Paul George on the Celtics? Here's Why it Might Actually Work

Summary

Green With Envy: A Boston Celtics Podcast — Paul George on the Celtics? Here's Why it Might Actually Work

Episode Date: July 9, 2026 | Hosts: Will and Greg

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Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Will and Greg dive deep into the Boston Celtics’ transition after the Jalen Brown trade, dissecting the Paul George acquisition and what it means for the team’s title-contending hopes. They break down the current roster, project lineups, debate player roles, and analyze how Boston stacks up in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference. The duo also preview Summer League, sharing which youngsters and new signings they're most intrigued to watch—and as always, keep the dialogue fun, candid, and packed with Celtics fan energy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Moving Past the Jalen Brown Era

• The hosts reflect on the emotional and analytical fallout from Jalen Brown’s departure. There’s recognition of the “weird” content landscape this offseason as the team starts to look ahead.

• Discussion centers on the highly scrutinized relationship between Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown, prompted by recent Shams Charania reporting and Tatum’s low-key comments on NBC.

  “People want, wanted them to be best friends, but… think of how many jobs you’ve had and all of the work friends that you have during those jobs that you just never talk to after you end up leaving that job.”
  — Will (08:09)

• Both hosts agree the narrative of Tatum and Brown’s chemistry is overblown and did not factor meaningfully in the trade; it was about fit, salary, and usage.

The Paul George Fit — Parsing Value and Risk

• Will and Greg debate what percentage of “peak Jalen Brown” value Paul George brings to the Celtics.

  “I would say probably 80%. OG [Anunoby] was like 90 to 95% because...in the role the Celtics needed...Paul George...he floats a lot during games. I don't think that he's adding any sense of toughness to this team, which is my biggest concern.”
  — Will (14:34)

• They note the gaps that can’t be filled: Jalen’s toughness, defensive tone-setting, and durability.

• Discussion around Paul George’s contract and future: Is he a one-year rental? Would they consider a shorter extension, an opt-out-and-sign scenario for more flexible cap management in future seasons?

  “I don’t want Paul George on this team for three years. If Paul George ends up on the Celtics for three years when we could have just had Jalen Brown for three years, I’m gonna be so mad.”
  — Will (17:36)

• Managing expectations for George’s availability:

  “What would you consider a success for games played for Paul George?”
  “Forty-five.”
  — Greg & Will (18:58)

  “Success is a function of realistic expectations, my man. If I set the bar low enough, I am only going to be pleasantly surprised.”
  — Will (19:03)

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Roster & Lineup Projections

Depth Chart Debate

• Likely starters: Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Paul George. Big man is a toss-up: Mitchell Robinson if healthy, with Nemias Queta next in line.

• For the wing, Hauser may get the nod, but Ugo, Baylor Scheierman, or even Jordan Walsh or Ron Harper Jr. could push for minutes. Versatility and defensive assignments will affect these choices.

  “Somebody has to justify taking Sam Hauser out of the starting lineup... Ugo, Jordan Walsh, Ron Harper Jr., Baylor Scheierman. We're looking at you four guys who can actually rise above the rest of the dudes and be like, I am the starting shooting guard for this team.”
  — Will (29:22)

• Discussion of staggering rest for George and Robinson given probable injuries; aiming for chemistry-building.

• Depth players like Peyton Pritchard, Mike Conley (as “happy to be there veteran”), Garza, Keda, and Amari Williams (on a two-way) round out the conversation.

Skillset Needs and Player Roles

• Paul George brings size (essentially “eye to eye” with Tatum), but not the driving, attacking, or defensive grit lost with Jalen.

• Brad Stevens and the front office desire more “rim pressure”—a trait now thin with Brown gone. Could Ugo’s attack mentality, or Mitchell Robinson’s elite offensive rebounding, fill this gap?

  “You remove Jalen Brown...that is a whole lot of jump shooters with not a lot of people that have an attack-first mindset. [...] Ugo...his first instinct on a basketball court is attack. Jaylen Brown previously played that role.”
  — Will (33:05)

• Celtics may double down on offensive rebounding with Robinson, leveraging his “crazy” 21.2% offensive rebound rate.

• Summer league is seen as a proving ground for the wing and backup big rotation—may unlock a “Julian Champagnie” type surprise.

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Eastern Conference Outlook

Boston’s Place in the East

• The guys walk through a team-by-team rundown of the East’s contenders:

  • Pistons (last year's 1-seed): Expect regression
  • Knicks: Playoff threat but not a wins juggernaut
  • Cavs and Raptors: Each with new/uncertain star fits
  • Magic, Hornets, Pacers: Young, “frisky” wildcards
  • 76ers: Jalen Brown raises their ceiling, but Embiid health is still a swing factor
  • Heat: Giannis is the anchor, but questions remain

• On Boston’s regular season hopes:

  “I don't think there's any reason they can't be better than they were last year... I think the Celtics have a ton of options... there's no reason the Celtics can't be a 50 to 60 win team if Jayson Tatum is healthy and you get 50 games out of both Mitchell Robinson and Paul George.”
  — Will (38:08)

  “I think there's a good chance the Celtics might end up as the 1 seed... After all this hemming and hawing. I do think there's a pretty good chance the Celtics could end up as the 1 seed.”
  — Greg (41:40)

• Postseason skepticism remains, hinging on George & Robinson’s health and the development of the young wings.

