2022-23 Celtics preseason – Page 3

‘Just because we did something doesn’t mean anything,’ says Celtics vet Al Horford of Boston’s plans to return to the NBA Finals

“The biggest thing for us was we’re ready to start the season,” said the Celtics forward.

The Boston Celtics loaded up after losing in the 2022 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors in six games, with the intention of not only making it back to the league’s biggest stage but also to win it in 2023.

And by all accounts, everything we are hearing from the players and interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics are off to a great start despite multiple injuries to frontcourt players and the scandal that elevated Mazzulla to the interim head coach position in the first place. To such an end, veteran forward Al Horford spoke about what he has been seeing from his team in training camp so far in a recent interview with The Athletic’s Jay King.

“I’ve been pretty pleased with our training camp, the focus, and the commitment from each of our guys,” shared the Celtics big man.

Noah Vonleh on whether he can make the Boston Celtics’ roster for 2022-23 https://t.co/ZmMyF0H97j

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 13, 2022

Noah Vonleh on whether he can make the Boston Celtics’ roster for 2022-23

Vonleh recently spoke about his chances of making the team, his time overseas, and more.

The Boston Celtics are nearly done making decisions about which players to keep on the team’s 2022-23 regular-season roster, which players to send to play for the Maine Celtics and which players they will let go.

In the mix for one of the Celtics’ remaining open roster spots is veteran big man and Haverhill native Noah Vonleh. The onetime Indiana University standout recently sat down with CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning to talk over his odds of making the team, his experience playing abroad in the CBA for the Shanghai Sharks and more.

Take a look at the embedded clip:

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Who is Reggie Kissoonlal, new Maine Celtics forward?

These are exactly the type of big swings Boston ought to be making with affiliate players in Maine.

Who is Reggie Kissoonlal, the newest Maine Celtics player sent to the G League affiliate of the Boston Celtics? He is a 26-year-old 6-foot-11 forward and center who made the leap to the frontcourt while playing for Danish club Randers Cimbria. He played guard at Northwestern State at the NCAA level, Kissoonlal is “an interesting G League flyer” according to The Athletic draft expert Sam Vecenie.

“One of best players in Denmark last year” per Vecenie, the Jacksonville native put up 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, a steal, and 2.8 blocks per game in 2021-22 while more than lapping the next-closest block rate in that league at the same time as he was a top-five scorer and rebounder in the Danish Basketligaen.

Noting that the unclear competition level of the league should be considered, Vecenie notes the Northwestern State alumnus has a smooth 3-pointer, is comfortable with the ball in his hands, and an abundance of tools to work with.

“No idea if he ends up being good enough at processing the game,” admitted Vecenie, but the Athletic analyst thinks it a good G League signing for Boston nonetheless, and we agree.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Is this Boston Celtics team making you believe in a championship?

Is what we have seen from the team so far enough to convince us that an NBA title is still on the table?

The Boston Celtics have navigated one of the most eventful offseasons in recent memory. It started with a bang but soon soured with injuries to veteran forward Danilo Gallinari and starting big man Robert Williams III. Then came the suspension of head coach Ime Udoka for one year just before the start of this season’s training camp.

But, the club has somehow managed to get off to a fast start even so under interim head coach Joe Mazzulla through the three preseason exhibition games the Celtics have played. Is what we have seen from the team so far enough to convince us that an NBA title is still on the table?

Boston author, historian and Celtics fan Dart Adams recently joined host Bobby Manning on the CLNS Media “Dome Theory” podcast to discuss the preseason, Ime Udoka suspension process and his new book with rapper Sleiman “Instead We Became Evil.”

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what the pair had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Will Boston Celtics camp invitee Noah Vonleh gain one of the last remaining open roster spots?

The Haverhill native seems to be in the mix to make the team.

The Boston Celtics are working with a mix of big men, guards and wings for the final two regular roster spots.

Noah Vonleh, Mfiondu Kabengele, JD Davison, Jake Layman, Luka Samanic, Brodric Thomas and Justin Jackson have been scrambling for only two spots after the team signed veteran big man Blake Griffin to its 13th spot on the full roster this month.

Kabengele and Davison are already signed to two-way deals, and Vonleh has played the most time in preseason games by far. Does Thomas or Jackson bring more value to the team, and is it worth filling the 15th roster spot heading into the start of the 2022-23 season?

CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning discusses the above issues in a recent clip, hearing that Boston will likely use all of its roster spots entering the regular season one week from Tuesday.

Take a look at the video embedded above to get up to speed on the camp roster competition as things currently stand.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Boston cuts 2021-22 two-way wing Brodric Thomas

Despite success in Maine, the Truman State University product struggled to put things together.

The Boston Celtics have waived wing Brodric Thomas according to reporting from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto on Wednesday afternoon.

