Jaylen Brown s growth revelation, center training program and other

Recently, Jason Tatum was photographed walking normally with his protective boots removed, Joe Mazula appeared at the New England Patriot, and Jaylen Brown shared many valuable experiences. Apart from that, there is not much update from the Celtics recently. Now is a good time to answer questions from readers of The Athletic. The core problem is, what is the specific goal of this "Transition Year"? We know Derek White’s position (the position of his core puzzle should be retained for the next five years), but what happens when Jaylen Brown is given the number one offensive choice? He may explode into becoming a member of the first/second team of the best team - if so, should he be exchanged for heavy trading assets and rebuilding the 2027 lineup around Tatum? If Payton Pritchard evolves again, should he become a bargaining chip? I think the 2027 season should start with Tatum and White as dual cores, and then decide to retain Brown/Prichard or start a big deal. This is essentially a "right-strike" strategy - since head coach Mazula and GM Stevens refuse to play completely, our lower limit is to compete for a playoff spot, and the upper limit is the fourth/5 seed in the Eastern Conference (provided that Brown, White and Pritchard play very well), but the most realistic goal may be the sixth seed. At the same time, young players can be given more playing time and cultivate reliable rotations for the 2027 season. At present, no industry insiders have systematically explained the target priorities for next season. How should this transition year be planned?

The target ranking is indefinitely...

1. Cultivating one or two qualified centers

Celtics have a tradition of tapping potential centers: Daniel Thes was unknown when he joined and eventually became an important member of the starter of the Eastern Conference Finals; Luke Connett shot as a wandering player and had a contract of 41 million when he left the team; but he has successfully grown from a two-way contract player in 2023 to a stable rotation last season to get enough playing time.

Queta, who is about to take the starting center, will face more stringent tests. The center rotation consisting of him, Luca Garza and Xavier Tillman, even Stevens admits that it is a lineup shortcoming on paper. If Quita and/or Garza can grow beyond expectations and become a long-term solution, it will be a major benefit to the team; on the contrary, if there is still no reliable center after the end of the season, it will seriously affect future layout.

What's more serious is that during Tatum's absence, the team's center will lose the support of this all-round striker who always simplifies the game. Brown and White will need to take more responsibility to relieve pressure on Quita and Garza.

2. Help Brown adapt to his new role

When thinking that Brown will be the number one offensive core in his career for the first time, there is one statistic worth paying attention to: when Tatum was not on the court last season, Brown gave 9.6 assists per 100 possessions—almost twice as many assists as he played side by side with the All-Star partner. If such an organizational performance can be maintained throughout the Tatum-free season, Brown will completely change the outside world's evaluation of his passing ability.

Brown is ready for a new role - I would never have asserted this if it were three years ago, but today Brown has completely evolved his stadium vision and situational judgment. Last season's playoffs, his performance when Tatum was absent was the best proof: when Tatum was on the second game of the first round due to a wrist injury, Brown led the Celtics to defeat the Magic with a dominant performance of 36 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists; and after Tatum's Achilles tendon to tear his cleavage in the fifth game of the second round, he handed over a career masterpiece of 26 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds, helping the team fight back on the verge of elimination. Although he fell into a downturn with the whole team in the sixth game, his performance in these two games alone is enough to confirm his overall evolution.

We will witness more similar performances in the new season. Although Brown's condition is inevitably ups and downs in the face of more stringent defensive pressure, this is his opportunity to show his all-round ability. Even if he eventually became the team's assist king. In any case, this role change will become a valuable learning process—and all of these experiences will eventually feed back to the Celtic future.

3. Assess the championship puzzle potential of other players

With Al Horford leaving the team as expected, the Celtics have lost four rotation players this summer, including two starters. Although the team is difficult to compete for the championship during Tatum's injury, the management must identify players who have the potential to contribute to the championship level.

Stevens is well aware of Brown, White, Pritchard and Sam Hauser's positioning, and now it is necessary to examine whether other players can gain a foothold in the team. Young players such as Jordan Walsh, Baylor Schillman and Hugo Gonzalez need to seize the opportunity to prove that they are worthy of entering the future rotation lineup; if the existing lineup is maintained, Anthony Simmons and George Nyan will also have the opportunity to show adaptability; the center group is also facing pressure to prove its value.

