Boston Celtics, Celtics preseason, Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, Xavier Tillman, Luke Kornet, Jaden Springer, Drew Peterson, Dmytro Skapintsev
Boston Celtics, Celtics preseason, Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, Xavier Tillman, Luke Kornet, Jaden Springer, Drew Peterson, Dmytro Skapintsev / Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
The preseason is officially over for the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to end things on a positive note, as they dropped their final game to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night, but a 4-1 record is nothing to sneeze at. It’s clear that the same Celtics who won the title last year are ready to roll for a second season in a row.
Everyone from last season’s rotation is still in place, so the rotation will probably look very similar to what it was last year. However, there is some room for adjustments on the fringes, and the preseason could affect said adjustments.
Here are three players who improved their stock in the preseason and three who flopped.
Improved stock – Jordan Walsh
After a disastrous Summer League stint, Jordan Walsh looks like a whole new player. He’s been one of the most exciting surprises of the preseason on all accounts.
Walsh’s three-point shot looks confident, as does the rest of his game. The constant second-guessing that was occurring during Summer League is gone. Nearly every time Walsh touches the ball, he knows what he wants to do.
The threes are falling, and Walsh has even been able to put the ball on the floor and make plays a few times. Add in his hectic, Tasmanian devil-style defense, and Walsh looks like a guy who could get some rotation minutes this year.
That’s a huge win for the Celtics, especially considering how poorly Walsh played in Summer League.
Flopped – Baylor Scheierman
When it was time for the post-Abu Dhabi check-in, Baylor Scheierman made the flop list. Unfortunately, that’s where he will stay.
Boston drafted Scheierman with the final pick in the first round of this year’s draft, marking Brad Stevens’ first first-round pick as the GM. And while there is a very clear outline for a productive player there, he hasn’t shown it yet.
The game looks a bit too fast for Scheierman at the moment. On offense, he’s getting sped up with the ball in his hands, and on defense, he just can’t find his spots quickly enough.
Scheierman’s three-point attempts haven’t been falling, either, and some of them are way off. Some time in Maine will be very useful for the rookie.
Improved stock – Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman
These two will get lumped together as the Celtics’ big-man rotation plan while Kristaps Porzingis is sidelined. They’ve proven more than capable of keeping the team afloat while the Latvian behemoth is absent.
Kornet has been rock solid every time he’s touched the floor in preseason. Not only has he been an elite screener, but he’s making plays out of the short roll, attacking the glass, and constantly finding himself in a perfect position in the dunker spot.
As for Tillman, his three-point shot has looked great, and even when it hasn’t, he’s made a huge impact in other areas of the game. On Tuesday night against the Raptors, he was a menace on the boards and flashed some fun playmaking chops.
Both of these guys have been amazing and will play significant minutes this season.
Flopped – Jaden Springer
As the preseason was approaching, Jaden Springer seemed like a player who could potentially see some regular minutes at the end of Boston’s rotation. Now, some are questioning whether or not the Celtics should trade him and sign Lonnie Walker IV. (That probably won’t happen.)
Springer is a defensive specialist who’s offense showed some signs of growth in his single Summer League game this offseason. Unfortunately, he’s been a bit all over the place during the preseason.
In a weird turn of events, Springer’s three-pointers have actually been falling. It’s been the rest of his game that looks out of sorts. The Celtics guard has been scrambling to get in position, rushing when he has the ball, and seemingly falling into Joe Mazzulla’s doghouse at times.
The 22-year-old is probably going to be on the outside looking in when it comes to this year’s rotation.
Improved stock – Drew Peterson
JD Davison could have taken this spot based on his performance against the Raptors alone, but Drew Peterson was consistently great during the preseason.
Obviously, Peterson’s three-point shot is very important, but it was everything else he was doing that made his game pop the most. Peterson looked extremely comfortable putting the ball on the floor and making plays.
He constantly got downhill, got to his spot, and made a shot (or created one for a teammate). That type of creation is not easy to come by, and Peterson seems very capable.
Plus, he wasn’t a liability on defense. If he performs well in Maine this year, there could be a real argument that he deserves a roster spot next season.
Flopped – Dmytro Skapintsev
Neemias Queta could have fit in here, but he wasn’t necessarily bad. His stock is only down because of how great Kornet and Tillman were.
Instead, we’ll unfortunately roll with Dmytro Skapintsev. Though there was never a huge chance that he would make a massive impact, it was still a bit disappointing to see him struggle.
When he got extended minutes against the Raptors on Sunday at TD Garden, he looked way too slow for NBA action. His touch around the rim was rough, and he wasn’t holding up very well on defense.
He’ll likely play in Maine this year, but that may be as far as he gets.
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