Quick Takeaways from Celtics preseason game

Following any type of game, one can sit back and reflect upon what they saw. This is extremely common when the game takes place during the preseason, and even more so when said team is the Boston Celtics. With an almost entirely new roster – and the debut of both Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward – Boston is by far the most interesting team to watch going into the preseason.

Last night marked the first time that the new-look Celtics took the court together. In a game that pitted them against the Charolette Hornets there were both ups and downs. Now, I’m going to go into some quick takeaways from the game.

Quick pause here for those of you who didn’t see the game, here are some quick highlights to catch you up to.

Okay, now let’s get into it.

• Kyrie Irving’s defense – I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect this, but Irving actually looked decent on defense. Sure, there were some lapses from time-to-time, but overall not too bad. The game saw the point guard snag 2 steals (in just 19 minutes), fight overtop of screens, and hold his own against Kemba Walker. Maybe the infectious style of defense the Celtics have rubbed off on Irving. Overall, not too shabby, Uncle Drew.
• I think I love Aron Baynes – Baynes may just be my new Jonas Jerebko. A tough guy who plays with tenacity and does all the little things right. In the game, Baynes was solid defensively. He picked up a block and moved well while defending Howard in the low-post. I also loved his ability to stretch out and nail a midrange jumper. This gives a new dimension to our offense that Amir Johnson never could. My only critique for the big man is try not to pick up 4 fouls in your first 15 minutes of play.
• Al Horford will be triple-double threat – This sort of goes without saying at this point. We all knew Horford was an exceptional passer on the block and that was on full display last night. On top of that, Big Al is now back to his natural position of power forward. Here, he thrived on the boards as he was able to box-out guys who are more his size. Horford ended the game with 7 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in just 16 minutes. Expect Horford to flirt with a triple-double in nearly every game this year.

• Slim Marcus is going to be good – Marcus Smart looked good. And I mean really good. As soon as the entered the game, something just felt different. He seemed to be smoother and more under control. He played tough defense despite his lighter figure. At one point, he was even matched up with Dwight Howard. I also loved his confidence when shooting the 3. He hit 3 of his 7 attempts and it felt like every one of his shots were going to go in. Smart didn’t rack up a ton of assists, but his ability to set the offense with an entry pass always seemed to lead to a score. Needless to say, I liked what I saw from Smart.
• Jaylen Brown left me wanting more – He didn’t play bad, but I wish he did more. Brown played well as a facilitator, defender and dunker (it’s in the highlights if you haven’t seen it). Still, Brown seems to struggle with the little things. He was just 2-4 from the free-throw line, which is a lingering issue from the year before. Additionally, it seems he still can’t be a reliable 3-point threat missing both of his attempts in the game. Hopefully, Brown can figure these issues out going forward.
• Wait, I think love Daniel Theis too – Oh, it seems there’s going to some competition for the spot Jerebko left in my heart. Theis, in short, was phenomenal for the Celtics. He was extremely active on both sides of the court with his pedal-to-the-floor playing style. The big man took advantage of all of his 14 minutes on the court. During that time, Theis put up 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 1 steal. He also had a few highlight dunks and flashed his 3-point stroke. Don’t be surprised if you see Theis work his way into a prominent role with the C’s.

I could go on and on about different takeaways from each player, but I don’t think anyone wants read about Kadeem Allen’s 2 minutes.

Did anyone else have any takeaways from this game? Comment below and let me know what you noticed from the game.