One thought on each Celtics player as Boston begins title defense

By waiving tryout veteran Lonnie Walker IV on Saturday, the Celtics seemingly locked in their opening night roster.

Barring a late surprise, Boston will enter the 2024-25 NBA season with 14 rostered players (plus three more on two-way contracts) and one open roster spot, which it could fill at a later date. Leaving the 15th spot vacant allowed the Celtics to avoid the hefty luxury tax penalties they would have incurred by signing Walker.

Ahead of Tuesday night’s season opener against the New York Knicks at TD Garden, here’s one thought on each of those players:

Jayson Tatum

You can’t make any grand proclamations off of preseason games, but Tatum seems to have repaired the problems with his jump shot that plagued him during the playoffs and the Olympics. His 38.9% shooting percentage on 3-pointers this preseason was 10 points higher than the uncharacteristically low mark he posted last postseason (during which, importantly, he still led the Celtics in points, rebounds and assists). Post-championship motivation also is not a concern with Tatum, who declared at media day: “It was never just about trying to win one.”

Jaylen Brown

Brown hit the weights this summer to prepare his body for what he hopes is another deep playoff run, and his physicality around the rim was undeniable this preseason. Like Tatum, the NBA Finals MVP can viably play the “disrespect” card this season after being left off Team USA’s Olympic squad. How that manifests on the court for both players will be something to watch as the season tips off.

Derrick White

No Celtic boosted his profile during the team’s title run more than White. When ESPN released its “2024 NBA Rank” player rankings, White went from unranked last year to 39th this year, the largest leap of any player. The picture of an unselfish, do-it-all guard, he led all players 6-foot-6 or shorter in blocks and was Boston’s top 3-point shooter in the playoffs, making 40.4% of his 8.5 attempts per game. The Celtics rewarded him with a four-year, $125.9 million contract extension.

Jrue Holiday

Speaking of unselfish, do-it-all guards, pairing Holiday with White gave Boston the NBA’s best defensive backcourt last season. Holiday is an elite perimeter defender (first- or second-team All-Defense in six of the last seven seasons) and one of the Celtics’ savviest players on both ends of the floor. He is 34 years old now, though, so it’ll be interesting to see how or if head coach Joe Mazzulla manages his workload. Holiday played more than 40 fewer minutes than Tatum, Brown and White during the preseason.

Kristaps Porzingis

The Celtics went 31-6 in games Porzingis missed last season, including playoffs. Can they replicate that success? The unicorn center is expected to miss at least the first month as he recovers from offseason leg surgery, which will test Boston’s frontcourt depth. Porzingis’ exact return date is unclear, but the team was “very, very pleased” by the progress he made before training camp, according to Brad Stevens. Still, it would be surprising to see him back before December at the earliest.

Al Horford

The Celtics slow-played their 38-year-old big man this preseason, sitting him until the final exhibition game. Horford projects as the top Porzingis replacement, but don’t expect him to take on the same workload he had during Boston’s NBA Finals run. Mazzulla will want to avoid wearing out his oldest player early in the season, which means limiting his minutes and not playing him back-to-back nights. The coach also didn’t shoot down the idea of bringing Horford off the bench even with Porzingis sidelined.

Payton Pritchard

If the NBA handed out a Preseason MVP award, Pritchard would have been a prime candidate. The backup point guard was an offensive force during the Celtics’ warmup slate, shooting nearly 50% from deep while dishing out a team-best 30 assists and turning the ball over just four times in 111 minutes. Last season was the best of Pritchard’s career, and he could have an even larger role this year if Mazzulla looks to spell Holiday more frequently.

Sam Hauser

The former undrafted free agent emerged as one of the NBA’s top 3-point threats last season, with a 42.4% percentage that ranked seventh-best among the 73 players who attempted at least five threes per game. The Celtics stamped Hauser’s status as a core piece by signing him to a four-year, $45 million extension. He and Pritchard will be the first two non-bigs off the bench on most nights.

Luke Kornet

If Mazzulla does opt to use Horford off the bench, Kornet would be the top pick to slide into the starting center spot. The 7-footer won’t space the floor like Porzingis or Horford, but he fit right in with Boston’s top unit during the preseason. Kornet started three of the five games and impressed with his touch, vision, passing and offensive rebounding.

Xavier Tillman

Tillman has health and time on his side as he enters his first full season as a Celtic. The trade-deadline pickup had offseason surgery to fix a lingering knee issue and feels more comfortable in Boston’s system than he did when he parachuted into a title chase in February. Tillman always has been an effective and versatile defender, and he’ll have a significant role this season, especially with Porzingis sidelined. We’ll see if the improved 3-point shooting he showed in the preseason — the career 26.7% shooter from deep was 6 of 11 — translates to the real games.

Neemias Queta

Most teams’ fifth big man wouldn’t have a clear path to playing time, but the combo of Porzingis’ injury and Horford’s age should create opportunities for Queta, who turned a two-way contract into a permanent roster spot late last season and then re-signed in July. The Portuguese 7-footer’s stats in his limited playing time last season were encouraging: 16.6 points, 13.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes.

Jordan Walsh

The big surprise of Celtics training camp, Walsh went from a seemingly G League-bound benchwarmer to the favorite for Oshae Brissett’s old end-of-the-rotation spot in the span of a few weeks. The 2023 second-round pick shook off what he called an “unacceptable” showing at the Las Vegas Summer League by making a concerted effort to slow down on the court and do the little things well. The result was a promising training camp that featured one double-double, 36.8% shooting from three, just two turnovers and ample playing time with Boston’s regulars.

Jaden Springer

If you were splitting this roster into tiers, there would be a clear gap between Walsh and the final two players listed here. Springer only played 42 preseason minutes, had two DNPs and appeared to draw Mazzulla’s frustration at times. He’s unlikely to see any meaningful playing time to start the season and, with his $4 million guaranteed salary, could be a trade candidate in the coming months.

Baylor Scheierman

As the Celtics’ most experienced draft pick in years, Scheierman was viewed as a player who might be able to immediately contribute. That’s no longer the outlook after watching him stumble through his first NBA preseason. The 24-year-old could play his way into the rotation at some point, but he’ll likely need some G League seasoning first after shooting 16.7% from the floor and 17.6% from deep.