This week's outside coverage split into four threads: Brad Stevens on the reshaped roster, a question about Mazzulla's fifth season, a career-year pitch for Pritchard, and dueling looks at the backcourt. Each holds up against last season's numbers, though camp has not started and the record still reads 0-0.
Stevens' comments don't change what the trade already settled.
Brad Stevens spoke with MassLive's Brian Robb about the roster's new shape after the Jaylen Brown deal. The trade sent Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George and four draft picks, closing the pairing with Tatum that dated to 2016. George played just 37 games last season at 36, averaging 17.3 points on 39.2 percent shooting from three, so the questions about durability and fit were already on the table before Stevens said a word. Camp will answer more than commentary can.
Year five starts with a roster he didn't build.
Grant Burfeind's CelticsBlog piece asked what to make of Mazzulla entering his fifth season. Last season's group finished 56-26, ranked second in the league in offense and fourth in defense, for a scoring margin of 8.3, before Philadelphia eliminated Boston in the opening round of the playoffs — the series that fed directly into this summer's trade. Whatever verdict the piece reaches, it is judging a coach against personnel that has since changed at forward.
Pritchard's name gets an argument attached to it for once.
Jack Anderson's CelticsBlog column argued Pritchard is set up for a career year. He comes off 79 games at 17.0 points, 5.2 assists and 37.7 percent shooting from three, and his name has surfaced in notes roundups on September 12, 14 and 19 without detail attached to any of them. This is the first of those mentions to come with an actual case behind it rather than just a name on a list.
The backcourt draws scrutiny from two directions at once.
CelticsBlog's Jack Quantrill floated Ryan Rollins as a future answer at Derrick White's spot, while Celtics.com published its own breakdown of the position group. White is coming off 77 games at 16.5 points, 5.4 assists and 32.7 percent from three, the standard any comparison has to clear. Separately, Robb noted a former Celtics forward was waived by the Lakers before camp — a subtraction from Boston's roster history, not an addition to this year's group.
Why did the Celtics trade Jaylen Brown?
Boston sent Brown to Philadelphia this summer for Paul George and four draft picks, ending the pairing with Tatum that began in 2016. No further reason for the deal has been reported.
Is Mazzulla facing pressure entering his fifth season?
Last season ended with an opening-round playoff loss to Philadelphia that helped trigger this summer's trade, and CelticsBlog's own question about what to make of him shows the scrutiny is real. No verdict has been reported yet.
More from The Parquet Report
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Player focus · Mon, Sep 21What Sixteen Games Told Us About Tatum, and What They Didn't
Morning · Mon, Sep 21A Preseason Schedule Arrives, With Philadelphia Twice On It
The big question · Sun, Sep 20Pritchard's Name Keeps Surfacing. No One Says Why.
From the archives · Sun, Sep 20Two Blueprints for a Banner, and Boston Just Switched Back
Morning · Sun, Sep 20A Return Date Beats the Preseason Calendar
Cap watch · Sat, Sep 19Cap Watch: A Roster Priced Above the Tax Line