Boston Celtics Notes: Week of 10/26

After a long and painful offseason for basketball fans, the NBA made it’s return this week, and it’s back to business for the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have gotten off to a 1-1 start, playing the Philadelphia 76ers in their home opener Wednesday, and taking on the Toronto Raptors Friday night.

Roster trimming:

Ahead of the season opener, the Celtics cut undrafted shooting guard Corey Walden and trade acquisition Perry Jones III, trimming the roster to 15 players. Corey Walden was an undrafted rookie who played with the Celtics Summer League team, and earned himself a training camp invite. Walden averaged 2 points per game in Summer League action, and only played a total of 27 minutes in four preseason games.

Jones was acquired in an offseason trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were looking to cut some salary in order to retain Enes Kanter. The Celtics sent a conditional second round pick, and received another second rounder and Perry Jones III. In the days leading up to what would be his fourth season, the Celtics looked for a trade offer, but had to bite the bullet and cut the talented young player.  Jones was the best canddiate to be released, as he had troble finding minutes in the preseason in the Celtics’ loaded front court

Season opener:

Wednesday, the Celtics took on third overall pick Jahlil Okafor and the Philadelphia 76ers in the season opener at TD Garden. New acquisitions David Lee and Amir Johnson performed well in their debuts in green, scoring 8 and 15 points, respectively. Lee still had some troule fitting in, but Johnson looks excellent in his new role. The leadership and defense he brings with him from Toronto are just what the Celtics needed, and he prospered in his debut.

Oct 23, 2015; Manchester, NH, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder (99) and forward Amir Johnson (90) celebrate against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at Verizon Wireless Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

After a first quarter scare, the Celtics took off with the lead, led by sixth man Isaiah Thomas, who led the team with 27 points and 7 assists. Thomas shot well and recklessly drew fouls, and was simply too much for the 76ers defense to handle.

The only real challenge came with Jahlil Okafor. The rookie hit his first few shots, and was a tough matchup for Tyler Zeller. After a brief run of dominance, the Celtics utilized double teaming and some tough defense to slow him down, which ultimately turned the tides of the game. Okafor finished with an impressive 26 points in his debut, but the Celtics took the win, 112-95.

Rookie R.J Hunter was inactive, as well as James Young. Kelly Olynyk did not play, as he served his suspension for the Kevin Love incident in last season’s playoffs.

Tough break against Toronto:

Coming off a dominant win, the Celtics battled their Atlantic Division rival Toronto Raptors in their second game of the season. The first half wasn’t going Toronto’s way on offense, and the Celtics seemed to be hanging close. The Raptors defended excellently, but bad shots and fouls seemed to bury the Celtics. Coming out of halftime guns blazing, the Raptors broke the halftime tie and dominated the half.

DeMar DeRozan played well for the Raptors, as well as free agent acquisition DeMarre Carroll. Both were in the 20’s for scoring, and led the Raptors to the win. Boston’s defense just couldn’t handle Carroll and DeRozan, and a big fourth quarter from Terrence Ross sealed the deal. On offense, the Celtics had a stagnant fourth quarter, and nothing seemed to be going their way.

Oct 30, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Raptors small forward Terrence Ross (31) shoots the ball over Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart (36) defending during the 4th quarter at TD Garden. Toronto won 113-103. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Boston was once again led by Isaiah Thomas, who contributed 25 points and 7 assists. Kelly Olynyk had 11 points in his return from suspension, as did Amir Johnson. None of the rookies earned playing time against Toronto, as Brad Stevens opted to bench Terry Rozier, Jordan Mickey, and RJ Hunter.

Weighing their options:

The Celtics picked up three options Friday night, picking up the option of Marcus Smart for $4.5 million, as well as James Young, for $2.8 million, and Kelly Olynyk, for $4.2 million.

This move was somewhat predictable, but picking up James Young’s option shows some confidence from the Celtics front office in the struggling rookie. This season might be another season where Young spends much of the season with the Maine Red Claws.

This move ensured that these young and talented players will stay in Boston for a while, and cost less to retain. For more info and analysis on this move, C.J Maffris had some great thoughts on it here.

Draft day

The Celtics D League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, had a busy draft day, drafting 5 players, and making a variety of moves before and after the draft.

The Red Claws picked 5 players: Asika Booker, from Colorado (11th overall), Ella Ellis, from Army (31st overall), Brett Olson, from Denver (40th overall), Jermaine Marshall, from Arizona State (76th overall), and Quardell Young, from Wisconsin-Whitewater (95th overall).

After the draft, the Red Claws ended up trading their first pick, guard Asika Booker to the Bakersfield Jam, for Kevin Young, a forward from Kansas who was chosen 17th overall, and Karrington Ward, a forward from Eastern Michigan who was drafted 20th overall. Quardell Young as also traded to the Texas Legends, in exchange for a 2016 8th round pick.

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Spurs preview

The Celtics will be facing the San Antonio Spurs Sunday Afternoon.The Spurs are 1-1, and coming off a blowout of the Nets where all but one starter scored in double digits.

Stopping the Spurs is easier said than done, but the Celtics might have a chance if they can keep Kawhi Leonard under control, who has been phenomenal so far for the Spurs, as a scorer and defender. Tim Duncan is still scoring, rebounding, defending and playing like he’s 20 consistenly, which could be a problem for the Celtics.

The Spurs are struggling to incorporate LaMarcus Aldridge into their cult  system so far, which is something the Celtics might take advantage of during the game. The game tips off at 3:30 pm at the TD Garden.