The Celtics have wrapped up scrimmage play inside the NBA’s bubble, falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder, besting the Phoenix Suns, and losing to the Houston Rockets. Up next is their first seeding game Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Here’s what you need to know about the Celtics right now:
1. Kemba Walker is continuing to manage his knee.
Starting point guard Kemba Walker only appeared in one of the team’s three scrimmages, as he continues to rest his left knee. Walker played nine minutes against the Suns and, according to coach Brad Stevens, will remain on a minutes restriction at least through early seeding games. Against the Suns, Walker shot 2 of 6 from the field and did not appear tentative on his few drives to the basket.
Walker and the Celtics have been taking things slow, with the intention of having him fully available once the postseason rolls around. Since arriving in Orlando, Walker has essentially practiced every other day.
“I got to be smart about things at this point,” Walker said. “It just is what it is. You know, I wanna be there for my teammates when we’re in the playoffs. Hopefully, by then, the restrictions and things of that nature are completely off.”
Discomfort in Walker’s knee had been an area of concern prior to the league’s shutdown in March. Soreness kept him out of three games leading up to the All-Star break, and he missed another six after getting his knee drained and receiving an anti-inflammatory injection following the break. The team has maintained there are no structural issues.
“I’m not really concerned much, honestly, because I’m trending upwards and I’m getting closer to a return,” Walker said. “So, I’m fine. And I’ll be back better than ever, I think.”
2. The Celtics seem to be taking it slow, too.
The Celtics are within striking distance of the East’s No. 2 seed, as they sit three games back of the Toronto Raptors.
Stevens, however, seems more focused on prepping the team for the first round of the playoffs, which begins Aug. 17.
The condensed “regular-season” timeline — three scrimmages and eight games in less than a month — gives the Celtics little lead-up before postseason-level basketball. As shown by his decision to rest Walker, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, and Daniel Theis, Stevens will be judicious in distributing playing time.
“We want to be at our best on August 17th,″ Stevens said. “Obviously, the seeding games are important for everybody that’s there, but, at the same time, the most important time for us will be that August 17th day.
3. Players are still speaking up about social justice.
Like several teams inside the bubble, the Celtics have been working to keep social justice causes at the forefront.
In his past two media availabilities, Smart has called for justice for Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old Black woman who was killed inside her apartment after Louisville police officers utilized a no-knock search warrant and fired more than 20 shots at her and her boyfriend.
Brown, Kanter, and Tremont Waters have spoken up about Taylor, too.
The Players’ Association has also organized multiple conference calls, including one with Taylor’s mother and another with former First Lady Michelle Obama.
“To have somebody like Michelle Obama take her time to show up and give us courage and educate us even more, to help us with what we’ve got going,” Smart said. “Guys are really taking it seriously, and you gotta take your hat off to everybody really, really working as hard as they can to make their voices be heard.”
According to Stevens, the Celtics also plan to announce some new initiatives in the coming weeks.
“We want to use the platform as a league and a platform as an organization to help promote long-lasting change,” he said.
4. The Celtics have been staying busy.
To pass their downtime, the Celtics have made use of the bubble’s amenities.
Tatum is often out on the golf course, while a number of Celtics have gone swimming in the pool.
“I just want us to have a joyful period,” Stevens said. “It’s not just about the games right now. There’s 21 other hours where you’re in the hotel.”
Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter just raced in the pool: pic.twitter.com/Ut5HCePSLw
— Boston.com Celtics News (@BDCCeltics) July 18, 2020
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