The last-minute trade for Jrue Holiday ahead of training camp upended some of the preparations that Celtics players had made for the coming season, notes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. As Windhorst writes, Derrick White had spent time with assistant coach Sam Cassell in Colorado this summer getting ready to become Boston’s new starting point guard, but Holiday figures to take on that role now.
Meanwhile, Kristaps Porzingis had spent a couple weeks before training camp getting to know Robert Williams and assessing how the two big men might play together. Porzingis will no longer get the opportunity to play with Williams, who was sent to Portland as part of the package for Holiday.
“I already could see how Rob is that charismatic guy for this group,” Porzingis said on Monday. “So it definitely hurts for this organization that he’s not here anymore.”
Still, the Celtics’ players, coaches, and executives alike are excited to get the opportunity to add Holiday, who is one of the league’s mostly highly regarded teammates and defenders.
“There’s a list of guys in the league that you always think you’ve never had a real chance to get that you think are perfect fits,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said on Monday, per Windhorst. “And Jrue is one of those guys.”
Here’s more on the Celtics:
- Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe has more reactions and quotes from media day following an offseason of change that also saw longtime Celtics like Marcus Smart and Grant Williams head elsewhere. “I played together with Smart for seven-plus years, with Rob for (five-plus), so it’s like you grew up with these guys,” Jaylen Brown said. “For them not to be around is a little bit weird, but everybody has a journey and I know those guys are going to do great.”
- Speaking to reporters on Monday, Jayson Tatum explained his decision to forgo surgery on a left wrist issue during the offseason.“I just got a bunch of second, third and fourth opinions (and) surgery wasn’t a common one,” Tatum said, per Windhorst. “I wasn’t all the way certain about it, but did all the right things this summer, took all the right measures, I guess, to make sure I was healthy and prepared to come into the season with no distractions.”
- Svi Mykhailiuk could have signed a more lucrative contract to return to Europe as a free agent this summer, but opted to accept a one-year, minimum-salary offer from the Celtics that only includes a $200K partial guarantee. “Just being a part of something special,” he said on Monday in explaining his decision to remain stateside (Twitter link via Jared Weiss of The Athletic). “… I still feel like I’m an NBA player and I belong in the NBA and to keep on my journey.”
- Porzingis said on Monday that he’s feeling great and will have no limitations in training camp after dealing with plantar fasciitis this summer, tweets Weiss. “Medical staff did a great job of loading up slowly and now as I’m getting close to training camp, we start tomorrow and I’m totally fine, ready to go,” Porzingis said.
- Fellow big man Al Horford said he has been impressed by what he has seen from Porzingis so far in workouts, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “When you really see a guy like that — he’s really 7-3, maybe even a little taller — just the way that he moves, his feel for the game, and some of the things he brings, I’m just really excited,” Horford said of his new teammate.