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Boston Celtics: 5 things to key in on during tonight’s preseason debut

By Mark Nilon

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 17: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Daniel Theis #27 of the Boston Celtics compete for the tip-off to start the first half at The Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 17, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 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. (Photo by Ashley Landis - Pool/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 17: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Daniel Theis #27 of the Boston Celtics compete for the tip-off to start the first half at The Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 17, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 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. (Photo by Ashley Landis - Pool/Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics kick off their 2020-21 preseason tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers. During it, fans should focus on a few specific aspects.

After nearly three months off, the Boston Celtics now find themselves starting from square one in a new season as they prepare for another shot at glory in 2020-21.

Making it all the way to within two games of their first NBA Finals appearance in over a decade, the talented bunch of ballers in Beantown come into the new year with similarly high expectations, as many project the team to finish within the top-5 of the Eastern Conference standings yet again while ESPN views C’s star, Jayson Tatum, as a top-12 talent heading into the year.

However, before we get ahead of ourselves, first we must experience Boston’s preseason, which kicks-off tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers and ends December 18th against the Brooklyn Nets.

While these two exhibitions do not count towards their regular-season escapades, the preseason can be a good indicator of what the team has within their rotation and gives fans and spectators a glimpse of what could be moving forward.

Though we don’t expect to see the team’s active stars to log more than 20 to 25 minutes, the game will still be worth a watch for many different reasons.

For tonight’s outing, the Houdini presents 5 things in which fans should key in on while watching:

What to key in on No. 1) Minutes distribution for point guards

Thanks to a nagging knee injury and a stem cell injection back in October, All-Star Kemba Walker is expected to miss at least the first month of the season.

Because of this, it’s imperative that the team finds a way to fill the void at point guard heading into the season. This may take a while to establish, and the preseason is the perfect time for them to test out some combinations in distributing minutes.

As things currently stand, the Boston Celtics have four realistic options for players who could log minutes at point guard during Walker’s absence in Marcus Smart, Jeff Teague, Tremont Waters, and rookie Payton Pritchard.

In tonight’s game, it will be interesting to see how the minutes are divided up amongst this aforementioned group and, in turn, how they perform.

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