The reigning champion Boston Celtics will begin their title defense halfway around the world.
After a grueling first week of training camp, Joe Mazzulla’s squad traveled to Abu Dhabi, where it will face the 2023 champs, the Denver Nuggets, in a pair of preseason games at Etihad Arena. The first tips off at noon ET on Friday, with the second following at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday.
Here are four players we’ll be watching closely as Boston returns to the court:
Jayson Tatum (No. 0)
Mazzulla hasn’t said how much he plans to play his starters during the preseason, and he’d be wise to avoid overburdening players like Tatum, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, who all jumped straight into the U.S. Olympic team two weeks after the NBA Finals.
But in the minutes Tatum does play during these exhibitions, it’ll be interesting to see whether his offseason work has paid off. The three-time first-team All-NBA selection struggled to find his shot during both the postseason (28.3% from 3-point range) and the Olympics (0-for-16 on jumpers), and he’s taken steps to clean up “a few mechanical things” that might have contributed to those struggles.
Tatum said he delayed these adjustments because he was still playing well (which was true; he led Boston in points, rebounds and assists during the playoffs despite his poor shooting) and the Celtics were winning. Have his issues been remedied? We’ll find out.
Lonnie Walker IV (No. 8)
The most fascinating player in Celtics training camp, Walker is an established pro with 322 games of NBA experience, but the best offer he could find in free agency was an Exhibit 10 contract with Boston — a preseason tryout agreement with no guaranteed money.
Based on his experience, the 25-year-old should be the leading candidate to earn the Celtics’ 15th and final roster spot. The team could choose to keep that spot vacant for flexibility purposes, however, and Brad Stevens already told Walker that he might need to spend time in the G League this season. Walker said he’s “perfectly fine with that,” but he’s naturally hoping he shows enough this preseason to stick around with the big club.
“I’ve got to earn it,” he said. “… I’m not coming here with the mindset of, ‘OK, I’m on an E-10 and afterwards, I’m going to get the guaranteed contract.’ It’s like, I’ve got to work my tail off. I really have to, each and every day, put it all out on the court.”
The 6-foot-4 wing shot 38.4% from three in 58 games for Brooklyn last season, averaging a career-high 20.1 points per 36 minutes.
Baylor Scheierman (No. 55)
Scheierman, the 30th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, will be on the Celtics’ roster this season. But will he be a legit contributor or an end-of-the-bench afterthought?
In pursuit of the former, the rookie packed on 10 to 15 pounds of muscle during the two months between Summer League and training camp to prepare himself for the physicality of the NBA. He’s made improving his defense a priority, as he knows he won’t see the floor if Mazzulla doesn’t trust him on that end, and is leaning on undrafted rookie-turned-key reserve Sam Hauser for guidance.
At 24 years old, Scheierman should be better equipped to immediately contribute than Boston’s other recent draft picks (Jordan Walsh, JD Davison), who all entered the NBA as teenagers. There’s a lot to like about his game, as he can blend strong 3-point shooting with above-average court vision, passing and playmaking ability. The five-year collegian also was a plus rebounder at Creighton, leading the Big East in defensive boards last season as a 6-foot-6 wing.
How Scheierman adjusts to the pro game will be a top storyline this preseason. If he impresses, he could take on some of the minutes freed up by Oshae Brissett’s free agent departure and Kristaps Porzingis’ injury.
Neemias Queta (No. 88)
Speaking of Porzingis, the task of directly replacing him while he recovers from offseason leg surgery will fall to four players: 38-year-old Al Horford, Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman and Queta. How playing time is divvied up between that quartet remains to be seen — Horford will be the primary starting center, but he’ll have his minutes managed and won’t play on back-to-back nights — but Queta is a candidate for a larger role after splitting last season between the NBA and the G League.
The 25-year-old 7-footer posted solid numbers in limited action, averaging 16.6 points, 13.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes and leading the Celtics in defensive rating across 28 regular-season appearances. Queta didn’t crack Mazzulla’s playoff rotation, even in Porzingis’ absence. But Boston converted his two-way contract into a permanent roster spot late in the season and then re-signed him to a new three-year deal in July — signs that the team believes he can be an asset moving forward.
“He has the ability and the athleticism to be a versatile defender whatever system we’re in,” Mazzulla said. “So the most important thing is getting him acclimated to the different possessions he’s going to be in and executing those over and over again. We believe in Neemie and his ability to do that, and he’s shown great signs of that last year, especially at the beginning of the season when he played big minutes.”
