After what was a tumultuous offseason for fans, Boston Celtics basketball finally returns on Wednesday night (sort of), when the Cs tip off their four-game preseason slate at FedEx Forum, where they’ll face off against the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies.
The first preseason game is special. You get up, go to school, work, or wherever you need to be that day, and think about the endless possibilities of the new NBA season.
Once gametime actually rolls around, fans get their basketball cravings curbed, new faces finally get to show how they fit within their respective new squads, and, for those in my lane, there’s actual play to be analyzed rather than just speculating on potential fit.
Oh, and it wouldn’t be the preseason without overreacting to the slightest overachievement by any given role player.
Remembering Celtics preseason stars of years past
Remember last year, when Xavier Tillman Sr. put together an impressive pair of games against the Denver Nuggets? I bet you don’t!
At the time, we were all drinking the Kool-Aid. Tillman had impressed in the few opportunities he got during his first half-season in Boston. Most notably, in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, when he embraced the challenge of guarding Luka Doncic and also drilled a massive corner three.
After he gave the Celtics solid minutes in both Abu Dhabi games, we were all sold.
Of course, last season didn’t go to plan for Tillman. Lingering knee issues took a toll on him, and he struggled immensely whenever he actually saw the floor. He averaged a single point per game on 24.5% from the field and 15.6% from three.
With that being said, all of the buzz out of training camp is that Tillman feels great and may be ready to contribute to a diluted frontcourt. I’m fully prepared to declare him “back” if he has a strong outing against his former team on Wednesday.
Tillman is just one example of preseason magic. If there were a GOAT of said category, that, of course, would be Carsen Edwards. The 2019 second-round pick exploded onto the scene in his first exhibition slate with the Celtics.
Edwards averaged 15.3 points per game while shooting 51.2% from the field and 45.2% from beyond the arc across four preseason games. The pinnacle was his 30-point avalanche against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he made eight three-pointers as part of a 26-point third quarter.
Fans had convinced themselves that the Cs had gotten the steal of the draft and would have a microwave scorer off the bench for years to come.
Unfortunately, that was far from reality. Edwards made just 68 total appearances in two seasons with Boston, averaging just 3.7 points per game.
Sometimes the preseason is fool’s gold, sometimes it isn’t
Just last season, Payton Pritchard put up some big scoring nights throughout the exhibition slate, before going on to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year.
JaVonte Green has put together a solid NBA career after some impressive preseason performances helped him earn a permanent roster spot in Boston back in 2019.
Tillman and Edwards aren’t the end-all, be-all when it comes to impressive preseason outings. They’re just a reminder to take everything with a grain of salt. Good players set strong foundations in the preseason all the time; we just don’t remember it because these performances aren’t outliers.
Enjoy the preseason. Get excited that the Celtics are back. Just don’t buy a bunch of stock in a player if he looks good once or twice.