Rookies & Red Claws = Theis, Ojeleye, Yabusele, Nader; (Allen, Bird)

sam_I_am · Post #181 » by **sam_I_am** » Tue Oct 3, 2017 12:58 pm

I thought Yabs looked out of shape and very rusty. Theis showed he can do what he did in Europe in NBA. He will step in and take the Jerebko/Olynyk role. Semi looks NBA ready on D. Nader is a nice guy to have because if a game changer trade is possible and we had to give up a Jaylen Brown for example - or if an injury, Nader looks like an adequate stop gap.

Dogen · Post #182 » by **Dogen** » Tue Oct 3, 2017 1:12 pm

sam_I_am wrote:I thought Yabs looked out of shape and very rusty. Theis showed he can do what he did in Europe in NBA. He will step in and take the Jerebko/Olynyk role. Semi looks NBA ready on D. Nader is a nice guy to have because if a game changer trade is possible and we had to give up a Jaylen Brown for example - or if an injury, Nader looks like an adequate stop gap.

Yeah, Yabs looked awful. Seemed doughy compared to his China highlights. Well the NBA game is faster and he may have got fatter after the foot surgery. I’m not expecting much from him this year, and he’s not a critical part of the rotation so willing to wait. Nader looked good off the dribble but I don’t think he’ll get many minutes barring an injury. Maybe he can teach some of his offensive moves to Jaylen.

Semi seems to be trying to play within himself and the system. I think he’ll establish a role this year, getting regular minutes in small doses.

Green89 · Post #183 » by **Green89** » Tue Oct 3, 2017 2:17 pm

Who would have guessed most of the praise after the 1st game would be about Theis and Bird over Tatum and Yabu.

24istheLAW · Post #184 » by **24istheLAW** » Tue Oct 3, 2017 2:28 pm

Green89 wrote:Who would have guessed most of the praise after the 1st game would be about Theis and Bird over Tatum and Yabu.

Theis being more of an impact than Yabusele was predictable. Theis is 25, has a bunch of Euroleague experience, and profiled as a better NBA player than European player in terms of strengths and weaknesses. Yabu is much younger, no competitive experience, and doesn't have a simple role like Theis does.

Bird also has a neater fit on an NBA team than Tatum does, although I would read less into Bird having a good game than Theis. He's a 2-guard out of the box, doesn't need to learn how to guard new players or play new roles on offense like Tatum does.

Post #185 » by **Parliament10** » Thu Oct 5, 2017 8:36 pm

Ranking the Young Bigs After 1 Preseason Game
by Joshua Bateman | 10-05-17

https://hardwoodhoudini.com/2017/10/05/boston-celtics-ranking-the-young-bigs-after-1-preseason-game/

#1 Daniel Theis

Theis made the exact kind of impression a new player dreams of in the first game. You can point to anything the Celtics will be looking for out of him this season, and he did it well in that first game.

He had a defensive impact, while spreading the floor. He had a put back dunk and an alley opp. He was constantly involved and played with the kind of intensity that this team loves.

Theis is coming off a defensive player of the year award overseas, and he got a lot of attention in EuroBasket this season. That combined with his first preseason performance makes it easy for him to top this list, even if it seemed unlikely when they first signed him.

#2 Abdel Nader

Nader might have been the most pleasant surprise in that first preseason game. He was the most aggressive big on the offensive end, and he was able to do whatever he wanted.

He was the team’s second leading scorer with 10 points in just 11 minutes, and he did it as a shooter and attacking the rim.

Nader looked comfortable and fluid on the offensive end, and showed great signs of being capable of bringing an offensive spark off the bench,

Nader is smaller than the other bigs, and does not have the kind of frame that will make him a defensive presence in the paint. That being said, scoring could be a problem for the second unit, and if Nader can be trusted the way he was in that first preseason game, then you better believe he is going to get minutes with the second unit.

#3 Semi Ojeleye

Ojeleye really was not much more impressive than Yabusele. He actually managed to score, with one three pointer, but he could not rebound like Yabusele. You can nit pick the numbers they put up, but the difference was that Ojeleye looked more comfortable on the court.

Ojeleye was actually second to only Jayson Tatum in minutes played, and that might be the best sign for him. Ojeleye has less material out there than Yabusele, making it more difficult to gauge what he can offer.

