Resetting Celtics Roster Battles Entering the Final Preseason Game

The Celtics face the Hornets tonight ahead of roster cutdowns around the NBA and their own rotation decisions ahead of opening night. Al Horford did not make the trip and the rest of the team’s top rotation players will probably take the night off after an extended dress rehearsal stretched into the fourth quarter on Tuesday.

Here’s where each player stands as the preseason comes to a close:

Jayson Tatum: Shot 5-for-12 from three, showed strength in the post and dished nine assists alongside three turnovers in his two appearances. His early block in the lane against the Knicks set a solid tone for what he’s capable of defensively and his 14 free throw attempts continued his success in that area from last year. His playmaking will prove pivotal if Boston begins games in double big sets with one point guard, but we’ll only learn about his strides in that area in crunch time during real games. The Celtics’ staleness midway through the Knicks exhibition raised old problems.

Jaylen Brown: Hit 44.4% from three on nine attempts, flashing a sign of potential progress in an area where he took a step back in recent seasons. He didn’t show the same strides in the playmaking department, recording seven assists and six turnovers in line with his career production. When Brown drove deep into the paint, he threw errant passes after getting stuck underneath the basket, noting how the Knicks crowded the paint on Tuesday. Brown told CLNS Media he feels poised and confident in his ball-handling entering this year, but his preseason success again came away from the ball as it often did in his All-NBA season. He might require the most sacrifice of any star on the team to make the offense work, but did a good job taking advantage of space away from Boston’s other stars against the Knicks. Having Kristaps Porziņģis into second unit play should help him.

Kristaps Porziņģis: Blew me away in three appearances, even considering the light competition Philadelphia and New York courted against Boston. Porziņģis contested countless shots and rejected pick-and-rolls defensively, played up as Joe Mazzulla challenged him to in different defensive coverages and even chased out to half court to force a New York turnover on Tuesday. His stops transitioned into offense, where he shot 60% from the field and 61.5% from three. Porziņģis flashed less post play and passing than expected (1 assist), but he looked spry, moved well and fit into the team’s offensive system as the trailer in a convincing enough way to center his concerns more around health than fit. Brown mentioned him being an easy target for offensive reads.

“Everything depends on the matchup and how (the defense) is guarding certain players,” Mazzulla said. “So the ball will seem to find KP a lot just because of his skillset and what he’s able to do, creating two-on-ones and closeouts. Getting him in those side pick-and-roll or those angles is the trigger for our offense right now. Both Jrue, Holiday, Derrick, Jayson, they’re all handling, and it’s just a matter of how they figure out how to communicate with each other, how to play out of those, how to figure out matchups.”

Derrick White: Brought the ball up at times, continued his defensive masterclass from last season and while his assist-to-turnover rate dipped alongside his three-point shooting (36.4%), the starting lineup needs him. He expressed a willingness to come off the bench that Mazzulla will need to resist as the easy option on most nights. White’s extension deadline is Oct. 23. He’s eligible for an extension beginning in 2025-26 worth $27.4 million maximum in the first season, and around $123 million over four years. That’d be a good number for the Celtics, and a big guarantee for White, but he’d make much more in FA if he repeats last year and Boston has a number of other players due long-term deals that could require they squeeze White some as they did with Payton Pritchard’s extension. A White extension before the season begins is currently considered a toss-up.

“I love it here. It’s been great being here, being a Celtic,” White told CLNS Media. “That’ll never change, whether I sign before the season or not. If it happens, great. If not, I’m still excited for the season.” 

Al Horford: Posted eight points, three rebounds and three assists along with a steal and a block in his first game off the bench since 2021 on Tuesday. His energy and effectiveness in that spot helps if Boston decides to run smaller lineups on some nights. The sentiment and trust in him among fans feels low considering a lackluster finish to the playoffs last year, but he shot 44.6% from three last regular season, remains among the most versatile centers in the league and while his status as a starter remains in the air ahead of opening night, according to sources, he’s in the mix to close games in certain matchups if Porziņģis can’t guard the perimeter.

Jrue Holiday: In play to come off the bench as multiple reports from Tim Bontemps among others indicated at the beginning of camp. That’ll change night-to-night and won’t become a permanent sixth man role like Malcolm Brogdon’s did if it happens, but it makes more sense considering the continuing acclimation Holiday went through over the past 2-3 weeks since arriving from Milwaukee. Holiday told CLNS that defense, more than offense, challenged him through camp. A string of turnovers against the Knicks in the second quarter showed some catching-up needed on that end too. Brown said Boston is stressing Holiday to play more aggressively, which might happen more consistently if he runs the second unit.

My bet would be that he comes off the bench opening night, but his enticing fit next to White, along with his shooting (44% 3PT) and screening abilities make him a mandatory closer. His defensive instincts showed cutting off an early Knicks pick-and-pop on Tuesday, and he should play over 30 minutes each night, starting or off the bench.

