2020 Celtics Offseason

www.google.com/amp/s/www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2020/12/10/marcus-smart-payton-prichard-quotes-rookie/amp

Marcus Smart thought he might like Boston Celtics rookie Payton Pritchard.

“I kind of had a feeling that he would be a guy for me that would stand out,” Smart told reporters on a Zoom call Thursday evening. “I was looking forward to seeing what he has, and he hasn’t disappointed yet.”


I like those guys a lot,” Tatum said. “They work hard. Aaron can really shoot. He’s really physically gifted athleticism and strength-wise. And Payton, obviously he’s shooting the ball really well and he really knows how to play and he competes at a high level, and I like that.”

LOOSELY speaking - something like PJ Tucker from a production standpoint. Maybe he can average between 10-14 pp36 in his peak seasons. He’s going to play great D, be a tough rebounder, smart passer and hopefully hit open shots. These aren’t players without holes in their games.

I don't see great D, which is why I feel he needs more offense. I see a good smart team defender that can get destroyed by guys like Siakam.

Grant looked good on-ball most of the time from what I saw. I anticipate that he will only improve. I think he’s got potential to be a very good defender, that frame is sturdy and he’ll be able to guard multiple positions. TimeLord and Langford have the tools to be elite defenders too. If TimeLord takes the step I know he can take he’s going to be so much fun to watch

The name came to my mind too but some people here take things out of context and then create an argument that you were never making. Grant won’t be a 3rd star but he will find his role and execute it and as he gets deeper into his career will be dangerous enough to threaten double digits on any given night.

Absolutely most rookies are bad. A big part of that is they don't understand D and have little experience. A huge issue is so many freshman declare now a days. Look at Langford, look at Robert Williams, they were just going by natural talent. They can make massive leaps if they get to understand D and get a high Basketball IQ. They are also great athletes, who have great size for their positions.

Grant Williams just played like a veteran. He understands our D, he has a crazy high Basketball IQ right now. I won't say he can't get better, yet you aren't going to see some massive jump unless he becomes a better athlete. He's undersized for his position and had one of the worst standing verticals in the draft. It shows, a guy like Siakam had no fear. It's not that Grant was doing anything wrong, he's just limited. Go look who plays PF now in the NBA.

I love how he plays 100%, his toughness, smarts, he's nimble for his size, yet he's a horrible run jump athlete when the NBA is moving in that direction.

One thing is crystal clear this board bases D off of team D way more than one on one D. Team D is all about understanding it, having a high Basketball IQ. That can be taught, players can go from horrible to great in that area. Natural ability playing one on one D, is totally different. You either have it or you don't. Guys can make slight improvements, yet not huge ones.

Exact quote in response to your question about if it’s a problem if coaches need to tell Grant to shoot more:

“We saw in the bubble him taking shots more quickly even if there weren’t necessarily more of them. The Heat had to tell Duncan Robinson to shoot more and that’s his skill set.”

Pretty clear I used a young player who’s a great shooter as an example on why having to tell a non-shooter to shoot more isn’t a problem. And if it wasn’t clear to you, I told you immediately you misread it, yet despite all that you still want to insist I was bringing up Duncan Robinson as a comparison to Grant Williams. Just stop - it’s ok if you misinterpreted it - we all read things quickly.

Weren't you just talking about context? You said that in the middle of a conversation about what Grant needs to do to get better. Go back and read your recent comments about Grant Williams, it's all three point shooting, his percentage, increasing shots, coaches telling him to shoot more. Then you drop the Duncan Robinson piece.

I never took that as you compared the players, I took it, with your other comments to mean you think Grant Williams needs to take more three point shots. Yet those are the shots he actually took and you only get so many open shots. 

So you don't think Grant Williams needs to increase his three point shots? Why in the world then did you use Duncan Robinson as an example? Come on if you go back and read it in the context of the discussion we had it makes perfect sense no? You have to admit, if you weren't talking increasing three point shots than Robinson is the worst comp ever right?

Mine is an eye test. Grant is built a bit like Semi and perhaps the same or not much taller. He appeared to be very intelligent and seasoned beyond that expected for a rookie...as advertised. But I don't think that he has above average length or certainly leaping ability. He is not a rim protector. I don't think he will be a factor against good sized centers. I don't know whether he has the quickness to guard quicker 4s. His bulk and savvy are his apparent (to me) strong points. In small ball games, he could be useful. I hope he proves to be more.

And honestly man, I get the misunderstanding. What I don’t get is the argument after the fact. When I or someone else clarifies, after it’s clear to us, you misunderstood what we said (whether it’s our fault or yours or a conversation), accept the clarification and move on with the conversation. These are blog posts there’s bound to be some confusion. But don’t spend post after post telling me what I meant. It’s just foolish and makes zero sense. A simple, “oh, i see what you were saying, I didn’t read it that way at first” is all that’s really required and we all move on with the discussion.

Must have missed this but people are saying Tatum is close to 6'10" now.