Went to the Celtics open practice session for season ticket holders last night. Full court scrimmage. A few takeaways:
-Hate to start out negative but words can't describe how unimpressive Sully was. He still looks heavy and he was getting blocked or swiped on almost every touch, it was pathetic. Not only that, but he was even wearing some god-awful baggy capris or something and sporting a terrible mohawk haircut.
-On the other side, Olynyk looks great. It's clear he's a step ahead after playing with the national team all summer. Aggressive and polished play.
-Smart, Bradley, Isaiah were basically as expected. Isaiah is the man, clapping, cheering, interacting with the crowd, and hanging with his adorable son. This backcourt is going to give some teams major problems on defense. There were a few minutes when two of them locked in on each other and upped the intensity a bit, was fun to watch.
-Rookies: Mickey was the stand out. I'm curious if he can find his way through established but flawed players to secure some minutes. He provides athleticism, speed, and burst that the rest of their big guys don't. Some great blocks and finishes on the break. Rozier is a blast to watch play, quite the ballhawk and electric speed. For what was his biggest weakness pre-draft, I don't think his jumper is broken or anything. Nailed at least 2 3s and shoots with confidence. Hunter was a bit quiet except for a ridiculous ball screen 28 footer. Such a quick release.
-Shooting was pretty poor except for Jerebko. He'll carve out a role just because of that.
-Nothing really to say about James Young, which is a bit disappointing. Not bad but didn't stand out.
-I have no idea how they are going to deal with the logjam at power forward - Sully, Johnson, Olynyk, Jerebko, Lee. I was not terribly impressed with Lee.