Jayson Tatum

Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Brown, Celtics, Mogbo, Raptors, Thibs

July 25th, 2024 at 10:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to Chris Mannix of SI.com about his relationship with longtime teammate Jaylen Brown, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said he never wanted Brown traded, but admitted that he could have expressed that sentiment more vocally earlier in his career as trade rumors swirled around the 2016 lottery pick.

“I’ve always told him that maybe I could have done a better job of voicing my feelings in the public eye,” Tatum said. “He always knew that I wanted him here. I would always tell him like, ‘Man, I don’t get involved with any of those talks.’

“I never went to (Celtics president of basketball operations) Brad (Stevens) or went to any player like, ‘Yo, I want this guy in, I want this guy out of here.’ I show up and I want to do my job and play basketball. And looking back on in those moments, I didn’t know how that could affect somebody, because I was never in that situation. I feel like maybe I could have done a better job of publicly saying, ‘No, we don’t want anybody, we want JB.’ I just was always like, ‘I want to stay out of it.'”

The Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals or NBA Finals in five of Brown’s first seven seasons, but were unable to break through and win a championship until 2024. Now that they have that title under their belt, Tatum is relieved that he and Brown should no longer have to face questions about whether it can thrive together and win at the highest level.

“We’ve figured out that we need each other,” Tatum told Mannix. “We have learned how to coexist. And we know we need to be the best version of ourselves in order for all of this to work. We weren’t necessarily the best play-makers early in our careers but we developed into guys that really bleed the game. We want to be a great example of guys that play on both ends as a floor and guys who are the best teammates that we can be.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

After locking up most of their rotation players to multiyear deals, the Celtics project to have the NBA’s first ever $500MM roster in 2025/26, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes. That $500MM+ figure, which includes both player salaries and luxury tax penalties, will loom large over the organization as the team looks to defend its title and the ownership group looks to sell a controlling stake in the franchise.
Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca takes a closer look at the unconventional path that Raptors rookie Jonathan Mogbo – the No. 31 pick in this year’s draft – took to the NBA and details how the 6’7″ forward boosted his stock significantly during the pre-draft process. According to Lewenberg, entering the second day of the draft, the Raptors did some extra homework on the projected first-round picks who were still available after day one – such as Kyle Filipowski and Johnny Furphy – but ultimately decided they preferred Mogbo, whom they’d ranked in the early 20s. Eventual No. 41 pick Adem Bona was also high on Toronto’s board and received some consideration at the start of the second round, Lewenberg adds.
Tom Thibodeau‘s new three-year extension with the Knicks doesn’t include any option years, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. While Begley doesn’t have the full salary details on Thibodeau’s new deal, he says it’s is “in line with the current market for head coaches” (Twitter link).

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Brown, Grousbeck, Sale

July 11th, 2024 at 8:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-NBA Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, fresh off capturing his first NBA title, just signed the biggest contract in league history, a five-year, super-max deal worth a projected $313.93MM. According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, Tatum believes his championship has helped quiet some of the discourse surrounding him in the league at present.

“You know, just being the topic of discussion of so many debates or whatever it is. ‘Can he lead a team? Is he a top-five player?’” Tatum said. “There’s still a lot of things I guess they can debate, but I’ve done some things they can’t debate. I won a championship. I did it at the highest level. So having that under my belt, like, obviously there’s still conversations to be had or whatever people want to say, but they’ve always got to refer to me as an NBA champion.”

Tatum seemed grateful for his lucrative new extension, too.

“For me just to feel wanted, and they want me to be here and want me for the long haul,” Tatum said. “I’ll spend my whole career here and have got nothing but love for the fans, the city, and the organization. You know, we just won a championship and I want to try to win as many as I can.”

During the 2023/24 regular season, the five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA honoree posted superlative averages of 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks across 74 contests, with a .471/.376/.833 shooting line.

