Training Camp

Marc D'Amico

Despite falling on a random Saturday in the middle of Training Camp, there was a whole lot that came out of Saturday’s practice at the Auerbach Center.

From insight about the team’s competitive nature, to a new member of the basketball operations staff being revealed, to football being played on the court, we’re covering it all in a few brief sections below.

Word got out Saturday that Jeff Van Gundy has been added to Boston’s staff heading into this season. Van Gundy is serving as a Senior Consultant within the basketball operations group and will be involved in the entire operation, from working with the coaches, to working with Brad Stevens, to working with the Maine Celtics, and everything between.

“Anytime you can add high-character, high-level, professional people, I think it’s a no-brainer,” Mazzulla said of Van Gundy’s addirion.

Mazzulla and multiple players revealed that Van Gundy has been at practices throughout camp to observe and share thoughts, tips and advice when he feels it would be beneficial. Mazzulla said that Van Gundy has already “added a lot of value in just the first couple of weeks he’s been here.”

One of the key reasons why Van Gundy was brought in, according to Mazzulla, was to have a talented and experienced mind available to provide an impartial view of the team’s operations.

“It’s good to get a guy who hasn’t been here before that can kinda have an unbiased opinion as to where things are and where they need to go,” said Mazzulla. “He’s kinda a fresh set of eyes, because he’s not around all the time, and he’s looking at it from an unbiased position, which kinda gives us an advantage because you kinda see it from a different perspective.”

Competitive Nature Remains Strong at Camp

Many voices around the team, including majority owner Wyc Grousbeck, raved about the competitive nature of practices during the first couple of days of practice. It sounds as if that level of competitive action has continued through the first two weeks of the preseason.

Newcomer Kristaps Porzingis said of camp, “It’s been high intensity, for sure” and that intensity went up as Boston’s two stars went at it this afternoon.

“We had JB and JT going at it at the end of practice,” he revealed. “High-intensity and high competitiveness, which was really fun.”

This type of competition is exactly what Mazzulla has envisioned for the team. He said the players are living up to expectations, and haven’t required an ounce of external motivation to get them to do so.

“We’re doing what we set out to do at Training Camp, which was to create a highly-competitive environment and continue to work from that,” he said. “That’s most important.

“No one in this gym have we had to motivate yet. That’s the sign of where we’re trying to get to, is Jayson (Tatum), Jaylen (Brown), Al (Horford), Derrick (White), Kristaps, (Jrue Holiday), those guys set the standard, and everybody else falls in line.”

Despite the heightened level of competitiveness, the team has still found ways to mix plenty of fun into their day-to-day operations. For example, Saturday morning, the team was playing football, rather than basketball, during their early moments on the court.

Players were split into four groups, each with a football, to see who could become the most prolific wide receiver, quarterback and cornerback. The only caveat: running was not allowed.

That’s right, Mazzulla kept things as safe as possible by restricting his players to speed walking through the drills. Just imagine Derrick White speed-walking his way through a route, with Kristaps Porzingis – al 7-foot-3 of him – speed-walking his way through defending that route. This actually happened.

“I think it’s just like an easy way to kind’ve warm up and get everybody in a good mood before practice,” Porzingis told Celtics.com with a smile. “I think it’s just more to ease up the mood.”

Porzingis said that this Training Camp has been the first time he has participated in football-related drills, and added that he has a pretty solid arm. Sam Hauser, though, is the player who stood out to him when it came to football skills.

“Honestly, Sam, at least from what I saw, he had a little bit of an arm,” Porzingis said. “I couldn’t tell because guys weren’t running, we were walking, but I feel like everybody’s kind’ve competitive and everybody enjoys the game.”

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Busy Day at Camp Includes JVG News, Competitive Nature and... Football?

Taylor Snow

BOSTON – Jaylen Brown gave Jrue Holiday a special welcome during the latter’s first Celtics practice earlier this week.

We’re not talking about a handshake or a hug or fresh-baked goods. No, JB gave Holiday a proper Boston welcome.

