Celtics working together to get up to speed in short offseason

The team is both young and wants to contend, meaning they’ll need to help each other grow quickly to have a shot at a title.

With no G League in the picture for the Boston Celtics, finding minutes for all of the team’s numerous rookies and second-year players may yet still be a challenge.

There is opportunity to be had for Celtics looking to take on increased responsibilities in the absence of Gordon Hayward and — at least for the first several weeks of the 2020-21 NBA season — Kemba Walker, but with six of 2019-20’s seven rookies still on the roster and two more joining the mix, playing time may end up being harder to procure after an egregious mistake than even last season.

That could easily turn into a cut-throat scene in a less well-run organization, but the Celtics are all trying to lift one another up. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, now-veteran wing Javonte Green described the scene at practice.

“All the guys were trying to help the new guys be in position on defense. Also on offence, on the offensive end. I feel like … everybody’s trying to figure each other out, just trying to use that springboard from last year to make each other better.”

With their contention intentions on their sleeve as a franchise, it’s been clear that so many inexperienced players has been something of a disadvantage for a team trying to win titles.

To that end, the team brought on some veteran talent to help pick up the slack, but at least a few of these players will need to find a reliable niche to maximize the club’s title aspirations.

Some, like Romeo Langford, have been dealing with injury and will have additional challenges with no G League to shuttle up to to get in some developmental minutes.

“I’ve just got to get my strength back in my wrist and then once I’m done with that stage of my rehab, that’s when I start shooting and dribbling,” he explained. “I feel like I’ve been doing other things without my right hand; I’ve been getting in shape running, and still doing lots of left hand workouts and [I’m] still in the weightroom, so getting in shape isn’t one of the hard things.”

More likely, it’s finding playing time to get back up to NBA game speed.

Coach Brad Stevens relayed a similar sentiment regarding ‘opportunity,’ at least in the context of the fast turnaround between seasons.

“Guys didn’t have a chance to do the normal offseason routine where they are ramped up individually, and then even as a group training camp. Aaron Nesmith hadn’t played five-on-five games since January, so his first practice, everybody’s asking me if he’s going to be in the rotation or not, and he was just trying to get up and down the court.”

“There’s so much growth that we all have to go through we’re just on an expedited timeline here,” he added.

Boston will have its work cut out for it when it comes to finding creative ways to develop the end of their bench.

On one hand, the additional depth may well prove critical to a season that could be easily derailed by COVID-19 diagnoses for any team.

On the other, players like Robert Williams III, Tremont Waters and Romeo Langford may see their growth hurt if the team can’t find ways to maximize their development within the context of broader team goals in the present.

And that could come back to bite them in the future.

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