The Summer League Celtics want to win and are embracing the pressure to do so

Recent off Banner 18, the Boston Celtics are conserving Banner 18.5 sq. of their sights. After years of failure, they lastly obtained 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 time League crown.

“It’s the Celtics. After all,” Summer time League head coach DJ MacLeay stated when requested if he feels stress to win. “The expectation is to win right here, and we get pleasure from that and welcome that.”

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

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

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

“I feel the primary objective for Summer time League is constructing a mindset,” stated MacLeay. “A mindset of what now we have with an expectation and a mindset of what now we have with [our] regular group.

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

Photograph by Chris Marion/NBAE through Getty Photographs

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

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

By MacLeay’s first few practices with the Summer time League Celtics, competitiveness has been the theme. Whether or not it’s the returning guys, Boston’s rookies, or the gamers trying 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 last two years of school 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 time League squad.

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

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

“I feel 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 nicely, which is a whole lot of enjoyable to play with.”

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

“Shoot, I’ll say myself,” Scheierman stated. “Jaelen Home is fairly aggressive as nicely. However like we stated earlier, we obtained a whole lot of guys that prefer to compete, and that makes follow a whole lot of enjoyable.”

Photograph by Porter Binks/Getty Photographs

And the gamers have gotten the identical power from MacLeay and his teaching workers.

“I similar to [that they are] very personable,” Sceierman stated of the coaches. “They relate to you nicely, they usually deliver a whole lot of power, and that simply makes follow much more enjoyable, much more aggressive, when the coaches are bringing that as nicely.”

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

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

“Simply winners,” Watson stated of his first impression of the Celtics. “Legacy. Simply the mentality in the direction of all the pieces. The primary time we met [I was] in right here, they stated, ‘It’s completely different right here.’ So, that’s form of the vibe you get right here. I feel they’ve obtained the proper method on issues.”

JD Davison and Drew Peterson can be again on two-way contracts subsequent 12 months, 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 depart the fifteenth roster spot open to protect flexibility and lighten their luxurious tax invoice, means the probabilities of making the group out of Summer time League are slim.

However they aren’t zero.

“I’ll at all times say, we’re at all times conserving our eyes open and all the pieces,” stated assistant common supervisor Austin Ainge. “However we really feel fairly good about issues, and now we have the core all in place. However yeah, we’re at all times wanting.

“That’s a message for these Summer time League guys, is that they’re not simply competing with the fellows on the court docket, they’re competing with guys on all of the Summer time League groups, and different guys which can be sitting at dwelling, and different guys which can be enjoying within the Olympics. It’s a giant world with a whole lot of expertise, and our job is to be at all times evaluating.”

Photograph by Chris Marion/NBAE through Getty Photographs

Above all, the Celtics simply need to assist their group enhance. MacLeay desires to win Summer time League gold, and the group 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 proper path within the basketball world.

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

“And I feel that every 12 months you get a chance 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, nevertheless it’s the mindset of development. How will you get higher every 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 feel are issues that we’re working in the direction of and attempting to do right here.”