“I wanted to go after him a little bit,” Brown recalled with a smile Saturday afternoon. “Fresh, new to the city. Welcome him to the team. So that’s the best way to do it.”

Brown got physical with Holiday right from the jump, testing the veteran point guard’s resiliency. Never one to shy away from a physical challenge, Holiday gave it right back, setting the tone for what’s been described as one of the more intense practices in recent memory at Auerbach Center.

One play in particular generated a buzz around the gym where Brown was going full steam ahead on a fast break and Holiday tracked him down to the 3-point arc, threw his body in front, and stopped the locomotive on a dime.

&nbsp;“We were marveling at the play,” Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca later relayed at Holiday’s introductory press conference. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen Jaylen Brown be stopped going to the hoop with a full head of steam and he just ran right into Jrue. And that was it. It was incredible. One of the most incredible things I’ve seen in practice.”

Holiday is no stranger to bodying up against Brown. The two have had several showdowns over the course of their respective careers, and Brown has always viewed Holiday as “one of the stronger guards in the league.”

Holiday, meanwhile, says Brown is “one of the best players that I have played against in my life, one of the hardest ones to guard.” That’s coming from a player who has earned five consecutive All-Defense selections, including three First-Team nods.

“We've had some battles,” said Holiday. “I feel like he knows my competitive nature. He knows I don't back down from anybody. And with somebody that can dish it out, I can dish it right back. So I think just from just based off of experience, he knows that the energy and the competitiveness that I'm going to bring on a night-in and night-out basis is going to be something that you can always count on me to do.”

Bringing that type of competitiveness into a practice environment should help set the tone for the games.

Holiday believes, “That competitive nature in practice, in training camp, throughout the year, competing against each other like that, knowing that I know his tendencies, he knows mine, to be able to go at each other like that consistently, I think just makes us better.”

Coming off his first All-NBA season, this is just the type of practice partner that Brown could benefit from to help take his game to a higher level. And now that he’s given Holiday a proper welcome to the team, it’s time to get to work.

“He&nbsp;met the challenge right away,” Brown said.&nbsp;“He’s going right back at me.&nbsp;So I love it.&nbsp;It's been great energy and a great environment.&nbsp;I think we're going to really push each other to be better."

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Brown, Holiday Sharpening Each Other at Camp

BOSTON – Paul Pierce, Eddie House, and Sam Cassell took over a corner of the Auerbach Center gym following Thursday’s practice to engage in a vintage shooting contest. The net was swishing, the trash talk was flowing, and the competition was in full force like it was 2008 all over again.

Some of Boston’s current players looked on from the sideline, appreciating the intensity that still existed among the trio, laughing at the hilarity of their persistent verbal jabs, and being inspired by the lasting bond between former teammates – former champions.

This is exactly the type of scenario that Joe Mazzulla envisioned this summer when he got in touch with several former Celtics, including Pierce, extending an open invitation to be around the team this season. Boston’s second-year head coach hopes to mesh the old with the new, “to build a brotherhood,” and to a create family-like environment spanning across all generations of Celtics, knowing that all good things are built out of love.

Pierce sees Mazzulla’s vision and is all on board. He remembers the impact of having Celtics Legends around throughout his playing days and now wants to help carry that torch forward.

“I think that's what it should be all about,” Pierce said Thursday afternoon. “It’s always been that way since I've been in the organization, and I love that Joe has reached out to me and some of the other guys to be around more and not only just coming to the games, but coming to practice, you know, you can travel with the team and be around the team a little bit more because that's how it was when I played. Every time I looked up, Tommy Heinsohn, he was always there. And then we look up and see John Halivcek, Bill Russell, (Bob) Cousy. It just brought a certain energy to the building whenever I saw those guys in practice or at the game. So I think it kind of continues the brotherhood. It's all part of our culture and that is something that the Celtics have always been about.”

Along with Pierce, House, and Cassell (now a C’s assistant coach), former champions Leon Powe and Satch Sanders have also been out at Auerbach Center this week. A bunch of current players, including Jayson Tatum, seem to appreciate the growing presence of alumni.

“It’s great having the older guys around,” Tatum said. “Just their presence and being around, being able to talk to them, being able to see them, it’s great.”

