Celtics Media Day healed me

I spent the summer fighting off doubt and gloom, the natural byproduct of an offseason full of change. Then came Day 1. Celtics Media Day healed me.

To be honest, I’ve always found myself of the glass half full mindset when it comes to the Celtics. When things get hard, I tend to see light at the end of the tunnel. I’d like to think I can speak for most fans when I say the Jayson Tatum injury, and the ensuing roster overhaul made it harder to talk yourself into the positives. I still tried to do that, but I can’t say I always fully believed it – until now.

With our first peak at the new-look Celtics, it’s clear that the entire organization is fired up for this season. Less established players like Jordan Walsh and Luka Garza spoke eagerly about seeing a clear pathway to real minutes, while Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons have space to continue growing.

This is going to result in a lot of healthy competition up and down the roster. Pairing that with a culture built around unselfishness, everyone is going to be pushed to get better for the sake of the team. 

Xavier Tillman shared an incredibly team-oriented mindset in regards to the possibility of a big-man battle.

“I’m excited to keep motivating them to keep getting better day in and day out, and not kinda coast,” Tillman said.

This is an ideal environment for players to compete and help each other grow, and I’m looking forward to seeing who comes out on top early. With no lineups set in stone either, they’ll have to work even harder to hold on to the minutes with hungry players behind them.

Brad Stevens highlighted the fact that Joe Mazzulla’s coaching staff had very little turnover. That’s a pretty big deal in a situation like this where they’re not forced to spend time getting on the same page, and can focus instead on learning what they have, and deciding who they want to be.

This is the first season in a long time where the outside noise is quiet, and the expectations are low. The pressure has been turned down a lot. That doesn’t mean the team’s standards are lower – Mazzulla will make sure of that – but it could really help some of the young guys to find their footing with more freedom.

For once, Boston’s unproven talent should get a longer leash. In the pursuit of a championship, there’s not a lot of room to prioritize in-game developmental reps, but that is the quickest path toward growth. Some players respond well to being thrown into the fire, for others though, they need time to fail and learn from it. This year can be all about growth.

Believe me, I’m as eager as anyone to get back to meaningful postseason basketball. I was doing 18 push-ups during each commercial break of Game 5 against the Mavericks, trying to will Banner 18 into existence. However, taking a step back from the spotlight and getting to be the underdog again is refreshing.

The Celtics have lived by the mantra “pressure is a privilege” during their time at the top. As true – and catchy – as that may be, they have a chance to punch above their weight for once. It’s a lot of fun to play spoiler to better teams, and that feels like a mentality this team is really going to embody.

Some of my personal favorite seasons have been fueled by teams that knew they were being counted out, and they were happy about it. Think of the Isaiah Thomas led Celtics, and the pure joy of snapping the Golden State Warriors 54-game home winning streak.

This allows space for a wider range of acceptable outcomes, too. If Boston has an awesome year and wins more games than expected, that’s a great sign that a few players popped with more opportunity. If they’re bad, chances are they’ll still be pretty fun to watch, and lower expectations makes that easier to swallow. 

The wonderful news? This is temporary! We aren’t getting started on year one of a long rebuild, searching for stars. This is the interlude that connects us to the next chapter of contention. The priority is identifying key contributors that can be counted on, and taking time to understand what the next championship roster should look like.

Media Day showed that despite the changes, this team still has drive and high character. They’ll be different, but in a way that fans should enjoy. I’m ready to embrace a new group of underdogs.