We’ve learned a lot in the 96 minutes the Boston Celtics have been on the floor this preseason. First-year head coach Ime Udoka is not sticking to any status quos–he couldn’t even if he wanted to after Jaylen Brown tested positive for COVID-19 this past weekend–and is trying out different things, all to early preseason success.
Considering the adjustment to playing in front of full crowds and learning how to feed off of that energy for these players after a once-in-a-lifetime 2020-21 season that was as chaotic as any season ever, these results aren’t completely meaningless relative to most years.
And so far through two home games at the TD Garden, it appears that there’s a legitimate home-court advantage again at 100 Legends Way once again.
Udoka has adjusted his minutes to both the Brown loss and the performance of his guys. HH has noticed these specific rotations trends through the first two preseason games:
Romeo Langford is establishing his scoring role for the Boston Celtics
Whether on the bench or in the starting five, Romeo Langford seems to have finally figured out what he needs to do to be an effective ancillary piece in an offense dominated by two of the league’s best isolation finishers (the Jays).
After leading the charge in a comeback win against a game Orlando Magic in the opener with seven points in 10 minutes or pitching in 13 points in 19 minutes during their narrow win over the Toronto Raptors, Langford has made himself a must-play option for Ime Udoka in his third year.
The switch from #45 to #9 has done the Indiana kid wonders.