Tatum has particularly latched onto Pierce of late. The pair spent four consecutive weeks over the summer working out together in Los Angeles. Iron sharpened iron throughout that month, as Pierce dropped 15-20 pounds, all while Tatum soaked in his mentor’s wisdom.

“He came to the gym every day,” said Tatum. “It was cool to have him around. He told us a lot of stories about the championship team, a lot of things we’ll try to help apply to this year.”

Pierce says that he has already seen some similarities between this team and the ’08 team, notably the high level of focus that the guys have come into camp with.

“It's the intensity,” Pierce recognized. “These guys are coming in with high expectations and they understand that. And you can see it. Guys are getting here early. I mean, the practices are intense, you can see how hard they're going. Not as much talking as our team. We had a loud team. But you can just see in the habits before, during and after, you see guys getting extra shots up in the room, you can just feel it in the air.”

Pierce wants to keep that feeling in the air for the foreseeable future. Although he may no longer be able to contribute on the court (outside of the occasional shooting competition with his ’08 crew), his presence alone is enough to inspire.

So, who else wants to join in on the journey?

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Celtics Inspired by Pierce's Presence at Camp

BOSTON – Day 1 of Celtics training camp left Kristaps Porzingis feeling excited and motivated for what is to come.

The 7-foot-3 power forward/center spoke with the media in between Monday afternoon’s practice sessions and conveyed nothing but positive observations from the first organized practice with his new teammates.

“I think the interesting part is seeing the dynamic when adding some players and playing with the new players and how quickly we're going to be able to play off each other, read each other's minds, so it can just be seamless. So we look forward to that,” said Porzingis as he towered over a throng of reporters. “It’s still the first day, and the more time on the floor we get together, the better we'll look and the more rhythm we'll have.”

Porzingis has been through this process a few times already. It’s his fourth “first day” with a new NBA team, having made previous stops in New York, Dallas, and Washington. So he knows there’s an acclimation process for which a high level of patience is needed.

“We have to be in the moment and get the most out of today, tomorrow, and go day-by-day,” he said. “So far, the transition has been a smooth process.”

It was so important for Porzingis to be a part of the process right from Day 1 that he sat out of the FIBA World Cup as a precautionary measure after dealing with a minor case of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. It was an injury that he may have been able to push through, but he wanted to make sure he’d be fully healthy by the time training camp opened in Boston.

“The smart decision was for me to sit out and make sure the foot gets to recover before I start the season, and that’s what I did,” said Porzingis, who cheered on his fellow Latvian countrymen from the sideline. “It was a tough decision. I know it may not seem like it was such a big deal, but it was a big deal for me not to be able to play for my country in the World Cup. It really hurt my soul. But I knew it was the right decision and I’m glad I made the tough decision in that moment, and now I’m 100 percent to start the season.”

Porzingis is coming off his best NBA season after averaging career highs of 23.2 points per game on 49.8 percent shooting along with 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game. Not only did he continue to be an elite shooter, but he was also the No. 1 post scorer in the league last season, which is an area of his game that he’s worked extensively on over the last few seasons and believes will be a great addition to Boston’s offense.

“When I was in Dallas, I looked at my numbers and my post-ups, the situations I was in, and kind of analyzed and I had like a reality check and realized that I needed to get better. I needed to get better to be able to use that part of my game at a good level. And that's what I did,” he explained. “I looked at the things I was not as efficient with, the things where I was more efficient, and then just constantly kept working on it and developed that post game. And last season was a good example of doing the things I needed to do and then, as the year went on, I think I got more and more effective. So I look forward to replicating that here also and being able to open things up for my teammates playing in the post.”

In particular, Porzingis believes that his post presence will open even more scoring opportunities for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who were by far the best scoring duo in the league last season.

“It’s just gonna be a matter of time before we find our rhythm on the court,” he said of playing alongside the Jays. “I think my game is going to complement their game so much. I’m going to try to open things up for them and I know that’s what’s going to make my game much easier. I’m looking forward to that.”

