Opposing Perspective: Boston vs. Toronto
Bobby Manning is a credentialed media member covering the Celtics for CLNS Media, The Boston Journal, and Celtics Blog. He was kind enough to answer some questions regarding the Raptors and the Celtics for everyone’s reading pleasure.
Folk: So, you watched the Celtics bench wax half of the Raptors starters. What are the early takeaways about the Raptors from a ho-hum preseason game?
Manning: They’re in a weird place. My first impression of them when I saw the roster come together this summer was that there might be enough talent here to win a wide open east play-in race. But more often when there are mismatched parts, you get mismatched results, which we saw tonight. The injuries won’t help, and there clearly isn’t enough depth to sustain one, never mind multiple. I like Gradey Dick and Jonathan Mogbo’s games, but it’s going to take time for them. We know who Jakob Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk are, but this team’s outlook is more based on who the offensive hub is between Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley long term, if it’ll even be one of them, and all three have enough questions to keep this team just outside of the postseason mix.
Folk: As the reigning champs and a team that has been in contention forever, do you think there’s any teambuilding or playstyle tips that should be adapted from Boston?
Manning: There are definitely more than a few: 1. Three point volume works, but it’s not the only element that matters 2. It feels like the offensive rebounding emphasis is about to explode, which Toronto previously and Boston more recently have been ahead of the curve on 3. Bigger picture, being patient with a core that might not figure it out within a year or two together 4. At the same time, not being afraid to make key changes (Smart-Porzingis, Rob for Holiday) 5. In the past, I would’ve said being aggressive enough to move draft picks for reliable players but in this new CBA environment, drafting, developing and maintaining depth look far more important. The Celtics fortunately have been able to have the best of those two worlds 6. Having every player know their role is everything when it’s winning time.
Folk: Okay, a bit of a silly one, but Will Lou & I were discussing it on the reaction show: where does Payton Pritchard rank among the white American players in the NBA?
Manning: The all-white team is starting to become a threat: he’s probably in the starting lineup alongside Chet, Austin Reaves, Alex Caruso and Brook Lopez. Herro, Hauser, DiVincenzo and Kornet off the bench. We need Cooper Flagg to quickly replace what we lost in Gordon Hayward.
Folk: Okay, last one, a two parter, and then if you have any Q’s for me, ask away: 1. Do these sort of performances in the preseason make you feel more optimistic about the bench? 2. You mentioned finding the hub between Barnes, Barrett & Quickley – what is the hierarchy you’d like to see and why?
Manning: 1. Absolutely. This is Pritchard, Hauser and Kornet’s 4th season playing together off the bench and all three look improved individually and playing off each other. Kornet started 3 games and there’s some buzz he could stay in that role to keep Al Horford in a bench role. Xavier Tillman shot 6-8 from 3, Neemias Queta is an intriguing prospect and Jordan Walsh clearly took some steps since Summer League. This team won games regular when one or even multiple rotation players were out and look fully capable of doing so again.
Manning: 2. It probably won’t be Quickley given that his game adapts more smoothly to playing away from the ball than the other wings. Barrett intrigues me most on-ball, he has potential as a creator, but it probably needs to be Barnes. I can’t see him succeeding away from the ball even as his shooting ticks in the right direction and his ceiling as a creator exceeds the other two. That said, the gap isn’t massive and I still feel underwhelmed watching Barnes play offense at times. He can’t consistently beat mismatches yet and there’s always the threat that defenses could back off him. Barrett shares those concerns, but made some serious strides after transitioning to TOR. I’ve always loved his game and even though he and Barnes might not be a seamless fit together, they’re early enough in the rebuild to just see what they have for some time. Again, long term, their ‘guy’ might not be any of these 3. The hope for Quickley is that he can become Tyrese Maxey Lite.
Big thanks to Bobby for offering his perspective. Enjoy tonight’s game.
Have a blessed day.
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