That difference will get Ojeleye more opportunities, and as long as Yabusele is failing to do anything with his, those extra minutes could make all the difference.

#4 Guerschon Yabusele

Yabusele probably went into camp as the favorite to be the most impactful young big off the bench. He had the extra season overseas, and has long been a fan favorite. He fits that Draymond Green type ideal model, and the Celtics have high hopes for him....

Yabusele looked lost on the court, especially on offense. He missed every shot he took and was one of the few players that was not moving the ball well. It is not surprising that a player this fresh would need time to get comfortable, but he looked further behind than anyone else.

He did bring in six rebounds, which is one of the biggest priorities. The problem is that the Celtics have these young versatile bigs specifically because they do more than just bring that rebounding size.

Mack Lundquist · Post #186 » by **Mack Lundquist** » Fri Oct 6, 2017 7:04 pm

I saw over at reddit a clip where Brad Stevens said passing is Yabusele's best skill and he needs to emulate Al Horford in that regard.It would be nice to see that aspect of his game.

King Of The 4th · Post #187 » by **King Of The 4th** » Tue Oct 10, 2017 12:53 pm

Pierce passing the torch to the next Celtic legend:

Watch on YouTube

Gant · Post #188 » by **Gant** » Wed Oct 11, 2017 12:24 pm

Bulpett article on the rookies. "Celtics coach Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge happy to have too much of a good thing in terms of talent":

“Theis is legit,” Ainge said. “Theis can play. Theis and Guerschon are legit players. Semi has had a training camp and he had a good college career, but Daniel Theis has had like nine years of professional sports, and you can tell watching him play, not only about making or missing shots, but he knows where to be. He was the top defensive player in the German league last year. He really knows how to play.”

“Semi can defend multiple positions and he can make 3’s, and Guerschon is a pretty complete player, but he’s just young and he’s coming off of an injury. I’ve seen him play, but I don’t think our coaches have seen who he really he is yet, even though we’ve seen signs of it here in the exhibition games. He knows how to play. He’s got a chance to be a really good player. He can shoot and pass.

“I just don’t want to put a bunch of pressure on those guys too soon.”

“And then the way Jabari (Bird, who’s on a two-way contract) has played real well. I think Brad would feel confident playing him in any situation right now. We also have a roster spot open, and we’ll continue to look and see if we can fill that in any way we need to. But we’re in no rush, because we like our guys and you can only have 13 dressed.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics/2017/10/celtics_coach_brad_stevens_president_of_basketball_operations_danny_ainge

cloverleaf · Post #189 » by **cloverleaf** » Wed Oct 11, 2017 1:24 pm

Gant wrote:Bulpett article on the rookies. "Celtics coach Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge happy to have too much of a good thing in terms of talent":

“Theis is legit,” Ainge said. “Theis can play. Theis and Guerschon are legit players. Semi has had a training camp and he had a good college career, but Daniel Theis has had like nine years of professional sports, and you can tell watching him play, not only about making or missing shots, but he knows where to be. He was the top defensive player in the German league last year. He really knows how to play.”

“Semi can defend multiple positions and he can make 3’s, and Guerschon is a pretty complete player, but he’s just young and he’s coming off of an injury. I’ve seen him play, but I don’t think our coaches have seen who he really he is yet, even though we’ve seen signs of it here in the exhibition games. He knows how to play. He’s got a chance to be a really good player. He can shoot and pass.

“I just don’t want to put a bunch of pressure on those guys too soon.”

“And then the way Jabari (Bird, who’s on a two-way contract) has played real well. I think Brad would feel confident playing him in any situation right now. We also have a roster spot open, and we’ll continue to look and see if we can fill that in any way we need to. But we’re in no rush, because we like our guys and you can only have 13 dressed.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics/2017/10/celtics_coach_brad_stevens_president_of_basketball_operations_danny_ainge

I think if everyone is healthy, all but Larkin dresses, with Nader the second lowest on the ladder. Bird could get a chance to play ahead of Larkin, especially. And Yabs, Nader, and Semi only get sent to Maine if they somehow don't look good in the first month and/or end up sitting too much. Larkin should get his chances on the inevitable nights when Kyrie is out with some nagging injury, however. If there's any real competition right now it is between Nader and Bird to be the spare wing off the bench, and between Yabs and Theis to be the fourth big off the bench. Semi is probably stuck with scraps behind Hayward, Tatum and Brown insofar as they soak up minutes at the 3 and small/stretch 4.