More than anything, Porzingis is looking forward to finally playing for a contender. He understands that on a team like this, there is no room for egos; it’s all about having an unwavering team-first mindset, which he has embraced since the day he was traded to Boston.

“It’s very motivating, very exciting, of course, and also a big responsibility,” Porzingis said of playing for a team with championship aspirations. “We all understand what our goal is, and we don't want to only have that in our mind. As Coach (Joe Mazzulla) said in our first meeting, we have to live that lifestyle. We have to live that life day to day. We have to put in the work and at the end, if we put in the work, we'll achieve the results. There has to be a daily focus and keeping that big goal in our minds.”

One day down, one day closer to reaching that goal.

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Porzingis Feeling Excited, Motivated After Day 1 of Camp

BOSTON – Watching from afar, Malcolm Brogdon could tell exactly what the Boston Celtics were missing last season as they came up just short of their championship goal.

What they were missing was a player like himself.

An extra facilitator and some added scoring power off the bench would have come in handy during June’s Finals matchup with the Golden State Warriors, and those are exactly the areas in which Brogdon hopes to provide aid.

Brogdon can already envision the positive impact he can make once he gets past the adjustment process with his new team – a process that appears to be going well through the first two days of training camp according to his coaches and teammates.

“I have a good feel, I’ve watched this team, I’ve played against these guys so much, I know what they're missing, and I know what I can provide,” the seventh-year veteran said following Wednesday’s practice. “So for me, it’s being aggressive and continuing to play my game.”

Brogdon’s game includes elite driving ability, precise passing, scoring from any spot on the court, and a versatile defensive skill set. He also has a steady competitive spirit and an unwavering desire to win.

In other words, “He fits right in with the team,” says interim head coach Joe Mazzulla. “He wants to do whatever it takes to win, has a good attitude, and brings great energy.”

Part of Brogdon’s energy is being unselfish. He’s capable of being a top-scoring option, as he showed in his role with the Indiana Pacers over the last three seasons, during which time he averaged 18.9 points per game. However, he also recognizes that he’s entering a situation that already has two high-volume scorers in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

But Brogdon is more than willing to sacrifice his own scoring production in order to help maximize the potential of Boston’s young stars.

“He knows how to complement himself around other great players,” Mazzulla noted, “and he's done that throughout his career. He's talked about that openly – why he came here and what he wants to do to help us get to where we want to go. I think it's a balance with everybody. You want people&nbsp;to be aggressive, but at the&nbsp;same time, you want them to complement&nbsp;each other. I think he does that very well."

Brown believes that Brogdon will “for sure make us better” both on and off the court. “One of the phrases we were building off last&nbsp;year was 'Everything adds to winning.' So adding more experience in the&nbsp;locker room, having more veteran leadership in the locker room, I think that'll&nbsp;help us.”

Brogdon is also willing to sacrifice his role as a starter, as he has no intention of altering the team’s chemistry.

He’s said from Day 1 that he’ll gladly come off the bench, seeing as Marcus Smart has already established himself as the team’s starting point guard. Though, he and Smart will still likely share the court quite a bit together, complementing each other’s competitiveness.

“It doesn't matter if I'm the sixth man or whatever role I'm playing, I'm going to accept it and I'm going to go out there and embrace it,” Brogdon said. “I want to add on to what this team has. This team has a great unit and great chemistry. They were on the verge of winning a championship as we saw, and they needed a little bit more. So I'm going to come and add on to what's already going on."

To be the missing piece of their championship puzzle.

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Brogdon Could be Missing Piece of Championship Puzzle

After dealing with the past week’s challenges, returning to the basketball court was exactly what the Boston Celtics needed.

The team hit the hardwood at Auerbach Center Tuesday morning for the first practice of training camp, and they were locked in from the get-go.

“It was a great day,” fourth-year forward Grant Williams said after practice. “Everybody was here competing. You could see that everybody was anticipating coming back to the court, everybody was anxious and ready to get going. The first day, everybody’s a little bit sloppy, but at the end of the day, we did a great job of playing with great intensity, great energy. We did a great job of dictating the practice, controlling the vibe and controlling our effort, so a good first day.”

