So, every game has been an exhibit, mostly, of the Raptors forwards trying to power them through to a victory, with maybe one or two role players managing to hit shots alongside them. It's usually a player elevated into the starting lineup. If Sandro Mamukelashvili starts? Open looks, and points. Ja'Kobe Walter? Usually the same. If Agbaji starts? Just the looks, maybe.
As a team, the Celtics finished 10-for-39 (25.6 percent) and went 1-for-18 from deep in the second and third as the Pistons built a four-point advantage going into the fourth. The overall shooting numbers were actually bailed out a bit by three tough makes in the fourth-two by Derrick White, one by Jaylen Brown-but the game ended with an appropriately disappointing thud: On a make-or-break possession down five with 45 seconds left, Payton Pritchard airballed a 3-pointer, and the Pistons held on for the win.
I went to Minnesota when I was young. Straight out of high school, I brought all my friends that I could. Through that whole process of being there, we just grew up as young guys into, you know, young adults. So Minnesota, with the dope lakes and the more simplistic things you can do, it's like a big small city.
While the Celtics continue to improve as the season goes on, Minott believes there's one area in the NBA that hasn't been improving, officiating. "I could list them off, there's a lot," Minott told reporters before Thursday's game, referring to missed calls by referees on him this season. "I could make you a mixtape of all the times."
Hugo González was drafted in the first round the summer, after playing three seasons with Real Madrid in Spain. González has yet to make his mark on the season, as he's averaged just 11.7 minutes per game this year. Against the Knicks, however, he played 22 minutes and was a key piece in helping the Celtics improve to 12-9. González only put up four points, but he garnered praise from his coaches and teammates for his defense.
This trend continued into the regular season, with Boston being out-rebounded by a combined 31 boards during their first three games, on their way to an 0-3 start. However, after 15 games, it seems like Mazzulla has found his "five guys that rebound," and then some. Although they still can't be described as an elite rebounding team, the Celtics have gradually been improving. They now average 45 boards a night, which ranks 12th in the league.
Payton Pritchard hit five 3-pointers, scored 24 points and had nine assists and the Boston Celtics used a big second half to run past the Memphis Grizzlies 131-95 on Wednesday night. The Grizzlies played without Ja Morant, the star guard who sat out because of a right ankle injury sustained Tuesday night in a loss at New York. Derrick White added 20 points for the Celtics, and Jaylen Brown had 19.
Boston drafted Scheierman with the 30th overall pick in 2024 out of Creighton, where he averaged 18.5 points per game as a senior on his way to being named a third-team All-American. But Scheierman has only played a small role for the Celtics so far, averaging 8.5 minutes per game and scoring just three points this season. However, he has shown potential for how he can impact this team for the better with his passing and hustle in Summer League.
The Celtics have a brutally difficult start to the season, especially for a team with so much change, and they were in real danger of digging themselves a nasty hole after they lost a winnable game against the 76ers in the opener. Losing to the Knicks and Pistons weren't problematic results in a vacuum, but with two three-games-in-four-nights stretches and contests against championship contenders on the horizon, the Celtics had a chance to go winless or 1-6 in their first seven games.
