Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Their bench is deep and they’ve found ways to hide Isaiah Thomas’ size weakness while also enabling him to create havoc on-ball. They have continuity, great scheme, and improved personnel. Beyond all this, they have Jae Crowder, who is tough as nails as a lock-down, multi-position stopper.
Matt Moore picked three teams as ‘locks’ to field top five defenses next season. The Celtics were one of them, primarily for the reasons above. He’s not without his misgivings (this is a guy, after all, who likes to troll Celtics fans and then delete those tweets):
Their approach of blitzing the offense and creating fast break points which allows the defense to re-set will be challenged as more teams have film on them this year.
You know, this game is nowhere near as thoroughly analyzed as football. There is a lot more action, a lot fewer coaches, and much less of a tradition of breaking down plays and tendencies.
However, there is still plenty of film study that goes on, and the Celtics’ ability to execute on offense is not just because they’re surprising other teams. It’s because they’re able to execute even when the other team knows what’s coming.
That’s kind of why Stevens wasn’t necessarily giving away the store when they met with Durant. By now everyone should know the best way of defending Curry, for instance. It’s not that the Celtics figured out some secret formula, it’s that they have the personnel to actually do it, coupled with coaches that know how to implement it.
Page 2: Where let’s wrap up the first week of Celtics Summer Forecasts
Rozier, the No. 16 pick in the 2015 draft, simply looks as if he’s ready to compete for a role, especially after playing with poise and confidence in summer league. After being thrust into playoff minutes when Avery Bradley was injured in the first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks last season, Rozier should be more prepared to make an impact out of the gates this season. If he can run the second-unit offense and showcase his speed and athleticism — as well as those springy hops that helped him consistently rebound when he was on the floor — there’s an opportunity for him to impact this year’s team.
Brown might acclimate quickly, but it will be interesting to see if he gets a lot of those whistles that went his way while attacking the basket in summer league. Rookies don’t typically get a lot of calls. Brown’s defense could help him stay on the court and his draft position suggests he’ll eventually be a key part of this team, but it’s rare that 19-year-old rookies kick down the door right away.
Chris Forsberg’s take above. Click through to read contributions from the sizable community of Celtics bloggers, including this site’s crew of misfits.
I tend to agree with Chris. Brown got a lot of calls in summer league that he’s probably not going to get at first in the NBA. And the problem with being prone to commit charges is that’s a double whammy–a team foul and a turnover. Offensive fouls really hurt a team. [Edit: There I go assuming college rules apply without checking first. Thanks for the heads up, zippittyay]
Rozier, on the other hand looks like he’s ready to take a nice step forward.
Finally, because there are no other links of note:
Why not take a half-hour or so off today and watch the fourth quarter of Russ’s final championship?
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