Theocy · Post #190 » by **Theocy** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 11:50 am

Still dont like Nader. He can score but he will never pass. I think this team is abiut passing.

Tatum can be our Giannis. Not as athletic (the greek freak is uhm well a freak) but with a more polished game probably and better basketball skills. Looking forward to seeing him develop into an All star. It will probsbly take a few years.

Post #191 » by **Parliament10** » Fri Oct 13, 2017 10:51 am

Read on Twitter

Gant · Post #192 » by **Gant** » Sat Oct 14, 2017 1:08 pm

Read on Twitter

Elrod is Back · Post #193 » by **Elrod is Back** » Sat Oct 14, 2017 2:49 pm

Theis seems like the logical guy to pick up the back-up big minutes along with Baynes, assuming Morris starts. Excellent defender who won't make bonehead mistakes.

Give Yabs lots of playing time in Maine.

Sactowndog · Post #194 » by **Sactowndog** » Sat Oct 14, 2017 3:07 pm

Theocy wrote:Still dont like Nader. He can score but he will never pass. I think this team is abiut passing.

Tatum can be our Giannis. Not as athletic (the greek freak is uhm well a freak) but with a more polished game probably and better basketball skills. Looking forward to seeing him develop into an All star. It will probsbly take a few years.

Never pass? Wonder how he got that assist in 9 minutes of play?

Actually I think I saw him drive and dish a couple times. I'm not saying the guy is going to be an all star or even get extended minutes, but I don't get the irrational comments like "never pass" I see thrown around this board.

Post #195 » by **Parliament10** » Sat Oct 14, 2017 4:00 pm

Sactowndog wrote:
Theocy wrote:Still dont like Nader. He can score but he will never pass. I think this team is abiut passing.

Tatum can be our Giannis. Not as athletic (the greek freak is uhm well a freak) but with a more polished game probably and better basketball skills. Looking forward to seeing him develop into an All star. It will probsbly take a few years.

Never pass? Wonder how he got that assist in 9 minutes of play?

Actually I think I saw him drive and dish a couple times. I'm not saying the guy is going to be an all star or even get extended minutes, but I don't get the irrational comments like "never pass" I see thrown around this board.

If you had watched him in the D/G-League, you would have seen. They all play Hero ball down there.
Nader still has a lot of that in him. -- He needs to learn how to play more Team Ball.

Sactowndog · Post #196 » by **Sactowndog** » Sat Oct 14, 2017 4:22 pm

Parliament10 wrote:
Sactowndog wrote:
Theocy wrote:Still dont like Nader. He can score but he will never pass. I think this team is abiut passing.

Tatum can be our Giannis. Not as athletic (the greek freak is uhm well a freak) but with a more polished game probably and better basketball skills. Looking forward to seeing him develop into an All star. It will probsbly take a few years.

Never pass? Wonder how he got that assist in 9 minutes of play?

Actually I think I saw him drive and dish a couple times. I'm not saying the guy is going to be an all star or even get extended minutes, but I don't get the irrational comments like "never pass" I see thrown around this board.

If you had watched him in the D/G-League, you would have seen. They all play Hero ball down there.
Nader still has a lot of that in him. -- He needs to learn how to play more Team Ball.

I did watch G league and I saw some of that but I also saw quite a bit of him driving and dishing. Yes he has games where he stupidly bulls to the basket and fails to make the open pass. One summer league game was a perfect example of that point.

But I have also seen games where he drives and passes such as last game. Whether he has the basketball IQ to largely make the right decision is still an issue. But to say he never passes would be a gross generalization. He is not selfish but he may not have the basketball IQ for this level. We shall see.

Elrod is Back · Post #197 » by **Elrod is Back** » Sat Oct 14, 2017 4:43 pm

Sactowndog wrote:
Parliament10 wrote:
Sactowndog wrote:
Never pass? Wonder how he got that assist in 9 minutes of play?

Actually I think I saw him drive and dish a couple times. I'm not saying the guy is going to be an all star or even get extended minutes, but I don't get the irrational comments like "never pass" I see thrown around this board.

