The Boston Celtics find themselves coming into 2021-22 looking for redemption after putting forth a rather forgettable performance all throughout last season.
That said, before they can embark on their journey back towards the top of the Eastern Conference standings, they have to go through the annual preseason period where, as things currently stand, they’re 1-0.
After scraping past the Orlando Magic Monday night by a final score of 98-97, tonight the Cs will be finding themselves lacing up on the parquet hardwood once again as they take on their divisional rivals, the Toronto Raptors.
Though there were plenty of aspects that we loved from Boston’s opening performance, it’s undeniable that there were still many things left to be desired.
In preparation for tonight’s game, we at HH discuss 3 things we need to see from the Boston Celtics against Toronto:
What we need to see from Boston Celtics No. 1) Al Horford in the starting lineup
No, this is not us saying we think Al Horford should unequivocally be slotted in as the starting center for the Boston Celtics this season.
Though we personally believe that he’d be the better and, frankly, safer option to have manning the middle (at least to start out the year) for this team, it’s the right choice by the coaching staff to have somewhat of an open battle between him and their recently extended standout youngster, Robert Williams III.
That said, in game one against the Orlando Magic we saw the Time Lord get the starting nod and, in the role, he somewhat underwhelmed (one point, five boards, two blocks on 0-7 shooting from the floor).
Should this actually be as open of competition as we are meant to believe, heading into tonight’s game two, we find it only fair that Horford should get a chance to show his worth at center within the first-five lineup.
The preseason should be viewed as a time where coaches can experiment with their lineups and schemes without having any major ramifications come about should things go south.
Horford, a 15-year veteran with five All-Star selections to his name, is a proven commodity at the pivot who has only excelled while donning the green and white threads (averaged 13.5 points, seven boards, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 blocks on 38 percent shooting from deep during his previous three-year stint with the shamrocks).
After the season in which he had last year (14.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists on 37 percent shooting from deep), at the very least they should see if he can produce at a similar rate with a playoff-contending team like Boston.