Boston Celtics: Takeaways from preseason opener vs. Charlotte Hornets

Boston Celtics come up short in 104-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

No team is entering the season with as much hype as the Boston Celtics. The Golden State Warriors are a known entity, the Los Angeles Lakers are as much a reality tv cast as they are a basketball team, and many analysts are forecasting a dropoff from the Houston Rockets.

The Celtics, meanwhile, look poised to claim the East. LeBron James, the immovable barrier who has ruled the Eastern conference for eight years, is out in Los Angeles trying to guide a team of kids and headcases out of the West’s trash heap. The Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers are imposing, but there’s a reason Westgate projects the Celtics at 59.5 wins (with Toronto and Philadelphia lagging behind at 55 and 54.5, respectively). The Celtics are just stocked with an absurd amount of talent.

Boston Celtics fans finally got to see their team on Friday night. After all the hype, all the offseason speculation, fans at long last got to see this team that’s supposed to be the envy of the East in action against the Charlotte Hornets.

There were some encouraging signs. Everyone was healthy and nobody got hurt, which is a big victory after last year’s “Hospital Celtics” misfortune. They played with great pace, and Brad Stevens was nothing short of GIF-worthy.

Other parts of the night were less encouraging. Even in the high-scoring first half, the Boston Celtics shot pretty dismally. Guys looked rusty and out of shape. They took shots that we’d scold them for in the regular season.

Tis the preseason. Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Without further ado, let’s dig into and overanalyze this glorified pickup basketball game.

Gordon Hayward back after injury

Nothing from last night’s game was more exciting than the long-awaited return of Gordon Hayward.

It almost felt like a fairy tale. Last we saw Hayward in a game, he was being carted off the court after one of the most gruesome NBA injuries on record. Nearly a full calendar year later, he returns like the knight who’d been banished from the kingdom. He didn’t have to score a bucket; just watching him run around was surreal enough.

He did score, though. Hayward turned in ten points on 2-7 shooting and 5-7 shooting from the free throw line – the refs seemed to be a little protective of Hayward, which his wife surely appreciated.

He logged a team-high 23 minutes, which is incredibly encouraging after so much time off. It’s not a lot, but Stevens having the confidence to let him lead the team in minutes is a nice sign.

Physically, he didn’t seem inhibited. He showed nice speed on drives to the hoop and none of his movements seemed awkward or hindered. His first points came from an offensive rebound in transition.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1045823611750293504

Two years ago he would have dunked that. In a postgame interview, he said he just physically didn’t have the burst to get up there for a dunk; that should come later. But seeing him race down the court is another good sign.

He was largely tentative, which was unsurprising. He played like a guy who was new to the team and trying not to get in the way. While he did display some of the passing and quick decision making that made him such a great system-player in Utah, Boston Celtics fans will certainly be waiting and hoping for him to get back to attacking the rim and looking for his shot.

Irving and Tatum assertive looking for individual scoring

With seven minutes left in the third quarter, Jayson Tatum hoisted up a long, difficult, contested mid-range pull-up jumper. I counted it as his fourth; he had hit one of them.

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Tatum was 3-11 from the field in a forgettable performance. After the game, Tommy Heinsohn remarked that he was a bit disappointed by Tatum’s showing, saying he was trying to create his own offense too frequently instead of finding his spots within the system.

After the draft, some questioned Ainge’s selection of Tatum. They were worried that he was a one-dimensional individual scorer who couldn’t function within a system.

While Jayson Tatum spent much of last season making those analysts look like fools, it shouldn’t be too surprising to see the sophomore’s shot selection occasionally regress.

Kyrie Irving turned in a 4-10 performance. Like Hayward, he was coming back from injury. He looked good physically – he attacked well, and he dazzled with his handles, per usual.

He also took a lot of tough pull-up jumpers out of isolations. That’s really fine; he hits those with regularity, and if one more went in his shooting numbers would look okay. But if you’re a Boston Celtics fan, you’d probably like for him to hijack the offense a little bit less.

Several of Boston’s role players stepping up

Aaron Baynes looks to be the odd man out for the Boston Celtics this year. With Hayward back from injury, someone from the starting lineup last year has to move to the bench. Most expect it to be Baynes.

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But don’t expect Baynes to slip out of the rotation any time soon. In ten minutes off the bench Friday night, Baynes looked phenomenal. He fearlessly knocked down a three in the first quarter to help Boston build to a 37-20 lead, which is a great sign for Boston. He was working on his threes throughout the year last season, but never really looked the part of a floor-spacer. If he can be a respectable shooter from deep, that’s big for Boston.

He also displayed his high basketball IQ on pick and rolls. Twice in a short stretch, Charlotte switched after a Baynes pick.

Aron Baynes effectively eliminated that option by diving to the rim for an offensive rebound and layup both times. Guards just can’t handle his dominant frame, and he’s smart enough to recognize the mismatch and go punish it.

Irving mentioned that the Boston Celtics are emphasizing punishing switches this year; Baynes clearly got the memo. He also repeatedly set devastating screens. It’s no surprise his +13 plus/minus led the team.

Another bright spot: Guerschon Yabusele.

Yabusele looked significantly more comfortable out on the court Friday night than he did last season. He repeatedly dove into the paint and carved himself space against helpless Charlotte defenders. He scored with a soft hook-shot in the post, and he showed nice speed and air on this transition basket.

On defense, he had two monster 2nd half blocks. The first came on a Michael Kidd-Gilchrist paint attempt. Yabusele showed impressive lateral quickness sticking with him, and then impressive leaping ability and instinct getting up for the block. The second was a good old fashioned stuff of Cody Zeller.

Yabusele isn’t likely to play a huge role for the Boston Celtics this season, but he’ll be a great option off the bench with his physicality.

Terry Rozier emphasized being able to put defenders in jail on his back en route to layups this offseason, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic. He showed that off nicely last night. Last season he really struggled scoring in the paint, and while it’s too early to make any conclusions, he certainly looked more fluid around the rim last night.

He looked “thicker” to Mike Gorman and Brian Scalabrine, which should help. He also threw a couple nice lob passes off pick and rolls, something he was seemed unable to do last year. He has work to do on that front, but his willingness is a good sign.

Tale of two halves

The first quarter was nothing short of electric. The Boston Celtics played with considerable pace, consistently pushing the ball up the floor and scoring. They jumped out to a 37-20 lead and looked every bit the title contender they’re projected to be.

This three from Jaylen Brown was really exciting. A whopping 51.4 percent of his shot attempts last season came off the catch, and 76.3 percent came off two dribbles or less, per the NBA’s stats database. If he can consistently hit threes like this, that would open up a lot for Boston’s offense.

Their shooting in the first half wasn’t great, but they shot an insane 55 shots. They weren’t forced shots, either. Apart from the previously-discussed Tatum and Irving examples, the offense was largely well-paced and in-rhythm.

Unfortunately, that 37 points they scored in a nuclear first quarter didn’t carry over into the second half, where they scored 37 points. It was largely an ugly affair, filled with fouls and bricked shots. The Celtics went 1-20 on threes on threes in the second half after going 8-27 in the first half. After a first half where they pushed the pace and played with great flow, the second half seemed lazy.

There’s plenty to work on. Stevens emphasized their need to play low and in-stance to avoid fouling so much. Their defense, even in the first half, was suspect; they held the Hornets to a low total, but part of that was just them missing a lot of wide-open shots.

Celtics fans would be wise to remember that the second half was less a preview of the Boston Celtics than the Maine Red Claws.

The starters barely played after propelling the Boston Celtics to a 60-45 first-half lead. As fun as it is to overreact, don’t overreact to this game.