There’s more out of Boston:

Tatum’s All-Star teammate Jaylen Brown appeared miffed to have been passed over to replace Kawhi Leonard on Team USA in favor of another Celtics wing, Derrick White, Himmelsbach writes in a separate piece. Brown posted an emoj-packed tweet expressing his apparent displeasure. Sources confirmed to Brian Robb of MassLive that the 6’6″ small forward was indeed frustrated by the choice. Team USA managing director Grant Hill explained the decision on Wednesday. “This is about putting together a team,” Hill told gathered media. “Just kind of overall, you have incredible interest from an abundance of talent that we have here in the United States. I’ve talked a little about when we assembled this roster.”
Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck recently revealed his intentions to sell his stake in the team. Now, Grousbeck has outlined some supplemental details of the plan, Robb notes in an additional article. “I want to clarify, it’s not my majority stake,” Grousbeck said. “The control of the team is owned by my family, so it’s a family that I belong to and then I have the Celtics family I also belong to, so there’s an intersection and there’s an involvement.” According to Robb, Grousbeck hopes to sell the majority of his family’s ownership stake early next year. “The plan, the expectation is to sell the team in two parts, 51 percent going fairly soon,” Grousbeck said. “49 percent then closing in a second closing, that’s the expectation in 2028. I’m planning or expected to stay on until 2028 (as governor) and we’re going to hire bankers and advisors and this is going to be quite a bidding process.”
Grousbeck may be selling his portion of the Celtics chiefly because of long-term family estate planning, writes Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico. Boston is valued at an estimated $5.12 billion by Sportico, Novy-Williams adds.

Celtics Sign Jayson Tatum To Super-Max Extension

July 6th, 2024 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The richest contract in NBA history is now official, with the Celtics announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Tatum to his super-max extension.

“Jayson is a special person and player, and it’s been a thrill for all of us to watch his entire journey in Boston,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. “He has embraced all that comes with being a great Celtic, and shows consistent and genuine care for every one of his teammates, coaches, and staff across the organization. Despite all the team accomplishments and individual awards, Jayson is committed to constantly improving. He works hard and is extremely driven by the challenges of the game – especially the goal of competing with his teammates for championships. We are obviously ecstatic that Jayson chose to extend his contract and add to his amazing career as a Boston Celtic.”

JULY 1: The Celtics and Jayson Tatum have agreed to terms on a five-year, super-max extension that will begin in 2025/26 and will start at 35% of the salary cap, reports Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Based on the NBA’s latest cap projection, the five-year contract will start at approximately $54.13MM and will be worth a total of $313.93MM, making it the largest deal in league history. It will replace the $37MM player option for 2025/26 from Tatum’s current contract and will run through the ’29/30 season.

Tatum, who won his first championship this spring, earned All-NBA First Team honors for a third straight season after averaging 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 35.7 minutes per game with a .471/.376/.833 shooting line for the league’s top team.

The star forward met the super-max criteria, increasing his maximum salary from 30% of the cap to 35%, by making the All-NBA team in both 2022 and 2023. He needed one more year in the NBA in order to meet the service time criteria of at least seven years, but this move had been expected since last spring once he became eligible.

Tatum’s deal, which can be officially signed as early as July 6, is on track to be completed less than one year after his teammate Jaylen Brown signed a five-year super-max extension of his own. Brown’s deal, which went into effect today and previously held the title of biggest contract in NBA history, is worth approximately $285.4MM.

Having also agreed to a four-year, $125.9MM extension with guard Derrick White earlier today, the Celtics have locked up three of their five starters through at least the 2027/28 season, with a fourth (Jrue Holiday) holding a player option for that year. Boston’s fifth starter (Kristaps Porzingis) is under contract through ’25/26. It projects to be one of the league’s priciest rosters going forward, but the Celtics now have their championship core under team control for the long term.

The Celtics will become one of four teams who have multiple players on maximum-salary contracts that began at 35% of the cap. The Bucks (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard) and Sixers (Joel Embiid, Paul George) will have two apiece, while the Suns (Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal) are carrying three.

And-Ones: Role Players, Extension Candidates, Team Tiers, SLC Summer League

June 22nd, 2024 at 11:55am CST by Tristan Tucker

Derrick White was a home-run addition for the Celtics back in 2022. After he was acquired for a modest package from the Spurs, White established himself as one of the best defenders in the league and played a crucial role in Boston’s title run. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer takes a look at 10 other role players league-wide who could follow in White’s footsteps and play important parts on title contenders down the line.

O’Connor breaks the 10 players down into three categories. Hidden gems are players who had some success in their careers but were willing to tweak their games to help their teams win, like White and Denver’s Bruce Brown last year. Reinventable talents are players like Kristaps Porzingis or Aaron Gordon who were lottery talents who were best able to showcase their skills in downsized roles. Lastly, proven veterans like Jrue Holiday and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, guys who have title game experience, are crucial to success.

