BOSTON — Xavier Tillman Sr. caught the in-bound unguarded, so he turned, shot and made a game-winner to close a resurgent training camp after a difficult, injury-riddled second season in Boston. He said earlier this month that tireless three-point reps and a knee injection in the spring allowed him to regain his form alongside losing 12 pounds. It looked like it, and provided one of the few clear takeaways from the Celtics’ preseason.
“I don’t know that we’ll have one (rotation) throughout the entire year,” Joe Mazzulla said to begin the night. “Every time you have a team, a strength and a weakness, they can be very similar and I think one of our strengths is the depth that we have. We may have a little inexperience, we may have newness, but I think we have depth and I think the ability to not have a rotation is a strength, because you can go to fresh guys, you can go to a bunch of different guys, you can do a bunch of different things. We’re in the early stages of that, but I’m not sure that we will have one.”
That outlook became less certain when Jaylen Brown exited Wednesday’s preseason finale after crossing half court and grabbing his left hamstring. He played through discomfort for several possessions, and told Mazzulla he’ll be fine later, though he did not return after receiving a doubtful designation for hamstring tightness. Mazzulla did not provide an update beyond that one week from opening night.
Tillman’s rejuvenation came at a time where the Celtics badly needed it, cycling through different looks at center through their four game warmup slate with mixed results. Neemias Queta didn’t separate himself as much as he could’ve, though four blocks and early activity in Wednesday’s win marked progress. Chris Boucher started inside on Sunday, but appeared more comfortable on both ends at the four. Mazzulla seemed to subtly declare Queta as the team’s starting big man after his role fluctuated through mixed preseason results. Starting could mean less on this team if rapid-fire substitutions continue. Or if losses atop the roster make these battles less consequential.
“Tonight was good,” Mazzulla said. “We’re gonna be hard on Neemy and I’m really looking forward to coaching him throughout the year, but as I told him, this is what you’ve worked your whole life for is the chance to start for the Celtics.”
Brown’s injury showcased that fragility of a franchise already navigating life without Jayson Tatum to start the season. Derrick White closed admirably with 33 points on 23 shots while Payton Pritchard navigated shooting struggles and dished 10 assists. They managed to stay within 38-31 through halftime against the Raptors’ starters after Brown departed, and drew even, 58-58, in the second half after beginning it ahead by two.
Enough to win. But enough to leave more questions than answers when the season opens next week.
The preseason showed the Celtics can play at the pace they practiced. That Chris Boucher and Josh Minott can accentuate the team’s best players. That Luka Garza, Anfernee Simons and even rookie Hugo González looked like contributors despite their weaknesses. It’s less clear what Jordan Walsh can provide after missing most of the schedule so far with an injury. Baylor Scheierman struggled immensely to start year two. Mazzulla cycled through lineups, in part, to search for combinations and otherwise to keep fresh legs on the floor. He considered it creating a chaotic structure. Real games could reveal that as a lack of options.
“We’re just constantly trying go figure out what we’re trying to do offensively,” White said. “Just trying to find a great shot every time down. I think I had the ball in my hands a lot, especially when J.B. goes out and Sam (Hauser)’s not in. Just trying to find that balance of being aggressive, but also, I think I gotta do a better job of just getting off it and getting some movement.”
The Raptors played their starters, marking the first time the Celtics faced a full opposing unit in the preseason. That made it more difficult to pull takeaways from the slate. Hauser’s off night was scheduled, so the double-big look that started the game strong with Boucher and Queta inside might not become who plays against Philadelphia. Brown missing that night, or more, would drastically alter the offense and general outlook for team at the start of the season. They’re already leaning on numerous players with limited NBA experience, and each ensuing absence, never mind one atop the roster like Brown, would call for more from the unproven group.
Tillman unbelievably emerged from there as one of the team’s more relative sure things.
“I just feel more explosive, versus last year, I’d be scared to jump because I didn’t know if my knee would be able to absorb the reaction,” he said. “Now, I felt confident in me cutting and jumping and stuff like that, which gives me the confidence to be more aggressive on different defense plays.”
Beyond availability, rebounding, ball control, screening and shooting all emerged as tangible talent issues at times across the slate. A strong start limiting turnovers while playing faster in Memphis gave way to the flood of giveaways, albeit by the end of the bench, that blew the game in Toronto on Friday. The Celtics played even on the boards on Thursday, while a string of giveaways late nearly gave the Raptors another comeback win. Mazzulla left Simons on the floor alone, a test as he played through lapses on both ends through his preseason finale. The preparation for the regular season appears likely to flow beyond opening night. And for however long Brown misses, a new reinvention process for everyone on the roster starts fresh.
And for those who lost or did not see consistent action through the start of camp, it served as a reminder that on this team, significant opportunity is one development away for players who have spent their careers waiting for that moment. Scheierman, for all his challenges, started the second half of the preseason finale.
There’s enough fabric from the title team, of a system that’s plug-and-play offensively and a focus on the factors that lead to wins to think that this group can make the most increasingly thin roster. But they need to get those little things right.
“It’s just cleaning up the (turnovers) where physicality is required,” Mazzulla said. “It’s getting open, it’s being able handle it. I thought throughout the game tonight, we were able to do that, and it’s a relationship. The guards have to do it. The bigs have to do it, setting good screens and getting those guys open … once we took (White and Pritchard) off, the other guys have to step up and be better. I told Anfernee, I left him on his own out there on purpose. He has to be able to make sure that goes better.”
