You know what? I don’t think he needs those glasses.
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.
Rozier acknowledges that while playing against the likes of All-Star Thomas, All-Defense first-teamer Bradley, and defensive hound Smart each day, he has no choice but to improve as a player. Rozier also is hell-bent on showing that Ainge and the Celtics were justified when they rolled the dice on the Louisville guard after he was projected as a late-first-round selection in the 2015 draft.
“That’s one of the things that I think about a lot,” said Rozier. “I told [Ainge] when I talked to him on the phone after the draft, ‘Thank you for changing my life. You won’t regret it.’ That’s what I told him. I’m just slowly trying to make progress, but it’s a process. That’s what it is. I’m just going to keep fighting and keep going.”
Stevens, no stranger to bulldogs after his time at Butler University, likes what he has seen from Rozier.
“The biggest thing that I’ve always said about Terry is he’s going to improve because the guy works,” said Stevens. “From the minute we met him in the draft process, it was like there are work ethics and there are real work ethics. And he’s got a real one. And so I think he’ll do well.”
Somewhere between the Jae Crowder trade and the Isaiah Thomas trade the Celtics picked up an identity.
If you’ve got something to prove and you’re willing to put time in on your game, you’re welcome in Boston.
When the Celtics get the piece or pieces that put them back over the top, this is what we’ll all look back on: The eighteen months or so during which the Celtics’ identity gelled. There’s definitely a different feel about this training camp versus last year’s. This year the Celtics definitely know who they are. They’ve arrived. The rebuild is over.
And Terry Rozier fits right in–of course, that doesn’t mean he’s going to be there at the end of camp, but it seems like a sure bet. It’s unlikely that any other team covets Rozier–after all he was considered a reach by Boston in 2015 and he didn’t play much last season. Also, the Boston brass like him too much to include him as a throw-in in a larger deal.
Page 2: Where what exactly is the deal with Smart’s shot?
Among all players in NBA history with at least 200 3-point attempts in a single season, he now owns the very worst shooting percentage (25.3 percent) for a campaign, according to Basketball-Reference.com. He’s great enough defensively that he still managed to be a helpful player, but it’s clear his shot needs a heap of improvement.
Jay King takes a deep dive into Smart’s shooting mechanics (or lack thereof), through a helpful series of GIFs.
Of course the crazy thing about that record-setting awful shooting percentage is that Smart was still a net positive on the court. Think about that: Worst three-point shooting in league history–and he was still a net positive for the team (+1.4, per Sporting Charts). Imagine what will happen if he stops being the worst three-point shooter in history.
Page 3: Where Jae Crowder wants a top 5 defense
“I told you guys the other day, I just said, ‘top 5 defensively,'” said Crowder. “I think we should finish there. If we don’t finish top 5 defensively, we’ve underachieved on the court. I’m a firm believer in it and I know we have guys that can get into the ball and we got guys who can protect the rim behind us. We have all the tools to be a top-5 defensive team.”
Dang right, the Celtics will be underachieving if they’re not a top five defense this season. They had a top five defense last season with Sully instead of Horford.
Finally: Why yes, Paul Pierce will accept your parting gifts
Paul Pierce says he isn’t planning a farewell tour, but he’s willing to accept retirement gifts from opposing teams.
Trick question:
Q: What are the New York Knicks getting Paul Pierce?
A: Nothing. He already owns them.
The rest of the links:
CSNNE: Thomas excited for reunion with Green | Thomas on Horford: He makes the game easier for everybody | A Pierce-Doc-Garnett reunion with Clippers – if only for a day | Rozier ready to compete for serious minutes in Celtics rotation
Boston Herald: Celtics notebook: With Al Horford on board, defense should be among NBA’s best
Providence Journal: Gerald Green looking to make most of his second shot with Celtics
MassLive: Kevin Garnett drops in on Los Angeles Clippers practice, works out with Blake Griffin | Perry Jones III struggled to make Boston Celtics roster because his cousin passed away | Jae Crowder of Boston Celtics: Now ‘way more comfortable (shooting) off the dribble’ | Can Jaylen Brown play power forward as a Boston Celtics rookie?
You’ll notice no links to Tyronn Lue talking about how he’d hire KG, because that’s just silly.