Collin Sexton, Ayo Dosunmu, Deni Avdija, Day’Ron Sharpe and Luke Kennard make up O’Connor’s hidden gems category; Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant and Patrick Williams are the reinventable talents; and Mikal Bridges and Bruce Brown are proven veterans to trade for, with Brown having switched categories following his success in Denver.

It remains to be seen which of these players are actually obtainable but most, if not all, have found their names in trade rumors at one point or another. Williams (restricted), Kennard (team option) and Brown (team option) could all hit free agency this summer.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Jayson Tatum is eligible for a super-max, five-year extension worth up to $315MM this offseason. Fresh off a title, extending him will be a priority for the Celtics. ESPN’s Bobby Marks analyzes 17 stars across the league who are extension-eligible, including Tatum and White (ESPN+ link). Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell and Brandon Ingram are other key extension candidates to watch, as all are eligible in July.
As it stands, Boston might be the one fully-formed title contender heading into the offseason, with teams like the Mavericks, Nuggets, Timberwolves and Thunder all considered one move away from launching into that tier, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (ESPN+ link). Bontemps breaks down all 30 teams into tiers heading into the summer, including contenders, emerging teams, those who are stuck, and those who are rebuilding. Two teams — the Heat and the Warriors — are teams with big money tied up but have huge questions about their identity. Bontemps also identifies the Rockets and Grizzlies as teams who could move up in the Western Conference’s hierarchy next season.
The NBA announced its three-day schedule for Salt Lake City Summer League, with the Thunder, Sixers, Grizzlies and Jazz set to compete. The event tips off on July 8 and runs through July 10. Day one provides matchups between the Thunder (who hold the No. 12 pick) and Sixers (No. 16 pick), as well as the Grizzlies (No. 9 pick) and Jazz (No. 10 pick). Some younger players like Utah’s Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh could see playing time in the event, as well as each team’s 2024 draftees.

Stein’s Latest: Brown, Van Gundy, Coaching Carousel, More

June 19th, 2024 at 9:40pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Raptors are still determining how they plan to move forward with Bruce Brown‘s $23MM team option for 2024/25, NBA insider Marc Stein relays in his latest around-the-league notebook. The Pacers originally signed Brown to the two-year, $45MM deal last summer in a successful effort to poach him from Denver, then traded him as part of a package to acquire Pascal Siakam.

According to Stein, numerous teams expect the Raptors to pick up that option to help facilitate a trade further down the road.

Brown played in 67 games (44 starts) between the Pacers and Raptors last season, averaging 10.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists contest one year after helping Denver win the championship.

We have more from Stein:

Before joining Tyronn Lue‘s staff in Los Angeles as an assistant, Jeff Van Gundy was pursued by the New Zealand Breakers of Australia’s National Basketball League to be their head coach, Stein reports. The Breakers formally requested permission from the Celtics to interview Van Gundy, who spent the year as a special adviser in Boston’s basketball operations room, but were told he had another coaching opportunity lined up already (with the Clippers).
J.J. Redick is the overwhelming favorite to be hired as the Lakers‘ head coach, while James Borrego is still considered the frontrunner to get the Cavaliers‘ job, according to Stein. Though he cautions that anything can happen, as of Wednesday Stein expects those two positions to be filled by those candidates soon.
Jayson Tatum and Derrick White‘s contract extensions with the Celtics are viewed as inevitable, Stein writes. Tatum is eligible for a five-year, $315MM deal that would make him the highest-paid player in NBA history.
Klay Thompson is in Houston training with Team Bahamas ahead of Olympic qualifiers, but likely would never have been able to participate in the tournament due to the timing of the event (July 2-7). An unrestricted free agent with an injury history, Thompson — like other free agents — can’t officially sign a new contract until July 6, making any play before then an unnecessary risk. Even if he were willing to make that risk, Thompson likely wouldn’t have received clearance from USA Basketball anyways after the organization was criticized last year for allowing Eric Gordon to join the Bahamas, which won a pre-qualifying tournament, Stein writes.
Stein confirms reports that Atlanta has been unable to secure an in-person workout with Alexandre Sarr, increasing rumblings that the Hawks may select Zaccharie Risacher first overall.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics FAs, White, Hauser, Raptors, Missi, Porter

June 18th, 2024 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics have all of their rotation players signed through next season and they could have even more continuity, according to The Athletic’s John Hollinger. Reserve centers Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman Sr. and Neemias Queta are headed to free agency but the Celtics are open to bringing any or all of them back if the price is reasonable.

