The Boston Celtics had to sweat this one a little longer.
After breezing through much of the first half, Boston watched the Charlotte Hornets gradually trim the margin on Wednesday night at TD Garden. But when the game tightened, the Celtics still had enough left - and the right group on the floor - to pull away for a 114-93 win and stay perfect in the preseason at 3-0.
This wasn’t the kind of easy cruise they got in their previous preseason game, and that meant more work for the regulars. Boston kept its big-minute players in the mix much longer, and in the end, a Payton Pritchard-led offensive push helped finish the job while the defense shut the door when it mattered.
Jayson Tatum’s early-season shot diet is starting to take shape in a way that makes sense. He opened this game with off-ball chances, with Paul George or Derrick White handling the initial action and creating looks for him. From there, Tatum worked into the mid-range, got to the rim for a layup, and knocked down a catch-and-shoot three.
The final line was solid across the board: 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals. He shot 8-of-17 from the floor and 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.
It’s still preseason, and the rough edges are still there, including the occasional poor three-point attempt. Even so, the early returns suggest Tatum is easing into the kind of on-ball workload he’ll eventually need as Boston’s No. 1 option.
George’s night went in almost the opposite direction offensively. His scoring has been slow to come around, and Wednesday was another rough shooting game. He missed a couple of shots badly, including a pair of air balls, and finished 2-of-10 from the field and 1-of-7 from distance.
There are still signs of comfort elsewhere. George looks steady as a ball-handler, and he’s been linking up well with Boston’s bigs in pick-and-roll action. But the jumper just hasn’t arrived yet, outside of a brief free-throw-heavy stretch in the Celtics’ last game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The defensive end has been a different story altogether. George has been Boston’s best defender through two preseason games, and it hasn’t really been close. He’s been disruptive on the ball, slippery enough to stay in front of younger players, and just as annoying away from it, where he’s jumping lanes, pressuring passing angles, and racing back to contest shots.
He picked up two more steals against Charlotte, giving him seven in two preseason games. If Boston’s defense is going to have the ceiling people expect, George already looks like a major reason why.
In Other News...
Celtics Have A Familiar New England Guard In The Roster Mix
The Celtics are still sorting through a few roster choices as the regular season approaches, and the two-way spots remain part of that equation. One name that has surfaced in that mix is Devin Carter, the former Sacramento Kings lottery pick who has become a familiar type of target for Boston, a guard with pedigree, upside and enough uncertainty to make the decision interesting.
Carters NBA path has had its bumps, but there have also been signs lately that he can help a team in the right role. For Boston, the appeal is clear enough: adding another backcourt option with talent and long-term value attached. The question now is whether that interest turns into one of the clubs two-way contracts, or whether the Celtics keep weighing other possibilities before filling out the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Suddenly Have A Rotation Problem Fans Will Love
The Celtics looked every bit like a team with more weapons than minutes to go around in their preseason rout of Philadelphia. Boston rolled to a lopsided win behind strong showings from Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard, while the opening glimpse of Paul George in green added another layer to an already crowded roster picture. The overall effort was as encouraging as the final margin suggested, with Boston controlling the glass and showing the kind of balance that can make lineup choices tricky in a hurry.
For Joe Mazzulla, the early test is less about winning in October than sorting through all the offensive options before the regular season arrives. The upcoming preseason games should give him a chance to mix and match combinations, see which groups defend well together and figure out how to get the most out of a deep rotation that suddenly looks like it could create more headaches than comfort. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Stevens Just Made Bostons New Direction Impossible To Ignore
Bostons roster makeover has moved quickly since the Jaylen Brown trade to Philadelphia, and the shape of the new look is starting to come into focus. The Celtics have already locked in more of their next core, agreeing to a two-year extension with Payton Pritchard and also securing extensions with Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta, while Devin Carter joined on a two-way deal as the team continued to retool around the flexibility created by moving Brown.
Brad Stevens has not stopped there, either. Boston has also been active in free agency and the draft, adding Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley while bringing in Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell, a mix that signals a clear pivot toward depth, experience and a different kind of roster balance. Even with the details still settling in, the direction is hard to miss, and the Celtics are making it obvious they intend to use this reset to redraw the teams identity. [Read more 🡒]