The first day of camp is one that Al Horford always looks forward to, and he capped off his 16th first day with a great omen in the form of a half-court swish. The 36-year-old center was beaming as he left the court, feeling energized and encouraged by what he saw out of the team.

“It’s just exciting to get back on the court,” Horford said. “Really good&nbsp;practice, felt like we had a lot of purpose to the practice today, and pretty&nbsp;focused on what we needed to do.”

Having roster continuity can help a team lock in from the start. In Boston’s case, it returns almost its entire team from last season’s Finals run, which should help propel the team through camp without having to adjust to much change.

“What we've done here over&nbsp;the last year has been very successful,” Joe Mazzulla said following his first practice as interim head coach. “So sticking to what the guys are&nbsp;comfortable with is the most important thing.”

Williams said he and his teammates felt so comfortable being back together that they could’ve just played a live, competitive game right off the bat.

“Normally you have guys coming into training camp, depending on the year, they might not know the plays,” Williams said. “But guys came in, knew the whole playbook. Guys came in ready to start going with decent concepts from the beginning. It was one of those things where everybody was attentive, and everybody was ready. You could tell that at the end of the day, everybody’s just ready to get back out there and play our first game. We could probably go out there right now and compete at a high level.”

Even the new players seemed to slide in seamlessly. Horford noted how the training camp invitees were “hungry and motivated,” and Williams praised veteran point guard Malcolm Brogdon for displaying strong communication throughout his first Celtics practice.

“I felt like everybody was in good light and good moods today,” said Williams. “We’re ready to get going because it's the first day of structured basketball since we got done last season. So you can tell the preparedness is there, the detail is&nbsp;there. Everybody's just focused on the one goal and that's winning.”&nbsp;

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C’s Lock In for Day 1 of Camp: ‘Everyone’s Focused on One Goal’￼

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum aren’t the only pair of young Celtics wings that you should be excited about heading into this season.

It’s time to put Romeo Langford and Aaron Nesmith on your radar, as well, if they aren’t already.

This preseason, Langford and Nesmith both emerged as consistent offensive threats, finishing second and third on Boston’s scoring list behind only Tatum.

In four exhibition games, Langford poured in 50 points while shooting 19-of-34 from the field, including a team-best 9-of-15 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Nesmith recorded 43 points on a 16-of-30 clip from the field, including 8-of-16 from long range.

Both guys are setting the stage to make a leap this season, and their teammates are behind them, eager to help hoist them up.

“Romeo Langford and Aaron Nesmith have really come into their own,” Marcus Smart told Celtics.com Sunday afternoon. “You can tell the game is slowing down, the game is coming to them. So we’ve got to continue to keep those guys going and try to send them in the right direction.”

It was clear that those guys were heading in the right direction right off the bat. They were both tested in the preseason opener when head coach Ime Udoka subbed them in during crunch time against the Orlando Magic. And they both seized the opportunity, as Nesmith scored 10 points during the fourth quarter before Langford delivered the game-winning 3-pointer.

Langford earned his next opportunity in Game 2 when he was promoted into the starting lineup, taking the place of Brown after the veteran wing tested positive for COVID-19. Langford played so well, that he remained in that starting spot for the remainder of the preseason.

“He had to take on a bigger load with Jaylen being out and some guys sitting out certain games, so he's taking the challenges,” said Udoka. “He’s shown us at training camp as well as open gym, and now he's translating that to the game.

“I've talked about it quite a bit with our young guys, we want to see them take a step in their progression and growth and he's taken advantage of his time with guys being out. So we want him to stay aggressive, you see moments and flashes of some youth in there every now and then, but for the most part, he's doing what we asked offensively and defensively. And he's a great playmaker, facilitator as well, so he brings a lot to the table.”

Langford’s shooting has been the most impressive trend thus far. He made nine 3-pointers in four games after making just 10 in 50 regular-season games through the first two seasons of his career.

Langford says the difference between now and then is that he’s simply feeling more comfortable on the floor.

“I feel like when I have my confidence, I can do just about anything I want on the court,” the 21-year-old said. “I’m just able to play freely.”

