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Boston Celtics: 3 Things We Want To See in Preseason Opener

By Thomas King

BOSTON, MA - MAY 23: Jayson Tatum #0 and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics are introduced prior to Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 23, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 23: Jayson Tatum #0 and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics are introduced prior to Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 23, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics are set to open their NBA preseason schedule. We take a look at what the fans want to see from their favorite team during preseason.

That long awaited day is nearly upon us. For the first time since the Cleveland Cavaliers eliminated the Boston Celtics from last season’s playoffs in the Eastern Conference Finals, we have a Celtics basketball game to look forward to.

The Boston Celtics open their four-game preseason schedule against the Charlotte Hornets Friday at 7:30 pm at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.

All off-season, we’ve had time to look back on last season’s accomplishments and look forward to the upcoming season with a full complement of healthy players. Finally, we’re going to have some real basketball to watch, break down, and overreact to.

As Celtics coach Brad Stevens prepares his players for preseason, we’ll  dive into what we hope to see when the 2018-2019 NBA champions (WHAT?) take the floor for the first time.

How do Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving look?

Every other preseason question pales in importance to this: how healthy and ready to play are Hayward and Irving after both dealt with major injuries and season-ending surgery.

By all accounts, both players are playing at 100 percent and don’t seem to have suffered any lasting impact from their injuries or time off. Still, we want to see for ourselves.

So how will we know if these guys are ready?

With Hayward, I’ll be focusing mostly on how explosive he looks on the court and if there seems to be any residual mental effect from shattering his ankle on Opening Night last season. When Hayward rises up for a dunk in traffic, or plants his surgically-repaired to cut off a pin-down screen for a jump shot, we’ll know whether he is fully recovered or not.

We’ve seen videos of Irving dazzling with his ball-handling in off-season workouts, but what will he look like at full speed against a real NBA defense? If it’s anything like the video below, we’ll know he’s back.

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