The Boston Celtics played their second preseason game of the year when they lost 105-107 to the Toronto Raptors.  The Raptors sat their starting five so we still haven’t had a chance to judge the new Celtics against actually NBA competition but it’s to be expected in the preseason. But this is all we have to go off of so let’s dig in.   

As I mentioned the Raptors played without their best players and the Celtics did the same as both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White sat this one out along with Sam Houser and an injured Jordan Walsh.  However, we did get our first look at Anfernee Simons.  Peyton Pritchard and Neemias Queta also made their preseason debuts. 

The first thing noticeable about this game was that the Celtics did not play with the same fast pace and high energy that they did in the first game.  Especially in the first quarter where they walked the ball up and looked just like last years team.  They did play a bit quicker and harder as they game went on but it was not at the level of game one.  Now, some of this could be personal related with Jaylen and White not playing.  What ever the reason it was a but disappointing.  Hopefully it’s just a matter of time and reps before they play with pace consistently. 

The next thing that was noticeable in this game was that the Celtics again struggled on the defensive boards.  This seemed to be a real sore point with Coach Mazzulla as he kept making quick substitutions whenever the Cs gave up an offensive board.  They gave up 15 offensive rebounds after giving up 13 in the first game.  This is obviously going to be the biggest concern going forward the rest of this season. 

The good news is that the offensive rebounding was extremely good again in this one.  The Celtics were really crashing the boards on pretty much every shot.  They had 19 O-boards in this one.  In two games they have averaged 17.5 offensive rebounds.  The league leader last season averaged 14.6.  The Celtics averaged 11.4 last season.  Hopefully this is something they can keep up throughout the season.  Extra possessions can be huge, especially in tight games. 

For individual players, Josh Minott had another very good game.  This kid is looking like a find.  I like his play on both sides of the court.  He rebounds and can score and he even made a three pointer.  The best part is he plays without the ball.  He’s the type of guy who should work well with Jaylen, White, and eventually Tatum. 

Chris Boucher had his back in Toronto revenge game.  Probably should have saved it for the regular season.  I like Boucher’s game.  He fits in well with what the Celtics want to do.  I don’t know if he is big enough or a good enough rim protector to be their starting five but as the team is set up now, I would expect him to start at the 4. 

Neemias Queta looked exactly like the same guy from last season.  There was hope that his play in FIBA was a sign he was improving but he did not show it in this one. 

Luka Garza looked good again in this one.  He should probably be the starting center.  He not athletic but he really knows how to set picks and he rebounds on both ends pretty well.  He gets fouled a lot, which is a good thing, not only for him to score more but to help get the other team and players in foul trouble.  I really want to see how he holds up against better competition. 

Hugo wasn’t as good in this one as the first game but he still showed flashes.  You have to expect up and downs from a 19-year-old rookie playing in a new country.  There is still some adjusting he needs to do but I have total faith in him doing so.  Most basketball coaches want guys who play defense.  Mazzulla and the Celtics have been of the thought that you have to play defense in order to get on the court.  Hugo has shown some great stuff on defense.  Even when he gets beat, he has the ability to get back into the play and contest shots.  This is going to help him get on the court in Boston sooner than expected.    

Scheierman had a rough game the same way he did in the first one.  When he was out there with a bunch of regulars he played well.  However, like the last game they tried playing the 4^th quarter with him being the man and running the offense through him.  It did not go well.  Thim and a bunch of guys who will be in Maine this season turned the ball over time and time again and blew a 20-point (or so) lead.  This is the time to test things like this out and see what a player is capable of so it makes sense that they put him in this position but I think it is now obvious that at this point in his career he is not a point guard.    

Speaking of people who are not point guards, Anfernee Simons in right at the top of this list.  Simons ran the point in the first quarter and the team played slow and was not that effective.  Once they moved him off the ball and put Pritchard at the point, the team played much better.  This isn’t a bad thing.  Simons is a scorer.  And a really good one.  He can shoot, he can score in the mid-range, he can get to the hoop, and he can create his own shot.  His skill is scoring, not passing.  Not running an offense.  He’s one of those guys who is a point guard only because he is NBA short.  If he was 6’6” or taller, no one would have him playing point guard.  It’s not the best way to use his skill set.  I didn’t see him as a liability on defense in this game even though he and Pritchard played together a lot but it’s a preseason game with a bunch of bench players playing. Not a lot of strategy being used.  He made a good first impression.  Hopefully next game he, Jaylen, and White will all play so we can see how they look on the floor together. 

That’s about it from this game.  Hopefully when they play the Cavs on Sunday night Cleveland will play some real players so we can see how much of this holds up against an actual NBA team.