Boston Celtics Show Off Passing Ability in Italy

The Boston Celtics opened up their preseason and Europe trip against Olympia Milano and they picked up right where they left off from a season ago. The Celtics had a commanding 124-91 victory and, as expected, the Celtics got contributions from all over the place.

Brad Stevens discussed setting a rotation this preseason and figuring out where players are the best fit. A lot of players should have left an impression as five of them were in double digit scoring. Throw in another three with nine points and the Celtics’ distribution of scoring picked up right where it left off a season ago.

The Celtics were firing from all over the court. They had an overall shooting percentage of 56.1% and a much improved 38.1% from the three point line. The Celtics got production from their front and back court and, of course, Isaiah Thomas lead the way with 18 points.

David Lee also immediately found a comfort zone as he scored 13 points to go along with 3 assists and 7 rebounds. It was also refreshing to see Jared Sullinger with an efficient 14 points on just 7 shots. Still, the most important aspect of the game was their passing. The Celtics finished with 31 assists and just 14 turnovers.

Apr 10, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jared Sullinger (7) grabs a rebound beside Cleveland Cavaliers center Kendrick Perkins (3) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Thomas was the only player to have more than 2 turnovers but he accompanied those 4 turnovers with 4 assists. The brightest spot was then Marcus Smart with a team leading 6 assists, zero turnovers and 4-5 shooting.

This is the season that Smart needs to establish himself on the offensive end and the most important aspect of his game is going to be playmaking ability. Smart was an efficient scorer and, most importantly, he got his teammates involved.

Evan Turner did not get an opportunity to play because of his knee injury but this is exactly the kind of thing that will threaten his role. Smart could be in line to take over Turner’s ball handling responsibilities on the offensive end and if Smart is creating for his teammates while having almost no negative plays, there is little chance that Turner will resume his role from a season ago.

Good ball movement is to be expected from the Celtics at this point. Stevens set standards last season and against a European opponent the Celtics did nothing more than what is expected of them at this point. However, it cannot be ignored that the Celtics already have great team chemistry.

The team also got solid contributions from both Terry Rozier and Jordan Mickey. Bottom line, the Celtics are getting everyone involved, the young players, the new players and the familiar players.

The rotation should solidify after the preseason. The team had no players with more than 25 minutes played and all but 3 players had at least 10 minutes of game time. The Celtics had similar distribution of minutes a season ago but a lot of players are going to have to sacrifice more once the regular season begins. Stevens just may have some difficult decisions if this many players continue to be efficient and effective.

Stevens’ offensive system is maintaining the reputation of getting production out of any players involved. One thing remains abundantly clear for the Celtics, ball movement is going to remain the number one priority for the offense. 31 assists looks great but the 14 turnovers is even more impressive.

The Celtics started off preseason on the right note but they have a long ways to go in establishing and maintaining that level of success against NBA opponents.

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