Celtics Nightly

Boston won its first four October games before its first loss. On Oct. 8 the Celtics won 124-113 in Cleveland. Two nights later they routed Philadelphia 144-106 at home. On Oct. 14 they beat Charlotte 114-93. On Oct. 16 they won 125-120 in Philadelphia, a second win over the team that now has Jaylen Brown. The run ended on Oct. 20 in Detroit with a 121-113 loss. The two wins over the 76ers stand out because Brown's new team is an East rival Boston will see again. The Detroit game was the most recent look at this group before the Knicks come to town. That is a small sample against varied lineups, but the offense put up big numbers in most of those games.

The biggest change since last season is on the wing. Jaylen Brown is now with the 76ers, and Nikola Vucevic is with the Magic. Brown was part of all five of Boston's most-used lineups last season. The best of them was Brown, White, Queta, Pritchard and Hauser: 200.0 minutes over 35 games with a net rating of 17.9. Four of those five players are still here. Another Brown group with White, Queta, Hauser and Baylor Scheierman finished at plus-11.9 in 115.0 minutes. The front office now has to find those minutes elsewhere. Paul George, Jordan Walsh and Ron Harper Jr. are the most obvious wing options on the roster. Last season Boston went 56-26 with a 120.0 offensive rating, a 111.7 defensive rating and a net rating of 8.3, so the bar is high.

Jayson Tatum is the centerpiece. He played only 16 games last season but averaged 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 32.6 minutes. Derrick White was the steady hand, playing 77 games with 16.5 points and 5.4 assists and a plus-7.8. Payton Pritchard led the team in games played with 79. He averaged 17.0 points and shot 37.7 percent from three. On Oct. 13 Shams Charania reported that Pritchard and the Celtics agreed to a two-year extension. Paul George is 36 and in his 16th season. Last season he played 37 games and averaged 17.3 points on 39.2 percent from three. Mike Conley, 39 and in his 19th season, adds a veteran guard who averaged 2.9 assists in 18.4 minutes last season.

Neemias Queta is the returning starter at center. Last season he played 76 games and averaged 10.2 points and 8.4 rebounds with a plus-6.3. Mitchell Robinson gives Boston a second big who rebounds. He grabbed 8.8 boards in just 19.6 minutes across 60 games last season. Luka Garza and Amari Williams add depth up front. Two rookies are on the roster: Chris Cenac Jr., a 19-year-old forward, and forward Dillon Mitchell. The spacing comes from Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman. Hauser shot 39.3 percent from three over 78 games last season. Scheierman shot 39.9 percent over 77 games. Hugo Gonzalez, 20, and Jordan Walsh, 22, are the young guards fighting for rotation minutes. Last season the team posted a 55.3 effective field goal percentage at a pace of 95.6.

Devin Carter is the only name on the injury report. He is out with an illness and has an estimated return of Nov. 8. That would keep him out of at least the first five games. Carter played 38 games last season and averaged 8.9 points in 18.4 minutes. There is also a contract change. On Oct. 17 the Celtics were reported to be converting Carter to a two-way contract. The same day, Boston waived four camp invitees to set the roster. The most recent team notes, from Oct. 21, cover George, Robinson, Tatum and Pritchard. Notes from Gary Washburn on Oct. 18 also touched on George, Carter and Brown. With Carter out, Pritchard, White, Conley and Gonzalez should handle the guard minutes early.