The Boston Celtics’ embarrassment of riches was on display during the preseason

In terms of results, the pre-season is still not very exciting. The only fun moments in these games are watching the players with roster spots on the fence fighting for their spots. Oddly enough, in the case of the Boston Celtics, that wasn’t really a factor this time.

Because the Celtics have 13 full-time players on the roster, combined with the lack of manpower on their training camp roster, expect any surprises, it’s likely fans will see the roster hey on opening night, which means Luke Kornet, Dalano Banton, Svi Mykahiliuk and Lamar Stevens aren’t going anywhere. So there’s not much to remember on that front. However, while preseason games are generally meaningless, they can provide a glimpse of what teams like the Celtics will have in their arsenal and after two games, there is it feels like they really have an abundance of fire.

Kristaps Porzingis showed exactly why the Boston Celtics traded Marcus Smart for him
Is it crazy to think that the cautious optimism surrounding the Celtics’ acquisition of Porzingis caused this trade to be a bit underrated? Porzingis may never shake his injury-plagued reputation, but he showed exactly what the Celtics envisioned when they acquired him in his preseason debut. The best way to describe Porzingis’ play is to summarize it in two words:
“Too easy

Porzingis immediately showed the problems he posed on the field. Leave it open for three hours, he will charge you. Leave it open for an unsupported post-iso, it will charge you. Keep him close enough to the perimeter to help the cutter into the basket, he will make you pay. The best part is that he still looks as handsome as ever, mainly because of the attention given to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. There are a few warts, but that’s normal. Let’s see how this game ended in turnovers. Once Holiday got it from Porzingis, he should have put Reed on the cup instead of giving it back to Derrick White because Porzingis now had a legitimate post-game run that not many people knew about. During the 2022-23 season, Porzingis ranks near the 90th percentile according to NBA.com, with a 1.18 PPP, an effective field goal percentage of 58%, and a foul frequency of 20.9%. All have a posting frequency of 16.6%. Even though it’s a new wrinkle, it’s believable. Going back to the play, Porzingis is still one of the new kids on the block, and he clearly doesn’t want to step on anyone’s toes, so he deserves a pass for trying to be a good teammate. While Porzingis certainly stands out a lot more than Jrue Holiday, that doesn’t mean Jrue hasn’t shown Celtics fans what’s possible.

Jrue Holiday and Derrick White will together cause problems in the Boston Celtics’ backcourt
Holiday didn’t exactly have the electric debut of Porzingis, but he still showed exactly why the Celtics paid so much to get him. It took Holiday just two minutes to demonstrate, with White’s help, exactly what he would do for Boston.

Even though it’s just a brief moment, this clip proves why you relate to Holiday and White. Whether opponents are driving the ball to the basket or trying to thread the needle in half court, they will push every step of the way to make life as difficult as possible. Aren’t they a bit small? Sure, but having two of the NBA’s All-Defense honorees in the same backcourt will build the Celtics’ defense. Of course, neither the Celtics nor their fans knew that before the Holidays arrived. This also raises the difficult question of who exactly will complete the Celtics’ starting five. Will they go big with Al Horford next to Porzingis, or will they go small with White and Holiday? While this may be a problem, it’s a good problem to have.

Payton Pritchard plays like he has something to prove
Payton Pritchard’s flawless preseason performance largely portrays a gritty player who has persevered in previously precarious positions to consistently produce strong performance as a defenseman Professional point of view… Okay, not really. Be honest. Pritchard playing well is actually nothing new as the Celtics have seen him do this since his rookie season. They know Pritchard can play.

However, while they know Pritchard can throw rocks and go toe-to-toe with some guys, these preparatory performances also showed off some pretty intriguing new aspects to his game. part of it may be because the Celtics never consulted him.

Ending at the edge? It’s new. Team up to shoot baskets easily? New well. Draw the relationship for and-1? Who is this guy and what did he do with Payton Pritchard? All baby boomer movie references aside, no one questions the fact that Pritchard should have been a rotation player earlier, but if these new aspects to FastPP’s game is real then he won’t. about the Celtics will be.

It also raises the question of whether Pritchard’s improved play is the reason why the Boston Celtics felt comfortable reducing their defensive depth this summer. After the trades they made, the Celtics gave Pritchard the opportunity he had been waiting for for so long.

Because Pritchard has given them results, the Boston Celtics should be optimistic about his ability to give them more results. The Boston Celtics’ new reserve proves why they are worth recruiting

Now this brings us back to what was said earlier about the preseason. It hardly makes any sense, so when a person isn’t expected to do much but has excellent performance, it often means nothing. The performances of Banton and Mykhailiuk in the tough loss to the Knicks fit that criteria.

Their performance likely won’t affect their role in the regular-season rotation — the Celtics’ seventh, eighth and ninth guys will likely be Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet, respectively. until someone usurps them – but they showed they can offer something if the C team is short-handed. Banton and Mykhailiuk demonstrate in their own ways why everywhere has value.

They may not necessarily be the most proven names, but squad versatility is always a plus and they have shown they certainly have potential in that area.

The Boston Celtics entered the preseason with the standard already set. Even though they’re 1-1 entering the preseason, it’s not hard to see why there’s so much excitement this season and Boston is only adding to it.