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard played a dozen games for the Celtics last season, flashing potential in the time he spent on assignment with the Maine Celtics in Portland. There, Thomas logged an impressive 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.3 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in the 7 appearances he made with Boston’s G League outfit, shooting a sizzling 46.7% from beyond the arc. That did not translate to the NBA, where the former Truman State University player struggled.

Thomas recorded 1.8 points and just under an assist per game while shooting just 22.2% from deep in his time playing with the team’s parent club in Boston.

No team in NBA history has produced more. How many can you name? https://t.co/seNZprQH1A

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 13, 2022

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Celtics cut AJ Reeves, sign Reggie Kissoonlal; latter headed to Maine Celtics

Kissoonlal is a recent shift to play as a big man at 6-foot-11; in his time at the college level, he played in the backcourt

The Boston Celtics have been getting their proverbial ducks in a row regarding both their roster with the parent club in Boston as well as that of the Maine Celtics according to recent reports. Per Celtics Blog’s Keith Smith, the team has officially waived Roxbury native AJ Reeves, with the undrafted wing likely headed to the Maine Celtics as an affiliate player, though no concrete reporting has yet confirmed that.

In a similar vein, the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn relates that the Celtics have also signed former Northwestern State wing Reggie Kissoonlal with the intent to send him to the team’s Portland (Maine) based G League affiliate.

Kissoonlal is a recent shift to play as a big man at 6-foot-11; in his time at the college level, he played in the backcourt, averaging 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game at Northwestern State in Florida.

https://t.co/yW1Oe74aZQ

— Dr. Justin Quinn (@justinquinnn) October 11, 2022

He has since shifted to be a combo big overseas, retaining guard skills with size in his time playing for Danish club Randers Cimbria, where he put up 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, a steal, and 2.8 blocks per game.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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How is Boston Celtics big man Luke Kornet looking ahead of his return from injury?

The Celtics center will be available to play against the Toronto Raptors on Friday for the Celtics’ last preseason game.

Boston Celtics reserve big man Luke Kornet returned to the team’s practice on Monday to try to climb back into the battle with fellow frontcourt players Grant Williams, Noah Vonleh, Blake Griffin and Mfiondu Kabengele for playing time while starting center Robert Williams III is out injured.

Boston plays its final preseason game on Friday against the Toronto Raptors in Montreal, and Kornet spent most of Monday’s practice getting his feet under him in live action for the first time since injuring his ankle two weeks ago early in training camp.

CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning gives an injury update and his take on double big vs. small ball lineups for these Celtics.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to get up to speed on where Kornet likely fits into the team’s big man rotation based on what’s been playing out at camp.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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“This team is very ready,’ says new Celtics big man Blake Griffin of Boston’s preseason preparations

Pleased with the focus of his new teammates, Griffin says he is ‘impressed by where they’re at as a team’.

After having some unnamed bad experiences elsewhere in his career, new Boston Celtics big man Blake Griffin appreciates the single-minded focus of his new teammates. In a recent interview with the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn, Griffin related how his new team’s energy was making him feel.

“The intensity in those (preseason) games and in practice and shootaround has been something I haven’t seen in a while, probably since my (Los Angeles) Clipper days when we were really making a run for it,” he explained. “The maturity of this team, and some of us sat down in the meal room for probably 2½ hours and just talked and more and more people came and it was a group of like 10 of us.”

And while the former Brooklyn Nets forward readily admitted that the Celtics are not yet a finished product in terms of what they hope to put on the court on opening night, Griffin seemed pleased with the shape Boston is taking thus far.

Jayson Tatum pumped up the crowd before shooting some hoops on stage at a recent Jack Harlow concert. https://t.co/RNBDyDThS9

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 11, 2022

“That’s something you don’t really see a lot, as well, on teams that I’ve been on,” he continued, perhaps taking a subtle shot at past stops in his career.

“From those aspects, this team is very ready. We still have work to do like everybody else, but I’ve been impressed by where they’re at as a team.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Boston Celtics to reportedly waive camp invitee Luka Samanic

The Croatian forward will reportedly play for the Maine Celtics this season.

With the news the Boston Celtics had signed former Providence College player AJ Reeves to a training camp deal came bad news for another player. The team needed to cut someone to make space on the maxed-out 20-man camp roster so Reeves could join.

That unlucky soul was forward Luka Samanic, who is expected to join the (Portland) Maine Celtics for the 2022-23 G League season, per The Athletic’s Jared Weiss. The Croatian forward struggled in his limited minutes playing for Boston, averaging just a point and 2.5 rebounds per game in preseason action with the Celtics in two appearances with the team.

The 6-foot-10 Zagreb native might yet latch on in the NBA with enough experience under his belt to get the game to slow down, given he averaged an impressive 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal with the Westchester Knicks last season.

Report: Boston Celtics to sign Roxbury’s AJ Reeves to camp deal https://t.co/BmTf2kwk0X

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 11, 2022

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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