Boston Celtics Prioritize Bench Development in Abu Dhabi Preseason

The Boston Celtics are set to begin their preseason exhibition series in Abu Dhabi against the Denver Nuggets with a strategic focus on developing their bench players, rather than giving significant minutes to their star starters. Al Horford, who plays a significant role in the front court at 38 years old, and key players such as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday are coming off long postseason runs, warranting a focus on roster depth.

Celtics’ head coach Joe Mazzulla highlighted the importance of utilizing this opportunity to observe the younger players’ improvement. “It’s important (to see them),” Mazzulla stated. “But really, it just comes down to their practice habits and their ability to understand situations. Today, we had a great drill and the younger guys made us better,” he added, signaling a pivotal preseason for developing their skills.

In these games, rookies Baylor Scheierman and Anton Watson are anticipated to gain their first preseason experience. Meanwhile, players like Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet aim to reclaim the bench success from past seasons. Lonnie Walker IV is also competing to secure a spot on the final roster. Neemias Queta aims to demonstrate his capacity to join the center rotation in the absence of Kristaps Porzingis. J.D. Davison, having performed well in Boston’s recent workouts and a successful Summer League, will work on proving his NBA potential after two years in the G-League.

Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations for the Celtics, reiterated on media day the importance of balancing experienced players with developing new talent. Stevens mentioned, “We have a couple guys that aren’t here who were awesome for us. But obviously with the draft and things like that, we have to look at ways that we can both balance being really good at the top of our roster with building in with some young players that we hopefully can grow and develop and be good fits with our roster moving forward.”

Boston’s approach underscores the organization’s focus on sustainable growth and preparation for future seasons, with considerations for cost management under the new NBA financial rules. This method involves integrating young talents such as Queta into the team, drawing comparisons to the recent strategy of other big spenders like Minnesota, which recently orchestrated a trade involving Karl-Anthony Towns and infused youthful energy with their draft picks.

While the Celtics celebrate the recent success heralded by their “all-in” approach last year, they remain vigilant of the need to prepare for roster changes and potential free agent departures in coming years. Veterans like Porzingis might seek team-friendly deals post-2026, while critical players could become trade assets.

Payton Pritchard, in light of Brown’s suggestion regarding depth, expressed optimism about the team’s reserves. “I feel like he’s just giving a compliment to how deep our team is,” Pritchard noted. “It just shows us how deep our team is and everybody’s ready to step up if an injury did happen or anything like that.” Such depth allows for strategic resting and role distribution among veteran players throughout the demanding regular season.