The coach is new, and so is most of the roster. But even without too much continuity, the Maine Celtics said they’re hoping for the success of last year to serve as a springboard into this season.
“We definitely try to set a standard,” point guard JD Davison said. “That’s the standard for us now, trying to get back to that G League Finals and follow in the footsteps of Boston’s organization.”
The Celtics had their first practice of the season Monday afternoon, marking their return to the court after bringing the team to new heights last year. Maine reached the G League Finals for the first time, winning the Eastern Conference before falling to the Oklahoma City Blue.
The team that took the court at the Portland Expo, as is often the case in the G League, consisted of plenty of new faces – one being that of the man running the practice; Tyler Lashbrook is the new coach with Blaine Mueller leaving to be an assistant coach for the NBA Charlotte Hornets.
But for the players who are back – two-way players in point guard Davison and forward Drew Peterson, as well as guards Jordan Schakel and Don Carey Jr. – it feels like they’re continuing an arc, rather than starting fresh.
“It was a great year last year, but we’re looking to build on that,” Schakel said. “We have some guys returning, so we should have some good chemistry. … It’s kind of rare in the G League, normally most of that team is new guys. I think that makes it a lot easier.”
Davison will return as the team’s facilitator and scoring threat at point guard. He averaged a team-high 20.8 points and 8.6 assists during the regular season last year.
“I’ve been ready to hoop,” said Davison, who played in five preseason games with the Celtics in October, during which he scored 35 points, and is entering his third season in Maine. “I’m just ready to get down here, be let loose a little bit and have some fun with the guys.”
Peterson, who averaged 16.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, is here for his first full season after providing a spark following his arrival last December.
“I’m definitely a lot more comfortable, I know everybody and I obviously know the area,” Peterson said. “I’m really excited to hopefully showcase progression and the next step with everything.”
Schakel and Carey averaged 12.6 and 2.9 points per game last season. Schakel said he’s got his sights set on becoming a scoring weapon for the Celtics and filling the void left by the exits of high scorers in DJ Steward, Joe Wieskamp, Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta.
“I want to establish myself as one of the best 3-point shooters in the league,” said Schakel, who had the team’s second-best 3-point percentage at 39.2%. “Chase those records and be one of those guys you see on the leaderboards.”
Schakel says he would like to shoot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent on 3-pointers and 90 percent on free throws. “I know it’s a high standard, but that’s what I’m aiming for, he said.”
The team’s third two-way player is center Anton Watson, a 6-foot-8 rookie from Gonzaga who should help replace the inside toughness Queta provided last season.
“My strongest skill is defense, but I’m trying to work on my 3-point shot and getting confident in that,” Watson said. “Just being aggressive. Confidence-wise, rebounding-wise, just doing all the little things that I do.”
Watson said he quickly got the sense that the knack for winning had continued from last season into this one.
“They set that tone right when we got into the gym, first day,” he said. “They said ‘It’s different here.’ I think everyone knows that. It’s a winning culture, and it goes all the way to the G League team. Everybody hates the Celtics, but they’ve been winning. If you’re winning, you’re doing something right.”
Lashbrook is hoping to keep that going as he takes over as Maine’s sixth head coach in as many seasons.
“We’ve had guys in for about a week, and it’s been a lot of fun,” he said. “We really like the roster. … We have a really quick group. We’re going to play with speed, we’re going to play with pace, and we have the guys who are able to do that.”
A Boston player development coach last year, Lashbrook is a familiar face for some of the team’s players; Peterson mentioned working with him at the end of last season and during the preseason. For the players who are just now getting to know each other, the team organized a retreat on a lobster fishing boat and then a dinner to better acquaint the players with each other and Maine.
“Lobsters felt like the right thing to do … and the guys seemed to really like it and enjoy it. Good little icebreaker event,” Lashbrook said. “I thought it would have been funny if we went right to a lobster dinner. It didn’t work out that way.”
The bonding’s begun. Now what remains to be seen is how well it translates to the court.
“The biggest thing is trying to figure out exactly what we want to have in place by game one,” Lashbrook said. “Those first two games will be pretty telling for where we’re at as a group.”
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