It will be interesting to see how Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla handles a Jayson Tatum-less roster.
It will be interesting to see how Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla handles a Jayson Tatum-less roster.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
First things first: Lay off Joe.
Yes, many of you are unhappy with Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla’s heavy reliance on the 3-point shot. I can’t deny that I have been there with you. I fervently wish the 3-pointer had never been approved. But guess what, gang? It ain’t going anywhere. I fear there will be a 4-pointer before I head to that Sportswriters Home In The Sky.
We all would be remiss if we three-phobic people didn’t acknowledge that the three had a lot to do with the 2023-24 championship. Joe has a right to say, “I told you so.”
The issue before us is that there is far more to successful, professional sports coaching/managing than mastery of the X’s and O’s, or, in baseball when to lift the pitcher or send the runner. The games will always be played by real, live human beings, and Mazzulla’s boss, Brad Stevens, can’t say enough about Mazzulla’s people skills, which extend to everyone in the building, and not just the players. Mazzulla’s players are happy to play for him. This matters.
We all know that the coach has been presented with a vastly different situation this season, and we are anxious to see how he’s going to handle a Jayson Tatum-less roster. I have faith in him, and that’s because he is Brad’s man and my personal motto is, “In Brad I Trust.”
Things are indeed very, very different for the Celtics this season, starting with the fact that for the first time in two decades a new man will be signing the checks. Bill Chisholm is certainly saying the right things, but you know how that goes. He is accepting an unusual partnership, with Wyc Grousbeck by his side. Wyc will make for a fascinating consigliere, at the very least.
I need to stress one more thing. Make absolutely no mistake, even if the Celtics had won the 2024-25 championship, management would have had to shed itself of the Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday contracts to deal with the dreaded “second apron” business. That is the stark fiscal reality of NBA life.
Now, about personnel . . .
Who doesn’t know this is going to be a pivotal season for Jaylen Brown? With Tatum sidelined, Mr. Brown will be the focal point of every foe’s defense. This is a highly intelligent individual who knows exactly what’s in store for him. Yes, we all wish his ball-handling was a bit tighter and that he will figure out a proper balance of 2- and 3-point shots. But this guy has a Finals MVP on his résumé and we all owe him the benefit of the doubt that he will rise to this auspicious occasion.
Holiday is gone, but Anfernee Simons is here, and he has probably flown under your radar during his first seven years in the far Northwest while toiling for the Trail Blazers.
Well, I’m not about to cavalierly dismiss a 26-year-old who is coming off three seasons scoring 21.1, 22.6, and 19.3 points per game. He has a career 3-point percentage of .381. Oh, and don’t foul him. He is a career 88 percent man who has shot .916 and .902 at the stripe the last two seasons.
True, he has a league-wide reputation as an, ahem, indifferent defender. Can he finally pick up some defensive religion in a Celtics uniform? We shall see.
We all know the great question mark on the team is who, if anyone, will emerge to give them quality two-way play in the middle. Right now, it’s a committee that includes Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Xavier Tillman, and rookie Amari Williams.
The most intriguing member of the committee is Queta, whom I am nominating as the Best Player Ever To Come Out Of Portugal. The Celtics have long been enamored of his 7-foot NBA body, and are buoyed at present by his performance for his native country in the 2025 Eurobasket Championships. Don’t sleep on this big guy.
Now, I must put in a good word for my man Payton Pritchard. He is the reigning NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, and a lot will be expected of him. I am regional president of the Payton Pritchard Fan Club. He caught my eye in college at Oregon, and I was ecstatic when he was selected as the 26th pick in the 2020 draft.
I have loved watching him evolve as both a reliable 3-point shooter and a clever driver to the hoop. In addition, he will fight you on defense, and I swear he is good for one sneaky offensive rebound a game. I believe him to be a combination of Larry Siegfried (young’uns, ask grandpa and Uncle Earl) and Eddie House. So there.
Finally, by far the hardest task I could assign to anyone would be to find a person on this earth who could say a single bad word about Derrick White, on or off the court.
Anyway, the cupboard is not completely bare. Let’s all just sit back and watch.
Bob Ryan can be reached at robert.ryan@globe.com.