The Celtics are also willing to do more extensions beyond a potential super-max deal for Jayson Tatum. They’re interested in locking up Derrick White and Sam Hauser and both are extension-eligible this offseason. White is eligible for a four-year, $127MM extension — including incentives — and the front office will likely need to go that high to get White’s signature.

The team holds a $2MM option on Hauser’s contract for next season. The Celtics could offer a creative deal with the second tax apron in mind. In that scenario, they’d decline the option, then re-sign him for a lower annual salary and more years than an extension that started in 2025/26.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Raptors hold the No. 19 and 31 picks in this year’s draft. The Athletic’s Eric Koreen takes a look at some of the guard prospects they might consider at those spots, including USC’s Isaiah Collier, Duke’s Jared McCain and Houston’s Jamal Shead.
Baylor center Yves Missi participated in a pre-draft workout for the Sixers on Tuesday at their practice facility, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The Sixers have picks 16 and 41 in the draft. Missi is ranked No. 23 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
Canadian authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the Jontay Porter betting scandal, ESPN’s David Purdum reports. They will try to determine if a criminal investigation is warranted after evaluating information related to “online betting irregularities from the Jan. 26 and March 20 Raptors games.” Porter was a two-way player for Toronto before he received a lifetime ban from the league.

Celtics Notes: Horford, Tatum, Holiday, Offseason, Ainge

June 18th, 2024 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

No player in NBA history had appeared in more playoff games before winning a championship than Al Horford, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who notes that the veteran center finally claimed his first title with a win in his 186th career postseason contest. Horford earned praise after Monday’s victory from his teammates, including Derrick White, who referred to the big man’s career as “so underrated,” and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, who said the Celtics “leaned on (Horford) so much” during their championship season.

“Nobody deserved it more than Al,” Brown said. “He’s been a great not just leader on the court but off the court as well. … It’s been an honor to be by his side. And Al Horford is a real-life legend and hero. It’s been great to be his teammate.”

Horford turned 38 earlier this month, but he remains under contract with Boston for at least the 2024/25 season and it doesn’t sound like he has any plans to call it a career this summer.

“For me, I never really put a timeframe on it,” Horford told ESPN when asked on Sunday how long he’ll continue playing. “I want to make sure that I feel healthy, that I’m enjoying what I’m doing and for me, thankfully, I have my wife’s support and my family’s. That’s a big deal to me. … I feel like I’ve been asked this for a few years now and I feel good, I want to keep playing. Why not keep going? I don’t want to limit myself.”

Here’s more on the new NBA champions:

Not that there was any doubt, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (YouTube link) said on NBA Countdown on Sunday that the Celtics will put a five-year, super-max offer on the table for Jayson Tatum at some point in the coming days or weeks. The deal, which would begin in 2025/26, would be worth a projected $315MM, assuming the cap comes in at $141MM for ’24/25, then increases by 10% the following year.
Jrue Holiday earned a bonus worth $1,264,800 as a result of the Celtics’ championship, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. It’s the second time in the past four years Holiday has cashed in on that bonus in his contract — he also received it in 2021 when Milwaukee won the title. As Marks adds (via Twitter), Holiday earned a total of approximately $2.8MM in bonuses this season for six separate individual and team achievements.
Can the NBA’s best team get even better during the coming offseason? Mark Deeks of HoopsHype considers that question in his preview of the Celtics’ summer, while Marks (ESPN Insider link) also takes a look ahead at the key decisions and roster moves on tap this offseason in Boston.
The Celtics’ big bets on Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis last summer paid major dividends in the short term and put the team in a great position to vie for additional championships in the coming years, writes Brian Robb of MassLive.com.
While Brad Stevens signed off on those Holiday and Porzingis deals, among other moves that pushed the Celtics over the top, Danny Ainge’s fingerprints remain all over the team’s current roster, according to Robb, who spoke to Boston’s former president of basketball operations about his old club’s success. As Robb relays, Ainge said he’s “very happy” for the Celtics but declined to take any credit for this year’s championship run. “I feel fortunate to be a part, a very small part of all of their lives,” Ainge said. “I have a feeling that Jaylen and Jayson and Wyc (Grousbeck) and (Steven Pagliuca) and Joe (Mazzulla) and Brad and Payton Pritchard, Al Horford, the whole group, every one of those guys would have found success without me being involved.”

