Offseason Changes and Player Rankings…
This time last year, I ranked the Celtics players based on sheer skill, ignoring the fact that some had pre-game rituals stranger than wearing mismatched socks. This preseason, we look ahead as star Jayson Tatum nurses an injury. When Tatum’s at full tilt, he’s like a basketball wizard—so good you half expect him to pull a rabbit out of a sneaker. As for Tatum’s chances this season, it might be more about how well he can juggle rehab and magic tricks than his on-court performances.
Starting the ranks, Max Shulga hit a 24% shooting slump that makes your grandma’s aim at the dartboard look like she could play for the Red Sox. RJ Luis joined from the Pee-Wee injury club but has potential like a puppy on coffee determined to leap a fence. Then there’s Hugo Gonzalez, recruited with the hope his shot finds its way home like a doomed bumblebee finding an open flower. Finally, we come to Xavier Tillman Sr., who seems to have cooked himself a slow-roasted knee over the past season. Can these Celtics rookies and new signings fill the towering shoes of Tatum—in between Gandalf’s magic lessons, that is?
