Jayson Tatum may already be ahead in one Celtics race this fall, and this one doesn’t involve a box score.
Mike Conley put together a fantasy football league with his new Boston teammates, according to CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell, and the group already has the kind of early chatter that turns a simple league into a running conversation. There are 11 players involved, and Ron Harper Jr. helped set the tone when he said he believed Tatum and Paul George were undefeated. Harper also pointed to George as the early favorite.
For a roster blending stars, veterans and younger players, the league is doing more than filling time. It’s giving the Celtics another way to learn each other’s personalities before the games start counting.
The rookies are finding out quickly that even off the court, the veterans can be tough to handle.
Chris Cenac Jr. said he thought his fantasy team was 1-2 after a loss to Payton Pritchard, even though he put up 120 points. Dillon Mitchell also said he was 1-2, and admitted he doesn’t follow football all that closely. Still, checking his fantasy score has given him another reason to pay attention.
That’s part of the appeal here. Different players come in with different levels of football knowledge, but everyone has a stake in the debate.
A rookie can take a shot at a veteran’s lineup choice. A reserve can get a win over a star.
And the talk keeps going long after practice is over.
None of it changes what happens on the court. But it does give Boston another way to build chemistry while the team figures itself out.
Conley has taken the lead on the league, and the group has clearly bought in. His fantasy entry is listed as “Unc,” which fits as the oldest player on the Celtics roster.
Joe Mazzulla said he didn’t know about the league, but he supported players spending time together away from basketball.
Those kinds of everyday interactions matter during training camp, when competition is constant and roles are still being sorted out. A fantasy league gives the group one more place to connect.
Conley’s real value will still be judged by what he does on the floor. But right now, he’s also given the Celtics another topic to argue about. And if anyone wants to beat Tatum, the waiver wire might be the place to start.
In Other News...
Joe Mazzullas Celtics Blueprint Is Showing Up In An Unexpected Place
Joe Mazzulla has already built a clear identity in Boston, and now the ripple effects are showing up somewhere a little farther away than Celtics fans might expect. Since taking over for Ime Udoka, Mazzulla has guided a system that leans into offensive rebounding and defensive disruption, two traits that have become part of the Celtics calling card and a big reason the team has stayed so effective under his watch.
What makes the picture even more interesting is that Udoka, now in Houston, is reportedly working with a similar style of play for the Rockets. With Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet on the way back and Marcus Smart joining the mix, there is plenty of reason to think the Rockets can become more dangerous soon. For Boston, it is another reminder that Mazzullas blueprint is not just winning games in the present, it is helping shape the way another contender wants to play. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Fans Have Seen This Star Packed Problem Before
The 76ers spent the offseason chasing star power, and on paper that kind of move always looks simple enough: add more talent, sort out the rest later. But the reality can get messy fast, especially when a roster starts piling up high-usage players who all expect the ball, the freedom, and the offensive space that comes with being a centerpiece.
Celtics fans know the warning signs well from the 2018 group, when all that ability still had to fit somewhere and the distribution of roles never quite solved itself cleanly. LeBron James has also brought his own adjustment period to new stops, so Philadelphia is already staring at the kind of growing pains that can turn a loaded lineup into a complicated one. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Mazzulla Is Pushing Celtics Unity In A Way Fans Will Notice
The Celtics have spent training camp at The Citadel in South Carolina, and Joe Mazzulla has clearly made togetherness part of the early agenda. Along with the usual on-court work, the team has been leaning into communication and bonding, with a mandatory post-flight yoga session among the more noticeable touches meant to get everyone moving in the same direction.
Payton Pritchard and Jordan Walsh both described a camp environment that feels a little different from the norm, with new routines and a practice setting built to keep the group connected. For a team with big expectations, those details matter because Mazzulla is trying to shape chemistry before the games start counting, and the rest of camp should show how much of that emphasis carries over once the work gets more intense. [Read more 🡒]