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Tillman, Brown, Game 4

June 14th, 2024 at 7:48am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has made just 35.9% of his shots from the floor in the NBA Finals, including 29.6% of his three-pointers. While he has contributed in many other ways, including on the boards (8.7 RPG) and as a play-maker (7.3 APG), those poor shooting numbers have made teammate Jaylen Brown the odds-on favorite to be named Finals MVP, assuming Boston finishes off the Mavericks. That’s just fine with Tatum, as he tells Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

“Man, I want everybody to be at their best. I want everybody to contribute. Winning will take care of everything,” Tatum said. “Finals MVP or whatever, a champion is a champion. That’s the goal. I want for my teammates what I want for myself. I want everybody to shine. There’s enough attention for all of us. And so, I want everybody to give us theirs.”

Tatum has earned no shortage of individual accolades over the course of his seven-year career, including five All-Star berths, four All-NBA nods (including three as part of the First Team), an Eastern Conference Finals MVP (in 2022), and an All-Star Game MVP (2023). The one thing he feels as if his résumé is missing is a championship.

“I’ve been here before, and I know what it felt like to lose [in the Finals] and that was the worst feeling ever,” Tatum told Haynes. “That was the worst summer I ever had. I made the All-Star team five times. I’m All-NBA first team year after year. The only thing they said I haven’t done is win. I just vowed to myself that if I ever got back to the Finals, then I would literally do whatever I needed to do to ensure that we have a different outcome.”

Here’s more on the Celtics ahead of a potential close-out game on Friday:

Backup center Xavier Tillman averaged just 13.7 minutes per game after being sent to the Celtics at the trade deadline and hasn’t been a regular part of the postseason rotation, appearing in just six of the club’s first 16 playoff games. However, he came up big in Game 3 with Kristaps Porzingis unavailable, hitting a three-pointer, grabbing four rebounds, and blocking a pair of shots. Boston outscored Dallas by nine points in his 11 minutes of action. Al Horford said Tillman was “ready for the moment,” while Derrick White said the big man gave the team “big-time minutes,” per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. “Obviously we’d love to have KP out there,” Brown said, according to Jay King of The Athletic. “We are different when he is. But X stepped in that role, and I thought he was great.”
Within his story on Tillman, Fischer says that more than a dozen teams had legitimate interest in the big man prior to the trade deadline. Tillman had heard the Suns were another “strong possibility” if he didn’t end up in Boston, Fischer adds.
After nearly letting a 21-point fourth quarter lead slip away in Game 3, the Celtics credited their past experiences on this stage as the reason they were able to buckle down and hang on for the victory, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “All year long we’ve been hearing about the Celtics are the past, for the last six to eight months, that’s all we’ve been hearing is all the different shortcomings we’ve had in the past,” Brown said. “This is a new team, you know what I mean. We’ve learned from those experiences. And in these moments, you can see that we learned from it. We stepped up to the plate, and we found a way to win.”
Both Brown and Tatum also pointed to last year’s postseason experience – which ended with a home loss to the No. 8 Heat – as a source of motivation this time around. “I mean, last year, just falling short on your home floor, it definitely hurt,” Brown said, per Bontemps. “It was embarrassing, in my opinion. I felt like the team was relying on me. JT got hurt in Game 7 and I dropped the ball. To me, it was embarrassing. It drove me all summer. Drove me crazy.”
Bontemps, Chris Herring, and Brian Windhorst of ESPN shared their biggest takeaways from Game 3 and weighed in on what to expect in Game 4.

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Mazzulla, Porzingis, Stevens

June 13th, 2024 at 5:49pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Celtics All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum told reporters that Boston, now leading the Mavericks 3-0 in the Finals, is hardly satisfied after the team nearly surrendered a 21-point second half lead in Game 3 on Wednesday night, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

As Tatum notes, Boston itself fell into an 0-3 hole against the Heat during the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, and ultimately pushed Miami to seven games. Tatum sprained his ankle during the first quarter of that Game 7. The Heat eventually won and advanced to the Finals.

