Tag: 2023-24 boston celtics

Fans go crazy for newest Boston Celtic Jordan Walsh at annual youth camp

Fans of the Boston Celtics have embraced Jordan Walsh, the team’s No. 38 pick of the 2023 NBA draft, with open arms.

Fans of the Boston Celtics have embraced Jordan Walsh, the team’s No. 38 pick of the 2023 NBA draft, with open arms, even very young ones such as those who were in attendance for the 2023 Junior Celtics camp the former Arkansas Razorback recently attended as part of his integration into the storied franchise.

The Texan forward has ignited a renewed sense of optimism and anticipation among the younger generation of Celtics fans who are still irked by the team’s decision to trade away veteran point guard Marcus Smart. It also gave many something to look forward to in the Las Vegas Summer League exhibition series kicking off in July.

To see how the attendees at the annual Boston youth basketball camp reacted to seeing Walsh in the flesh for the first time, take a look at the clip embedded below put together by the folks at the CLNS Media “Celtics All Access” YouTube channel.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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

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

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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What draft assets did the Boston Celtics pick up so far this offseason?

Once the dust settled on the annual ingress of draft prospects to the league, Boston found itself with five more draft picks than when they started. Let’s take a look at each of them.

Pretty much nobody besides the people working in the Boston Celtics’ front office knew the team was going to trade away veteran point guard Marcus Smart ahead of the 2023 NBA draft for Kristaps Porzingis and a pair of first round draft picks.

And even the Celtics’ front office crew did not know the extent to which they would end up trading back in the draft last week to convert one of those two firsts into a total of four second rounders and the pick used to select Jordan Walsh at No. 38 overall. Once the dust settled on the annual ingress of draft prospects to the league, Boston found itself with five more draft picks than when they started.

Let’s take a look at each of them.

Boston Celtics update ahead of 2023 NBA free agency

Will Boston try to find a way to keep both restricted free agent forward Grant Williams and supermax extension-eligible star forward Jaylen Brown?

With the start of the NBA’s 2023 free agency negotiations kicking off this Friday night at 6 pm ET, there are still some lingering questions about what the Boston Celtics may do with the team’s roster heading into such a critical campaign for the ball club.

Will Boston try to find a way to keep both restricted free agent forward Grant Williams and supermax extension-eligible star forward Jaylen Brown? What happens with 2023 Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon in any of these scenarios? Join the hosts of the CLNS Media “Vitamin Cs” podcast Tim Shiels and Wayne “Breezy” Brown as they discuss what they think the Celtics will end up doing in free agency and via trade.

The duo also do some reflecting on the Kristaps Porzingis – Marcus Smart trade more generally in the clip er have embedded below..

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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

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

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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How the Boston Celtics just got a lot more dangerous

While there is more work to do on this roster, the offensive potential is not minor.

The Boston Celtics made an unexpected trade ahead of the 2023 NBA draft, acquiring 27-year-old big man Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards in a three-team deal.

Some fans have mixed emotions about giving up Marcus Smart in the swap. He was the team’s heart and soul and its longest-tenured player. But the trade addressed the Celtics’ need for an interior scorer and adds versatility to their lineup.

Porzingis brings elite post scoring skills, ranking fourth in the league in points per post-up, and can dominate inside the paint. His ability to finish through contact and shoot fadeaways makes him a difficult player to defend. He is an underrated passer, with improved playmaking skills and driven kicks to the corner. Defensively, he provides shot-blocking, length and pick-and-roll defense, adding flexibility to Boston’s defensive schemes.

To hear more about what the Latvian center brings to the Celtics, take a look at the clip embedded below put together by the folks behind the NBA Swish YouTube channel.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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

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

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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The Boston Celtics took a big risk with the Kristaps Porzingis trade

The Celtics took a big swing with this move; will it pay off with a banner?

The Boston Celtics’ hopes of winning the 2023 NBA championship were dashed in the Eastern Conference finals for the fourth time in seven years. As a result, there are concerns about committing significant money to the star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and new big man Kristaps Porzingis.

The team had a potential trade lined up for Porzingis that would have sent out Malcolm Brogdon, but it fell apart when the Clippers backed out due to concerns about Brogdon’s health. As a result, the Celtics had to trade Marcus Smart, raising concerns about the team having a good enough point guard to compete for a title.

The Celtics took a big swing with this move; will it pay off with a banner?

Check out the clip embedded above to hear what the folks behind the NBA Hoops With TJ YouTube channel had to say about Boston’s big gamble.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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

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

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Do the Boston Celtics need to find a new lead point guard?

Fans are split on whether Derrick White or Malcolm Brogdon are up to the task.

Does the Boston Celtics’ roster need a starting point guard to strengthen the team to true contender status?

