Celtics sale, Joe Mazzulla’s motivation and more: 5 questions ahead of training camp

By Jared WeissSep 12, 2024

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Celtics training camp is less than two weeks away, as the defending champions start their preseason early ahead of a trip to Abu Dhabi to face the Denver Nuggets. Though it feels like the title run just ended, it’s already time for them to gear up for another campaign. Here are five questions facing the Celtics as camp begins.

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How does Joe Mazzulla rekindle the spark?

It took two years, but Mazzulla’s approach worked last season. Not all championship teams are a product of their coach. Sometimes factors like outsized talent, luck, or even spite, can drive a roster to win a title. From start to finish, there was no confusion that Mazzulla put his stamp on the Celtics, and it was a resounding success. Even if the East wasn’t decimated by injury and the Celtics faced the Nuggets or Timberwolves in the NBA Finals, they should have won. They were that connected, on and off the court.

It’s hard to keep that magic going. The novelty of any coach’s approach eventually wears off. There are only so many videos of killer whales you can watch. Now that Mazzulla’s job is gradually shifting toward reinforcing principles rather than introducing them, do they still hold strong?

All indications point in his favor. The roster returns intact, while the Kristaps Porziņģis injury gives them a challenge to face early. His players have repeatedly lauded him since the championship while he has insisted that nothing from the past matters once the new season starts.

“The phrase ‘defending a title’ is a very passive-aggressive term,” Mazzulla told John Karalis on the “Locked On Celtics” podcast. “If you look at the animal kingdom, some of the strongest animals don’t defend. They’re the most aggressive and they attack the most.”

That’s a unique way to wave off the “hunters to the hunted” narrative used to describe typical defending champions. While the perception might change now that they are the title holders, the Celtics were already seen by the league as the team to beat last year. The banner shouldn’t change how opponents view them that much, but it can change how they view themselves. Mazzulla has been effective in keeping his team humble and focused on details over the big picture.

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Then there needs to be a continued evolution of how they play. The Celtics’ system was ad hoc but often straightforward last year. More teams will adopt their principles, so they have to find a new curve to get ahead.

How do the Jays respond to this summer?

A big part of the locker room’s buy-in last season was that Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum came up short enough in the past to grow into the leaders the team needed. But now that they have finally broken through and are no longer perennial runners-up, will that change their discipline and priorities?

“I’m of the mindset that after ring night, in a weird way, we got to put that behind (us),” Tatum said last month. “Last year was last year. We did it. It was a dream come true. We worked our a– off for it. But after ring night, we gotta move on. We gotta get ready for game two.”

After Jaylen Brown did not make Team USA and Jayson Tatum had inconsistent playing time, both players were given the rare chance to have something to prove even after winning a title. The rest of the team’s core was pieced together with consistent and unselfish players, giving the Jays freedom to take over the game how they see fit. But their commitment to being playmakers, especially in crunch time, was a clear improvement over years past.

They have both been saying the right things about focusing on the same process that got them here. It’s easy to maintain messaging during the summer, but their mentality will be under a microscope once games start.

It’s been a tumultuous summer for both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

What does this year’s center rotation look like?

Last year’s backup center competition remained fairly open throughout the season, with Luke Kornet in the driver’s seat most of the time. But now that Xavier Tillman has a training camp to get situated with his new team, he could solidify his position as a nightly rotation fixture as Porziņģis works toward a return this winter. Though Mazzulla’s choice between Kornet and Tillman — and occasionally Neemias Queta — was usually driven by matchup, Tillman has enough talent to hold his spot in the depth chart.

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The 6-foot-6 center never quite found his spots on offense, but hit enough 3s (nine to be exact) to indicate he could be used as a floor spacer. While Kornet is good at handling the ball on the perimeter to drop it off to cutters, he then usually has to roll to the baseline and limits the way the Celtics can space the floor. Tillman gives them the option to have someone in the corner the defense at least expects to shoot it and he has some semblance of a post-up game. Kornet’s playmaking and lob threat have given him an edge in the center depth chart for a few years now, but Tillman could supplant him with a strong showing at camp.

Then there is the question of Queta’s development. He looked good in summer league, but anything less would be a red flag for someone with his experience. Queta plays with force and fluidity, but doesn’t have the versatility to get ahead of Kornet and Tillman. The Celtics need to see him improve at making high-speed reads on both ends of the floor, especially knowing how to position himself on defense. But the athleticism and motor are impressive enough to give him a chance at minutes.

Which young players will break into the rotation?

The Celtics’ eight-man rotation won’t change this year, but there’s a need to get more players in the mix both for development and load management. The ninth-man role is an unknown heading into training camp, so someone relatively new likely will be seeing some minutes in the first half of the season while Porziņģis rehabs. Mazzulla could mix in both Kornet and Tillman on a nightly basis, but the Celtics’ play style is more conducive to giving time to one of the young perimeter players.

The lead contenders for those minutes heading into camp are Jaden Springer and Baylor Scheierman, two players with opposing skills but comparable importance to the team’s future. Springer’s on-ball defense is the most effective tool from anyone on the back end of the roster, and it would be a pleasant surprise if Scheierman’s playmaking ability translated to the NBA right away.

The former Sixers guard looked fairly comfortable with the ball in his hands at summer league and was better offensively than he was after the midseason trade to Boston, even when considering the drop in competition out in Vegas. But with the Celtics, Springer isn’t going to have the ball in his hands often, so he has to prove he won’t be a ball-stopper if defenses ignore him on the perimeter. Scheierman at least is a good shooter who can read the floor attacking a close-out. There’s also Jordan Walsh, but the 20-year-old looks like he needs another season in Maine before he can make a run at the rotation.

But Lonnie Walker is the player with the most to prove at training camp, a veteran with significant NBA experience who is trying to convince the Celtics to use their last roster spot on him. He is the only player in this mix who has a clear offensive role, and while his defense looked lackluster last season, he at least knows how an NBA defense is supposed to work.

Will the franchise sale impact the team?

Wyc Grousbeck said he intends to sell half of the franchise during this upcoming season, so how will that affect the team? The current Celtics governors made sure to lock up all the key players to long-term deals, so whoever purchases the team would have some work to do to disband this expensive championship core. Grousbeck said the deal will be structured so he retains managerial control until it’s completed several years from now, but that doesn’t guarantee anything.

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The rumblings around the sales process will pick up at some point during the year, and the players, coach, and GM will be asked about what it could mean for their future. Does that create a sense within the locker room that they need to be even more focused on a title because they may not be together a year from now? Does it lead to players breaking from their roles to prove to the rest of the league they are worth acquiring? One year without an off-court distraction was too long for this team, but at least it yielded a championship. While there might be plenty of things in Boston’s favor to remain the best team in the NBA, it won’t be without a challenge to stay focused. Mazzulla and Brad Stevens have their work cut out starting Sept. 24, but they’ve proven they can get the job done.