“We really felt like we were going to come back,” Tatum said. “We almost did. You know, we were a sprained ankle away from having like a real shot. So, you know, we are not relaxing or anything like that.”

There’s more out of Boston:

Second-year Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla‘s unique approach to the game has the club on the verge of capturing its record-setting 18th championship, notes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “Anytime you’re developing a new philosophy or a new style, it just takes time for understanding and execution,” Mazzulla said. Per Weiss, Mazzulla’s philosophy is all about preparation, as well as read-and-react basketball in a variety of situations. As Steve Buckley of The Athletic adds, Mazzulla rose quickly in the ranks from a second-row assistant coach under former head coach Ime Udoka to his current position. Mazzulla takes an unorthodox approach to his film sessions with his team, going so far as to use UFC clips to motivate players.
Some of Celtics coach-turned-team president Brad Stevens‘ less heralded team-building transactions have helped pay dividends for Boston as the Finals have worn on, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.com. With starting center Kristaps Porzingis out in Game 3, Mazzulla opted to use deep-bench reserve big Xavier Tillman behind newly elevated starter Al Horford. Tillman delivered, notching one critical three-pointer, four rebounds and two blocks. Robb also lauds Stevens for his decision to keep the faith in Jaylen Brown, who was frequently mentioned as a possible trade candidate for a more established star earlier in his career.
Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t able to play in Game 3, but there’s a chance he’ll be available in Game 4, Shams Charania of The Athletic said on FanDuel’s Run it Back show (Twitter video link). Mazzulla stressed that Boston’s commanding 3-0 lead won’t impact whether or not Porzingis will try to play on Friday, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Twitter link). Porzingis is dealing with a posterior tibialis dislocation in his left leg, suffered during Game 2. The 7’2″ center did get an opportunity to put some shots up during practice on Thursday while wearing a brace on his left ankle, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (Twitter links).

Celtics Notes: Lee, Porzingis, Tatum, Pagliuca

June 12th, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics assistant Charles Lee is the only participant in the NBA Finals who’s working two jobs. Lee, who was hired more than a month ago as the Hornets‘ next head coach, is preparing to take over in Charlotte while fulfilling his commitment to his current team, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape.

Lee said he sought advice from Kings head coach Mike Brown, who was in the same situation two years ago as an assistant with Golden State.

“The biggest thing is focusing on the right now, which I need to,” Lee said. “When my Celtics hat is on, I’m fully engaged. That is where my mind is at. When I leave the arena, all of the sudden you have to think about your staff and connecting with your players and what does the training camp and Summer League look like. I’ve been making pretty good progress.”

Once the Finals are done, Lee will only have a few days to spend with the Hornets before the draft and the start of free agency. He has already started to familiarize himself with the team, according to Spears, meeting LaMelo Ball for lunch, watching a pair of workouts in Charlotte, and holding Zoom calls with prospective members of his coaching staff. Lee told Spears that he plans to coach the Hornets’ Summer League team in July.

“I’m so excited for a number of reasons,” Lee said. “Nothing is ever given to you. And you have to work for it. And that’s what I’m all about and the mentality I want to bring to Charlotte, too. It’s not going to be easy. No one is going to give us anything. But we have to work every day. You have to be obsessed with daily improvement.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

The leg injury that Kristaps Porzingis suffered in Game 2 has the potential to change the direction of the series, observe Jared Weiss and Jay King of The Athletic. Weiss notes that Boston hasn’t been nearly as good defensively in the playoffs with backup big men Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta on the court, while King suggests Jayson Tatum may see time at center in small-ball lineups if Porzingis is unavailable.
Tatum tells Khari Thompson of The Boston Globe that he’s reached a point in his career where he can help the Celtics even when his shot isn’t falling. Tatum is just 12-of-38 from the field in the past two games, but he’s contributing by rebounding, passing and playing defense. “I think being in the Finals two years ago has helped me in this moment,” he said. “I understand that I do need to be more efficient. I do need to shoot the ball better, I would not disagree with anybody on that. But I’m not letting it bother me. I’m still trying to find ways to impact the game and dominate the game in other areas.”
Celtics minority owner Stephen Pagliuca spoke to Brian Lewis and Josh Kosman of The New York Post about how close he came to joining Joe Tsai in his purchase of the Nets in 2017.

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