The Celtics’ reliance on a committee of guards in the past has fans used to seeing the team play one style wondering if the addition of Kristaps Porzingis will make the team better or worse — and if having a primary playmaker would benefit the team.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Beat” podcast recently explored whether a skilled point guard could help with offensive efficiency after the loss of Marcus Smart and looked at potential trade and free-agent targets to fill the role of lead floor general.

Is the Celtics’ current roster construction sufficient for them to contend for a championship?

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear their takes on what the next step for Boston ought to be.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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

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

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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New Boston big man Kristaps Porzingis on how he sees himself meshing with Celtics in crunchtime

“If the game is on the line, I want to receive the ball at the free-throw line,” he explained.

One of the biggest selling points of the trade for Washington Wizards star big man Kristaps Porzingis that sent veteran floor general Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies is the potential for the Boston Celtics to have a more reliable option on the floor with star Boston wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in crunch time.

Speaking to Bally Sports’ Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson in a recent interview, Porzingis gave us our first vision of how such a scenario might play out.

“If the game is on the line, I want to receive the ball at the free-throw line,” explained the Latvian center. “It’s the most comfortable (spot) for me, and it’s hard to double.”

“So, I would say there, but maybe a stepback from there,” continued Porzingis. “So that would be my ‘finishing move,’ so to say.”

Looking back on the Miami Heat’s zone defense bothering Boston in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals, it’s hard not to think of what Porzingis is talking about without it clearly being an ideal option to help the Celtics get past some fairly basic obstacles that have plagued them for some time.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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

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

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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What will Jay Scrubb bring to the Sin City Celtics? Can he make the team?

An athletic slasher, Scrubb has a shot at making a two way deal with the Celtics this season.

The Boston Celtics have signed Jay Scrubb, a 2020 second-round pick who plays in the backcourt, to their roster for the NBA’s 2023 Las Vegas Summer League. Scrubb has had an interesting journey to the NBA, playing for the Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic on two-way contracts.

While he has not stuck on an NBA roster, he has dominated in the G League, averaging 22 points per game despite the fact he has not found his jumper since leaving college, becoming the first junior college draftee since 2004. An athletic slasher, Scrubb has a shot at making a two-way deal with the Celtics this season.

To hear more of what Scrubb will bring to the Sin City Celtics and perhaps the Boston iteration as well, check out the link embedded below to get the opinions of the folks at the “How ‘Bout them Celtics?” podcast.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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

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

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Player profile: Who is new Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis?

Lucky the Leprechaun, meet Kristaps Porzingis the unicorn: Here’s everything you need to know about the newest Celtic Kristaps Porzingis.

The Boston Celtics are set to welcome former All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis to the Hub following a blockbuster offseason trade between the Celtics, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Washington Wizards. This comes following a disappointing 2023-24 campaign that failed to produce a repeat trip to the Finals. By trading for Porzingis, Celtics president Brad Stevens shuffled the deck and changed the tenor and geography of Boston’s roster in a major way.

The move wasn’t without controversy. Landing Porzingis meant saying goodbye to Marcus Smart, the longest-tenured member of the team, its defensive anchor, and a key leader on and off the court. It’s a trade that marks a major inflection point for the Celtics, and it will take time to fully appreciate the totality of the trade.

“I said this at the start of the summer,” Stevens said in a recent press conference. “I thought that we needed to balance our roster and make sure that we looked at the best ways to do that. And that meant that we were going to likely lose a really, really, really good player.”

The sting of losing Smart may linger for a while, but adding a player of Porzingis’ caliber is a special opportunity. So who exactly is Kristaps Porzingis? What has he done in his time in the NBA prior to coming to Boston, and why is he sometimes called a “unicorn”? And perhaps most importantly, what does he add to the Boston Celtics?

Report: Duke assistant coach, ex-teammate of Jayson Tatum Amile Jefferson hired to Celtics’ coaching staff

Per 247 Sports, Jefferson “is finalizing a multi-year deal” to join the Celtics’ bench after a swift rise through the coaching ranks at Duke.

Duke assistant coach and former Blue Devils teammate of Jayson Tatum Amile Jefferson is reportedly leaving his job on his alma mater’s bench to join that of the Boston Celtics under head coach Joe Mazzulla according to new reporting from 247 Sports’ Travis Branham.

Per Branham, Jefferson “is finalizing a multi-year deal” to join the Celtics’ bench after a swift rise through the coaching ranks at Duke. Jefferson had a four-year professional career as a player after his time with the Blue Devils in which he won a national title in 2015, one which briefly had him sign with the Celtics on an Exhibit-10 deal in 2020, though he never appeared in any games for Boston.

Jefferson also suited up for the Orlando Magic and the NBA G-League’s Iowa Wolves before joining Duke as their director of player development, from which he quickly was promoted to an assistant with the team.

A native of Philadelphia, Jefferson will join new assistant coaching hires Charles Lee, Sam Cassell, and Phil Pressey in Boston under Mazzulla.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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

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

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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