a rotation role in each of the Knicks‘ first five games, veteran point guard Cameron Payne was unavailable on Monday in Houston due to a hamstring strain. That resulted in rookie guard Tyler Kolek seeing his first meaningful minutes of the season for New York.

Kolek was only on the court for 5:32 and was a minus-four in his limited playing time. Still, he knocked down his only field goal attempt (a three-pointer) and has made a positive impression on a head coach who typically doesn’t make a habit of playing rookies.

“I really like (Kolek) a lot,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “I think he’s learning like most young guys coming into the league. He’s a gym rat. Works extremely hard. Puts a lot of time into film study. Extra work. Practice. He’s around really good veterans. That helps move it along in terms of how you learn. And then a big part of it is the trial and error of getting out there and doing it. So I think he’s putting everything he has into it. So we’ll see.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Having seen his rotation role increase over the past week, Celtics center Neemias Queta earned his first career start on Monday in Atlanta and delivered with 10 points, seven rebounds, and a plus-31 mark in just 23 minutes. As Brian Robb of MassLive.com writes, Queta’s transformation into a rotation player gives Boston more insurance up front behind veterans Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. “He’s grown a lot as a player and quite honestly he doesn’t know how good he can be,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said of Queta after Monday’s win. “He’s got a great ceiling and so the standard is very high and I thought he did some great things for us tonight.”
Following an up-and-down rookie season, Raptors sharpshooter Gradey Dick is showing early signs of breaking out in his second year, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca, who takes a closer look at how 2023’s No. 13 overall pick is thriving so far this fall. With a 26-point outing on Monday in Denver, Dick is up to 21.6 PPG on .473/.383/.929 shooting in his first eight games as an NBA sophomore.
After a meeting with doctors on Monday, the Raptors determined that injured forward Scottie Barnes won’t require surgery to repair the right orbital fracture he suffered last week, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. A surgical procedure likely would’ve extended the recovery timeline for Barnes, who will be reevaluated in about two weeks.

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