A season with a lot promise for the Celtics was all of a sudden jolted by uncertainty this week.
The season-long suspension of Ime Udoka has put a darkish cloud over the C’s as they begin coaching camp this week and enter a marketing campaign with excessive expectations. Three months faraway from a visit to the NBA Finals, the Celtics are the betting favorites to win the championship this season, however have main obstacles to hurdle.
With Celtics coaching camp starting Tuesday, listed below are 5 storylines to look at:
1. How do the C’s reply to the lack of Udoka?
Udoka was the Celtics’ coach for only one season, however on the courtroom, he made a significant affect. The C’s, after a tough begin, lastly purchased and reaped the advantages of Udoka’s robust teaching model, defensive philosophy and making a tradition {that a} gifted group in the end wanted to get excessive and are available two wins wanting a championship.
Now, they’ve to maneuver ahead with out the voice that led them there, which won’t be straightforward. Wyc Grousbeck stated on Friday that the gamers had been involved after they had been advised this week of the information, and Brad Stevens acknowledged that the lack of Udoka will likely be an emotional problem.
“There’s a real relationship there with a lot of guys, rightfully so,” Stevens stated. “They had an unbelievable 12 months final 12 months. There’s a care each methods. Human beings are human beings. It’s going to be the best way it’s and to assume that guys on the crew or coaches or anyone else within the group can simply stroll again out on the courtroom and the whole lot is ok just isn’t the best way it’s.
“I just think that this is a really, really tough situation but we are going to be forward-focused with addressing what we need to address to get everybody ready to go on Tuesday to start a new season. I believe we will be, but I’m not going to ignore the fact that there are human emotions all over the place.”
2. Can Joe Mazzulla get the job completed?
Mazzulla is taken into account a fast riser within the teaching ranks, however the 34-year-old certainly didn’t anticipate his first NBA head teaching job to come back below these circumstances. After three seasons as an assistant, he’s been trusted to tackle an nearly impossibly difficult process of not solely main the C’s by way of a tumultuous interval, however guiding a crew with championship aspirations.
But there’s a cause the C’s see Mazzulla as match for the job. They view him as superior even for his relative expertise, a robust game-planner on each side of the ball, and Stevens on Friday talked about his robust perception in his management capacity. Last season, Udoka stated gamers had been vocal about holding Mazzulla in the course of the teaching transition. And, along with Mazzulla, there’s a continuity coming into this season as the remainder of the assistants Udoka employed stay on employees.
“I think that this will be an unbelievable challenge, but … I’m really confident in the team and the coaching staff that’s gonna take the court on Tuesday,” Stevens stated. “It’s not what we expected to have happened, but I’m very confident.”
3. How do the C’s make up for Rob Williams’ absence?
Nearly misplaced within the chaos of Udoka’s suspension is that the Celtics will likely be with out Rob Williams longer than anticipated. The beginning middle, who was instrumental in final 12 months’s postseason run, received’t return to basketball actions for 8-12 weeks after having one other left knee surgical procedure final week, that means he’ll be out for important time to begin the season.
Without Williams, the Celtics’ frontcourt depth will likely be examined. Al Horford, who’s now 36, and Grant Williams will possible have greater roles than anticipated. Beyond them, there’s no confirmed NBA expertise, with Luke Kornet amongst those that will battle for a roster spot throughout camp. Will Stevens search for exterior assist?
4. What’s subsequent for Jayson Tatum?
Tatum additional cemented himself as a celebrity final season after he was named an All-NBA first-team choice for the primary time in his profession and led the Celtics to the NBA Finals at 24 years previous. But it resulted in disappointment after a poor efficiency within the Finals which will have been a results of some fatigue. Now, after a brief offseason that included relaxation and restoration earlier than getting again within the fitness center, the objective is to win a championship.
“I don’t want to speak for him, except that he was obviously disappointed, because they let a great opportunity slip away,” Drew Hanlen, Tatum’s coach, advised the Herald this summer season. “It’s also added more fuel to the fire because he was so close. He saw it. It was right in front of him. Now you know it’s not only realistic, but it’s closer than you think.”
There’s no relaxation for Jayson Tatum
5. How will Malcolm Brogdon slot in?
The addition of Brogdon — acquired in a commerce from the Pacers in July — ought to give the C’s an added dimension and a premium scoring increase off the bench, which they lacked within the NBA Finals. Some have questioned how the veteran guard will mesh with Marcus Smart, however Brogdon is embracing his new state of affairs. Training camp will present a primary look on how the 2 work collectively.
“This move, I think, bringing me here actually helps him,” Brogdon stated in July. “I’m gonna push Marcus. I’m gonna embrace him, he’s gonna embrace me and we’re gonna push each other. I really think he and I will play well together. We have different skill sets, but we both want to win so bad it doesn’t matter. All of the other stuff is distraction and noise. We’re gonna come together and make this thing work.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com