If you had watched him in the D/G-League, you would have seen. They all play Hero ball down there.
Nader still has a lot of that in him. -- He needs to learn how to play more Team Ball.

I did watch G league and I saw some of that but I also saw quite a bit of him driving and dishing. Yes he has games where he stupidly bulls to the basket and fails to make the open pass. One summer league game was a perfect example of that point.

But I have also seen games where he drives and passes such as last game. Whether he has the basketball IQ to largely make the right decision is still an issue. But to say he never passes would be a gross generalization. He is not selfish but he may not have the basketball IQ for this level. We shall see.

Bad news for you, pal. You will never make it on this board. If you can't make a definitive assessment of a player for all time based on summer league and pre-season play, not more then 30 minutes of playing time necessary, you don't have what it takes. Sorry.

Sactowndog · Post #198 » by **Sactowndog** » Sat Oct 14, 2017 4:47 pm

Elrod is Back wrote:
Sactowndog wrote:
Parliament10 wrote:If you had watched him in the D/G-League, you would have seen. They all play Hero ball down there.
Nader still has a lot of that in him. -- He needs to learn how to play more Team Ball.

I did watch G league and I saw some of that but I also saw quite a bit of him driving and dishing. Yes he has games where he stupidly bulls to the basket and fails to make the open pass. One summer league game was a perfect example of that point.

But I have also seen games where he drives and passes such as last game. Whether he has the basketball IQ to largely make the right decision is still an issue. But to say he never passes would be a gross generalization. He is not selfish but he may not have the basketball IQ for this level. We shall see.

Bad news for you, pal. You will never make it on this board. If you can't make a definitive assessment of a player for all time based on summer league and pre-season play, not more then 30 minutes of playing time necessary, you don't have what it takes. Sorry.

I'll work on that. Apparently my IQ needs some work also :nod:

BfB · Post #199 » by **BfB** » Sat Oct 14, 2017 5:48 pm

Elrod is Back wrote:
Sactowndog wrote:
Parliament10 wrote:If you had watched him in the D/G-League, you would have seen. They all play Hero ball down there.
Nader still has a lot of that in him. -- He needs to learn how to play more Team Ball.

I did watch G league and I saw some of that but I also saw quite a bit of him driving and dishing. Yes he has games where he stupidly bulls to the basket and fails to make the open pass. One summer league game was a perfect example of that point.

But I have also seen games where he drives and passes such as last game. Whether he has the basketball IQ to largely make the right decision is still an issue. But to say he never passes would be a gross generalization. He is not selfish but he may not have the basketball IQ for this level. We shall see.

Bad news for you, pal. You will never make it on this board. If you can't make a definitive assessment of a player for all time based on summer league and pre-season play, not more then 30 minutes of playing time necessary, you don't have what it takes. Sorry.

Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Theocy · Post #200 » by **Theocy** » Sat Oct 14, 2017 8:13 pm

Sactowndog wrote:
Elrod is Back wrote:
Sactowndog wrote:
I did watch G league and I saw some of that but I also saw quite a bit of him driving and dishing. Yes he has games where he stupidly bulls to the basket and fails to make the open pass. One summer league game was a perfect example of that point.

But I have also seen games where he drives and passes such as last game. Whether he has the basketball IQ to largely make the right decision is still an issue. But to say he never passes would be a gross generalization. He is not selfish but he may not have the basketball IQ for this level. We shall see.

Bad news for you, pal. You will never make it on this board. If you can't make a definitive assessment of a player for all time based on summer league and pre-season play, not more then 30 minutes of playing time necessary, you don't have what it takes. Sorry.

I'll work on that. Apparently my IQ needs some work also

Easily triggered both of you. Nader looked like a shoot first think later kind of guy in pre season (ignore summer league). In fact someone in this forum painted a nice pocture of him suggesting he makes his team mates look like traffic cones.

Obviously my statement was a gross simplification. It's a sports' forum we tend to do that. Someone is trying to convince us kaminski is the goat in a different threat. You get the gist.

Chill boys. We shall know in the following 3-4 months but with so many attacking options at this team i hate to believe Nader will be bullying his way to the basket. He probably plays 2 mpg. Happy to set up a poll about him 8-)

Also if i am wrong and he fits in this team, fantastic. I enjoy a good game even when i am wrong.