The Summer season League Celtics wish to win and are embracing the strain to take action

Recent off Banner 18, the Boston Celtics are protecting Banner 18.5 sq. of their sights. After years of failure, they lastly bought over the hump, however only a few weeks later, they discover themselves locked again in like they by no means left. Boston desires the Summer season League crown.

“It’s the Celtics. In fact,” Summer season League head coach DJ MacLeay mentioned when requested if he feels strain to win. “The expectation is to win right here, and we take pleasure in that and welcome that.”

The Celtics put collectively a stacked Summer season League roster that features 5 gamers from final season’s roster, two drafted rookies, and 6 different intriguing children.

Among the many latter bunch are Eddie Home’s son, Jaelen, Jayson Tatum’s highschool teammate, Tyler Prepare dinner, and Xavier Tillman’s former teammate Killian Tillie.

MacLeay has been with the Celtics since 2021 and remained with the crew after Joe Mazzulla took over. Since then, he’s persistently moved up the bench. And now, he’s hoping to instill the identical philosophies that simply helped Boston win a championship into his Summer season League squad.

“I believe the principle objective for Summer season League is constructing a mindset,” mentioned MacLeay. “A mindset of what we have now with an expectation and a mindset of what we have now with [our] regular crew.

“After which I believe typically from [an] Xs and Os perspective, we’re making an attempt to instill offensively and defensively ideas, themes, ideas, issues that our regular crew does with these guys right here, and we’re making an attempt to construct that into what they do and the way they play.”

Picture by Chris Marion/NBAE through Getty Photos

As for his personal head teaching type, he’s nonetheless toying round with it. However he’s undoubtedly going to let his voice be heard.

“I’d say I’m undoubtedly figuring it out,” MacLeay mentioned. “Yeah, I’m studying. I’m rising. I don’t know but. I can let you know for a indisputable fact that I’m loud. So, you’ll hear me. I simply don’t understand how I’ll try this.”

By means of MacLeay’s first few practices with the Summer season League Celtics, competitiveness has been the theme. Whether or not it’s the returning guys, Boston’s rookies, or the gamers seeking to break into the league, everyone seems to be leaving their coronary heart on the ground.

Baylor Scheierman, who the Celtics drafted with decide No. 30, performed his remaining two years of faculty ball at Creighton after three years with South Dakota State. Throughout his collegiate profession, he confronted off in opposition to a number of the guys on Boston’s Summer season League squad.

He is aware of how onerous they play, and he’s seen it from them and everybody else within the first few Auerbach Middle classes.

“I performed in opposition to Jordan Walsh in faculty and performed JD Davison in faculty,” Scheierman mentioned. “Clearly, each terrific athletes and really expert. They wish to compete.

“I believe that’s the most important factor that I’ve seen simply from all my teammates is simply on the competitiveness and the willingness to be, humility, after which simply, we share the ball effectively, which is lots of enjoyable to play with.”

Scheierman put himself and Home on the high of the competitiveness pedestal.

“Shoot, I’ll say myself,” Scheierman mentioned. “Jaelen Home is fairly aggressive as effectively. However like we mentioned earlier, we bought lots of guys that wish to compete, and that makes observe lots of enjoyable.”

Picture by Porter Binks/Getty Photos

And the gamers have gotten the identical vitality from MacLeay and his teaching employees.

“I similar to [that they are] very personable,” Sceierman mentioned of the coaches. “They relate to you effectively, and so they deliver lots of vitality, and that simply makes observe much more enjoyable, much more aggressive, when the coaches are bringing that as effectively.”

Even after monopolizing Boston’s confetti provide whereas celebrating their largest accomplishment in 16 years, the Celtics had been able to snap proper again to enterprise.

The group places an emphasis on successful, it doesn’t matter what stage they’re taking part in at. Whether or not or not it’s competing for an NBA Championship, a G League Championship, or a Summer season League Championship, they need the glory.

“Simply winners,” Watson mentioned of his first impression of the Celtics. “Legacy. Simply the mentality in the direction of the whole lot. The primary time we met [I was] in right here, they mentioned, ‘It’s completely different right here.’ So, that’s sort of the vibe you get right here. I believe they’ve bought the correct method on issues.”

JD Davison and Drew Peterson will probably be again on two-way contracts subsequent yr, and Watson may very well be the early favourite to land the third after the Celtics drafted him with the No. 54 decide.

That, mixed with the chance that they go away the fifteenth roster spot open to protect flexibility and lighten their luxurious tax invoice, means the possibilities of making the crew out of Summer season League are slim.

However they aren’t zero.

“I’ll all the time say, we’re all the time protecting our eyes open and the whole lot,” mentioned assistant basic supervisor Austin Ainge. “However we really feel fairly good about issues, and we have now the core all in place. However yeah, we’re all the time trying.

“That’s a message for these Summer season League guys, is that they’re not simply competing with the blokes on the courtroom, they’re competing with guys on all of the Summer season League groups, and different guys which are sitting at residence, and different guys which are taking part in within the Olympics. It’s an enormous world with lots of expertise, and our job is to be all the time evaluating.”

Picture by Chris Marion/NBAE through Getty Photos

Above all, the Celtics simply wish to assist their group enhance. MacLeay desires to win Summer season League gold, and the crew does, too, however they perceive what this set of video games can do for the gamers.

MacLeay is prepared and keen to assist them get shifting on the correct path within the basketball world.

“At the beginning, there’s a mindset of enchancment, proper?” MacLeay mentioned. “Like three weeks in the past, yesterday, we had been within the Backyard successful a championship, proper? And now we’re right here in a scenario the place we have now a possibility to develop in the direction of the subsequent one. And I believe, pondering again on the previous of Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard, these guys began their development factors right here.

“And I believe that every yr you get a possibility to do that, it’s a time to get higher, and for them, they every have particular person issues that they’re engaged on from a basketball perspective, however it’s the mindset of development. How will you get higher each day? How will you begin that journey in the direction of the subsequent title? How will you begin that journey in the direction of the subsequent season? I believe are issues that we’re working in the direction of and making an attempt to do right here.”