BOSTON — Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla stresses it frequently when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. A possession only ends in two ways: A defensive rebound or a turnover. So, it’s a non-negotiable and priority that the Celtics must rebound on every available possession.
But that’s been a struggle through the early parts of preseason. It happened again for stretches even though the Celtics blew out the Cavaliers on Sunday. The Cavs picked up 21 offensive rebounds as the C’s weren’t good enough on that end. That showed as Mazzulla subbed players out if they weren’t rebounding to find a five-man combination willing to crash the defensive glass.
“I don’t see five guys rebound,” Mazzulla said. “So then I go get five, and they rebound. It’s that simple. Doesn’t matter about wings, bigs, it doesn’t matter. Find five guys that will rebound, rebound. Go. It’s that simple.”
Derrick White said Mazzulla doesn’t need to say anything since “it’s kind of obvious” if the Celtics on the court aren’t rebounding. As the Celtics prepare for a new season with an overhauled roster, to win games, they’ll need to shore up those margins to consistently have a chance every night.
As Mazzulla put it bluntly: “Everyone’s responsible to rebound.” There have been times through the Celtics’ three preseason games where guys are subbed out quickly if they’re not rebounding the ball. Anfernee Simons added Mazzulla has been “adamant” about getting the guys to rebound, though it doesn’t have to be anything complicated.
“Whoever is out there, we have to find a way to get the rebounds and that will fuel our offense,” White said. “As a guard, if I get switched on a big, then just keep him from trying to get the rebound. A lot of teams are crashing four or five guys anyway, so it’s a responsibility for anybody and it’s going to be a big talking point for Joe the whole year so we all got to do it.”
The Celtics, of course, are going through changes as they adapt to a new roster. No longer do they have proven veterans making up the rotation eyeing another title run. They now have a cast of hungry, young guys hoping to prove they’re worthy of being a rotation player — think Josh Minott, Luka Garza, Baylor Scheierman and more. They also have veterans hoping for an image change — guys like Chris Boucher and Simons.
Regardless of who or what their goals for this upcoming season are, they’ll need to defend and rebound. That’s what it’ll take for any Celtic to consistently see the court. It’s still plenty early and the regular season hasn’t started yet, but rebounding has been a priority through the preseason games.
“Just understanding angles of which the shot is coming off,” Simons said. “It’s just all about, basically, toughness, and boxing out your man. Making sure at least your man doesn’t get it if you don’t get it. So it’s really as simple as that.”
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