Celtics notebook: Summer plans shape up

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics/2016/02/celtics_notebook_summer_plans_shape_up



Celtics notebook: Summer plans shape up




Salt Lake City, Vegas on itinerary once again

Steve Bulpett


Wednesday, February 03, 2016






Marcus Smart (36) puts up a shot against New York Knicks center Robin Lopez ( during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in New York.



NEW YORK — The Celtics will again be playing in two summer leagues this July. The Herald has confirmed the club will send its rookies and other younger players to both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

After years of playing just in Orlando, Fla., with three draft picks (Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter, Jordan Mickey) and the need to get work for holdovers Marcus Smart and James Young work, the Celts chose to double up last year.

And the C’s could have quite a few rookies this summer. Barring a trade, it appears they will have their own first-round pick, as well as those of the New Jersey Nets and Dallas Mavericks.

The Utah circuit will again have just four teams and run July 4-7. Las Vegas’ schedule will go July 8-18, with the Celtics most likely having that first day free after the Salt Lake City stint wraps up the day before.

“I like the way it worked out last year,” coach Brad Stevens said before the Celts’ 97-89 win against the New York Knicks last night. “I thought in Utah, the chance to play basically a road game (against the Jazz in their home arena) was really good. I thought that kind of knocked our guys back in the first game last year. You don’t get a chance to do that in the summer. And then I thought that getting a chance to play through Vegas and play in a tournament atmosphere was great, too. I thought they were preparing like it was a regular-season game. They were doing everything the way that we do it. It was good. I liked it.”


No rush on Mickey

It was noted recently in the Herald that the Celtics may be itching a bit to get Mickey, who was crushing it for the Maine Red Claws in the D-League before spraining his left ankle, a decent look at the NBA level.

President of basketball operations Danny Ainge offered a mild rebuttal.

“Sure,” Ainge said, “but we’re not in a rush. I’m sure Jordan would love to be in a rush, but we like his development. So whatever we can do to help him continue to get better and more prepared is good. But we’re not in a rush on that.”

Ainge refuted the notion that Mickey can’t get much more out of dominating D-League opponents.

“He gets continuous reps, and I think he’s learning,” Ainge said. “I think the D-League experience is good for all our young players. They’re playing in real games instead of just practicing.”
Mickey has been out since Jan. 16 and is still a way off from returning.

“When we were home last, our last practice was Thursday, and he did the first 20 minutes, so it was all the shooting and movement and everything else,” Stevens said. “None of the contact work or even the offense-defense, five-on-zero work. But he was progressing in the right manner, and from everything I’ve been told continues to do so. I don’t know if we’ll have him do anything prior to the All-Star break, but I can’t imagine him not being available after that point.”


Better and better

Smart is showing a marked improvement in his offensive numbers as he shakes off the effect of a bruised knee that kept him out for 18 games from just before Thanksgiving to just after Christmas.

In his first 23 appearances this season, the second-year guard shot 33.3 percent from the floor (19.5 on 3-pointers) and averaged 8.7 points. Even with last night’s 1-for-5 against the Knicks and an 0-for-5 last week against the Denver Nuggets, Smart is shooting 45.5 percent in the last six games (43.3 percent on treys) for 13.2 points in the last six outings.

“He’s getting better,” Stevens said. “Clearly he’s in much more of a groove offensively. That was a concern when he first came back, just because, again, he wasn’t able to be on his feet much, which, you know, sometimes when you get hurt and you’re able to rehab, you can get a lot of shots up and you can not have to get your skill back, in a way. It’s good that he feels more comfortable now.”



bob


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