Nesmith has shown a rise in confidence as well, especially when he earned a start in Game 3 and finished with team-high marks of 23 points and four assists against the Magic.

The second-year wing says he worked this past summer on improving his playmaking skills, “being able to put the ball on the floor, read close-outs, read second defenders, make second moves once I get past the first, and keeping my head up a little bit for open players on the passes.”

Udoka called Nesmith a “very good complementary piece,” and believes that the 22-year-old is putting himself in a position to take a leap in his role this season.

“We talk of our young guys taking that leap and progressing, and I think him, Romeo, Grant (Williams), and Payton (Pritchard) have all done that,” Udoka said when asked about Nesmith. “I’m proud of the work he puts in. I see it every day ... He plays very confident and free, which is what we want him to do.”

What both Nesmith and Langford did throughout the preseason is exactly what the Celtics want to see from them moving forward. And the fact that their confidence is on the rise is a promising sign for whenever they're called upon to step into a big moment.

“We're excited for those guys,” said Smart. “We're excited to see when the lights are on, and they mean something, for those guys to come in and be impactful.”

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Langford, Nesmith Ready to Soar Among Celtics Wings

Shortly after he was hired by the Boston Celtics this past June, Ime Udoka got a call from Grant Williams. The 22-year-old forward wanted to know exactly what his new head coach wanted him to work on during the summer so that he could come into his third NBA season ready to make an impact.

“Some of those things,” Udoka told Celtics.com Sunday afternoon, “were being in shape, being able to guard, and shooting the ball – improving his shot.”

So, Williams got to work and has been checking off each of those boxes, one by one.

Williams showed up to training camp around 15 pounds lighter, with the hope of dropping another 10 during the season. Slimming down has allowed him to defend with more versatility, and to cut to the basket with greater ease on offense. And his shot has spoken for itself in the first two preseason games, as he’s connected on 5-of-9 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

During a 113-111 win over Toronto Saturday night, Williams led all Celtics bench scorers with 12 points in 16 minutes. He also made some noise at the rim on both ends of the court, as he blocked a dunk attempt and threw down an athletic, cutting slam of his own.

“That dunk made me feel a little bit happier,” Williams said with a smile after the game. “I’m getting in the air a little bit, feeling a little bit lighter on my feet, defending a little bit better, trying to improve every single day.”

Part of that improvement comes from studying the game more intently. In particular, he’s been observing Al Horford’s day-to-day approach, hoping to pick some things up from the five-time All-Star.

In doing so, he hopes to have a “Baby Al” type of role this season.

“When you are around a guy like Al, he just does a lot of things you see on film that not many people normally do,” said Williams, who averaged 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game last season while playing 18.1 minutes per contest. “Just through watching him, how his approach is every single day and how he moves every single practice -- he may not be the fastest dude in the world, he may not be the most athletic right now, but he knows the game and he sees it really well.”

Horford, meanwhile, has observed that Williams is picking things up at a rapid pace.

“Grant, from what I've seen with him, he's kind of like a sponge,” said Horford, who assisted on Williams’ cutting dunk against the Raptors. “He's just picking things up, he receives things. And he's shooting the ball right now with a lot of confidence. The other part of his game is continuing to find ways of cutting and moving to impact the game, and he did a good job of that [Saturday night].”

If Williams continues to impact the game in such a manner, then he’ll put himself in a solid position to snag some of the power forward minutes that are currently up for grabs. Udoka likes what the 6-foot-6, 236-pound forward brings to the table as a non-traditional big, especially now that he’s able to move better and provide more defensive versatility.

The coach remembers seeing such defensive potential in Williams two seasons ago when he and Horford were with the 76ers.

“Against us in Philadelphia a few years ago in the playoffs, he was really a big piece for them defensively at the small-ball 5,” Udoka recalled. “Then the way he shot the ball took us out of some coverages there numbers-wise.

“Those are the things I stress with him. It starts with your shot, decision making and then being able to guard. And he's taken that to heart. You can see he looks better physically overall, and it's translated to what he's done in camp.”