Payton Pritchard: Liked Boston using him in an off-ball role closer to what we’ll see during the year against the Knicks. New York found ways to exploit his defense in rotation, raising questions about whether he can truly take over sixth man minutes. His shot-making, play-making improvements and increased confidence should put him in position to play some amount though. He’s been the story of the preseason, shooting 39% on 10.3 3PA per game.

Sam Hauser: Give him credit for holding down the backup wing spot against heavy competition, playing one of his most complete games ever against the Knicks on Tuesday after starting the preseason 3-for-16. Boston has options to pivot toward if Hauser slumps over multiple games, as he did for roughly two months last year. Night-to-night, he’ll play the most consistent second unit forward minutes though as a shot-maker and capable defender within Boston’s scheme who flashed some new skills driving-and-kicking this preseason. Hauser looked stronger too.

Luke Kornet: Didn’t play well this preseason, making him worth monitoring if Boston starts games double big. With Horford off the bench on Tuesday, he didn’t factor significantly into the Celtics’ game plan. Kornet said he’s working on connecting with new teammates on the second unit and added wrinkles to Boston’s defense. That might explain some of his slip-ups this month, but between his passing and positional defense, he remains a trusted backup to both Mazzulla and the organization. He’ll have to affirm that into the regular season.

Dalano Banton: Appeared as the team’s 10th man on Tuesday, which could indicate he won the battle for that depth role between his point guard skills and wing size. We explained why he emerged as a Mazzulla favorite when the Celtics visited New York last week, and while Mazzulla disciplined him two days later for not hustling, it showed his commitment to Banton. Don’t count on him appearing every night, and 20% three-point shooting in the preseason make for an uphill battle to a rotation spot, but the flier on his youth and impressive frame paid off.

Lamar Stevens: Would expect he’ll earn a contract as the team’s 14th man. He didn’t flash in the preseason, acclimating to the team’s screening system and he’s clearly not a scrimmage player. Like Kornet, I’d expect him to look better with the team’s regular cast. He won’t play on most nights, but if Boston needs an energy boost or small ball center, Stevens showed his energy with offensive rebounds and tough on-ball defense in the preseason.

Oshae Brissett: In that category as an energy player off the bench, who Boston committed a two-year contract to, but his 30% shooting from the field and 12.5% three-point shooting don’t project well to him earning minutes early in the schedule. He did not play until late in Tuesday’s exhibition and his struggles finishing at the rim in an 0-for-5 showing against the 76ers recalled similar finishing issues in Indiana. His defense also impacts a narrower set of positions than Stevens’ does, and both rebound the ball at a similar rate.

Svi Mykhailiuk: His shooting (54.5% 3PT) made this signing at the minimum a slam dunk. Defensive struggles will keep him off the floor early, but if Hauser fades, he’s an easy player to transition to for three-point shooting and better playmaking. Mykhailiuk makes some sense as a spark if the Celtics go down big early in any game.

Neemias Queta: Posted a +55.5 net rating in his roughly 20 minutes, shooting 77.8% from the field and moving well defensively. He impacted the offensive glass, set good screens and drew free throws. He’s firmly behind Kornet for now, but could stay in the NBA mix, rather than stashed in Maine, if Kornet can’t hold down the backup spot. Like Mykhailiuk, look for him to step in for a boost if Boston’s energy lulls and Queta’s preseason production at least signals that the Celtics might’ve found a two-way player who can impact the NBA team.

Jordan Walsh: Expected to start the season in Maine and develop there throughout his rookie season. A crowded array of wings in front of him and championship expectations dulled some hope that he could flash in the preseason and show enough as a shooter to sneak into the rotation conversation. If he lights it up from three and takes some strides as a playmaker and NBA-level defender up north, we’ll revisit his standing in the winter.

Wenyen Gabriel: Brought into training camp for a tryout after Robert Williams III’s departure thinned out the front court, but between Queta’s emergence, a slower ramp-up due to his World Cup participation and limited usage in significant preseason opportunities, even the rest night at New York, it’s possible Boston could move on to him to open a 15th roster spot as the Celtics often do into the season for flexibility purposes.

J.D. Davison: Looked better in his preseason appearances than he did in a sloppy Summer League stint in July. Still, it doesn’t appear that he’ll have an NBA role with the team this season, needing to show growth as a disciplined facilitator and shot-maker.

Jay Scrubb: Will rehab from a torn ACL with the team in Boston, but he’ll likely be waived at some point to make room for another roster addition in his two-way slot if the Celtics find another player they like.

D.J. Steward: A natural choice to replace Scrubb, given his youth and presence at Boston’s facility since the summer and throughout camp. Roster crunches around the NBA will give him competition though, and since he hasn’t earned any long looks in the preseason, he could more likely landed in Maine as an affiliate player.