Boston Celtics: 3 Cs who must prove themselves this preseason

While the preseason is a time for players to get valuable reps before real-time game action, these 3 Boston Celtics must prove themselves before it’s their last.

With tomorrow night’s preseason opener against the Philadelphia 76ers imminent, different members of the Boston Celtics have different goals on what an ideal offseason would look like.

For Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, staying healthy is really the only thing that can make this preseason resemble anything close to success. The duo elevated the expectations of the franchise to the point that a postseason appearance is expected and anything short of an Eastern Conference Championship (let’s clear that hurdle first) is a disappointment.

For Marcus Smart, an improvement on his shot selection and an increased willingness to pass the ball instead of opting for hero-ball situations would be nice. As clutch as he was during his postseason run, he shot the Cs out of the decisive Game 6 of the ECF against the Miami Heat and tanked the team’s 3-point shooting in the fourth quarter.

For most Cs rotation players, from recent signings Jeff Teague and Tristan Thompson to 2019 rookies Romeo Langford and Grant Williams, the goal of the exhibition schedule is to show improvement in enough areas to warrant the same amount or an increased amount of playing time.

Then…there’s the other guys.

The 3 following Cs may need to have a fantastic showing this preseason to remain on the roster:

Javonte Green

HH’s own Andrew Dilorio–the man who graciously provides us all with quick-hitting post-game Cs pieces–looked at the Cs rotation yesterday, noting that there could be some room for Javonte Green in the Cs rotation:

"After a potential starting lineup of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Grant Williams, and Daniel Theis, what players could get minutes off the bench? Certainly, Jeff Teague and Tristan Thompson have earned time with their veteran status, and Aaron Nesmith provides shooting to a team that has desperately needed it. So, does Ojeleye get backup minutes? How about rookie Payton Pritchard to get some playing time? Robert Williams is finally back and healthy, where does he fit in the rotation? Early on in the season, the Celtics have an influx of players they want to see hit the court and look to Javonte Green to be a reliable option for coach Stevens."

Luckily for Green, he has been able to have well-timed breakout performances for the Boston Celtics, but he needs a few more if he wants to maintain his roster spot with the Maine Red Claws opting out of the G-League season.