4. Try a new tactical style

As the team's head coach, Mazula has been under pressure to compete for the championship since taking office. He took over the team after the Celtics reached the finals in 2022, and the team has been a strong contender for the championship since then. To some extent, the reduction in expectations may be a good thing, and this will be the first time in his coaching career that he does not have to face the pressure of "failing if he doesn't win the championship".

During Tatum's absence, the Celtics were given the opportunity to conduct tactical experiments. When analyzing the team's defeat in the early stages of the Knicks series, Stevens made it clear that he hoped the team could speed up the pace of the game: "The most prominent problem in the first two games was the stagnation of offense and the slow pace. You can intuitively feel the heavy steps of the players. We must solve this problem. "

In the summer league, the team has begun to try more aggressive stealing tactics. With Garza and Quita expected to gain a lot of playing time, the Celtics, who ranked 18th in the league in offensive rebounds last season, is expected to make a breakthrough in this regard. This team needs to win differently, and Mazula, who has unloaded her burden, is ushering in the best time to explore tactical possibilities.

Last season's defeat should have sounded a wake-up call for the team - if the three-point shots continue to exceed two points, no matter how strong the talent is, it is difficult to achieve. Will Brad Stevens and Joe Mazula adjust their flawed offensive philosophy?

In fact, the Celtics not only won the league's offensive efficiency list two years ago, but also ranked among the top two in the league's offensive efficiency in three complete seasons coached by Mazula. While I understand that fans are eager to see more opportunities for breakthrough layups or free throws at certain moments (such as when the G2 lead in the second round of the playoffs) they are puzzling to question this offensive system overall.

Even if Tatum is missing, the Celtics will continue their three-point offensive in the new season. New aid Simmons has made more than 9 three-pointers every 36 minutes in the past five seasons, and he and his teammates will continue to implement the concept of "selling when you have the chance". Although Garza's outside sight is yet to be tested, his willingness to take action has been fully revealed. Mazula will never shake her belief in basketball data analysis because of her cold touch in a few playoff games.

It is worth noting that other dimensions of the team's tactical philosophy may usher in a change. The Celtics have never been good at making opponents' mistakes, but they seem determined to change the face of this stat in the new season. What is the possibility of trading Simmons for draft picks and/or inside reinforcement? Given the team's financial situation, it seems unlikely that he will receive a contract extension in the 2026 offseason.

It seems that the fans' letter has entered the "Trade Anfenny Simmons" stage.

The current situation is, the key to the problem is not how many draft assets the Celtics can exchange for with Simmons, but that they may have to pay the draft pick to complete the transaction - the market conditions of this defender are really not optimistic.

In any deal involving Simmons, Boston management will definitely give priority to salary decompression rather than frontcourt reinforcement. Although Stevens made it clear that he was reluctant to sacrifice a significant draft pick for a salary cut, it would be of great benefit to the team if there was a feasible option.

Recent articles have proposed to exchange Anfini Simmons for Nikola Vucevic, and even suggested waiting until after September 9 to repay by taking on Jordan Walsh and asking for two second round picks. From the perspective of both parties, do you think this transaction is operational? Or do you have any other suggestions for trading Simmons and other chips for starting center?

Unless the Bulls view Anfini Simmons as the core of the long-term plan, this trading framework is difficult to hold. Vucevic has just played an excellent season and is still one of the few reliable center choices in the Bulls. Even if they intend to trade him for young players, Simmons may not be the right candidate - he has too similar technical characteristics to Kobe White, and if he forms a backcourt partner, there will be many loopholes in the defensive end.

Although the original intention of this deal was to strengthen the Celtics' frontcourt, its real value lies in freeing up the team's salary space for next season.

The proposal for Simmons for Clarkston (to get the Nets out of their two-year high-paying contract, and the benefits to the Celtics are self-evident) - Who would refuse?

Although it is tempting to get such a center with a playing time last season comparable to Quita and Garza's career combined, the Celtics should reject the deal. The long-term investment in Clarkston is really too high.

I understand the fans' urgent desire to strengthen the center position immediately, but it is understandable that even if the strength in the frontcourt next season is mediocre. The team's current goal is not to win immediately, but to lay the foundation for Tatum's strong return after full recovery.