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Summer League Preview

• The Celtics’ Vegas Summer League opener is highlighted, with Amari Williams, Ugo Gonzalez, Chris Sak, Dylan Mitchell, and Tanjay all drawing interest.

• Amari Williams, in particular, is a “must watch” for his potential to grab a real rotation spot as a rookie big.

  “I want to see him put up like 25 and 12 with five blocks in the first game... and the Celtics are like, OK, we are good. We do not need to play you anymore. Shut it down.”
  — Will (49:32)

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Notable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

• "He’s made out of the evolution of the McDonald's All American corporatization Nike Air Jordan factory."
  — Greg (07:16), on the ultra-polished public persona of Jayson Tatum

• “Here's what I would say. I would make sure that every game Paul George plays, Mitchell Robinson plays and vice versa...So that would be my ask is that if Paul George is sitting, Mitchell Robinson's sitting. If Paul George is playing, Mitchell Robinson's playing.”
  — Will (23:44), on handling injuries/lineup decisions

• “Derrick White at point guard, Ron Harper Jr. at shooting guard, Harper Jr. is a really good defender, has some size to him. And you have Tatum and George at your forwards and then Keda or Robinson at the 5. I think the Celtics have a ton of options.”
  — Will (29:22)

• “I'm not going to enjoy the season as much because Jalen's not going to be there. But I'm still a fan. Fan for life. Ride or die, man.”
  — Will (48:17)

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Takeaways

• Paul George’s arrival is more about fit and flexibility than star power. The team willingly accepts less durability and “toughness” in favor of complementary skills and future options.
• Boston’s regular season outlook remains strong—possibly even stronger than last year if health breaks their way, though postseason questions linger.
• The fifth starter/wing rotation is wide open; Summer League and training camp battles will shape this team’s ceiling.
• Eastern Conference is tighter than ever, but Boston still projects as a top seed if main pieces stay healthy.
• Summer League and young player development (Ugo, Amari Williams, etc.) are must-watch storylines for fans looking beyond the Jalen Brown era.

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For fans needing a sharp, lively breakdown—and a lighthearted look at an evolving contender—this episode keeps a loyal eye on both nostalgia and what’s next.

Transcript

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[Will]

This is Mike Gorman and you're listening

[Greg Monakis]

to Green with Envy with Will and Greg. All right everybody, the Jalen Brown fallout somewhat continues. Little news and nuggets that we'll touch on, but ultimately it's time to start moving on. We got to start looking at what is the actual Celtics team that we have. We'll talk a little bit about our thoughts on the Celtics and their ability to compete in the east in in championship race. We'll start to talk a little bit about that and then summer league starting summer league first. Celtics summer league game starting tomorrow. We'll tell you about who we're excited for, what we're looking for, what we're looking at. All that and more coming up next here on Green with Envy. You guys know the deal. Let's lock in. What up, what up, what up? Welcome into another edition of Dream With Envy. As always, this is Boy Will. We're checking in. How you doing? How you living? Joining me as he does each and every time. And sometimes, you know, this guy has Internet problems. We probably need to get a sponsor of the podcast that is some type of Internet company. AT T, Spectrum, Verizon, whichever of these companies that are out there, I. I've got to be honest, we've got to find a way to hook our guy up, because it is almost without fail that as soon as we go live, his Internet does not survive. But now, finally joining me like he does eventually, each and every time, best friend, co host and the coach of our podcast, one and only Greg Monakis. And Greg, I'm gonna ask you to go back after this podcast and watch just how flawlessly I didn't. I didn't even shake at you. Just popping out of my screen immediately. It went single camera view and didn't miss a beat. Here we are. Intro concluded. What do you have to say now that your Internet works again?

[Will]

Dude, I. I even have the extension Internet on. Usually it's because I'm not connected to the extender, and this time, I don't know what's going on, man. Danielle's working from home now, so maybe she's just using up too much of the bandwidth.

[Greg Monakis]

Sucking up all the WI fi, all the bandwidth right there, which we're trying

[Will]

to survive here, man. How you doing, brother?

[Greg Monakis]

I'm good, man. I'm good, man. It's. It's. It's been, obviously, from a content perspective, a very weird summer, and we're gonna get into it a little bit here, but overall, I'm. I'm doing pretty good. You know, I've shaved my head today. I'm in my. I'm in my Derek White mode right. Right now. Got the. Got the beard a little bit lined up, so. Feeling good, feeling great. I mentioned in our open here, we're gonna start to move on from jb, which is just really sad. But I. I did want to touch on just. We find we. We got a few other little nuggets here that. That came out that as. It always just kind of creeps in. It's really annoying. Touch talks about JT and JB's relationship, right? So Shams had a. And, man, Shams has gotten a lot out of this when there's been very little to actually talk about. But again, he came. There was a segment that ran ESPN a day or two ago that basically talked about Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown, who have long been talked about as unbelievable work friends. Just not the same type of dudes off the court. Nothing really groundbreaking here, Greg. But I. I think now that we finally heard from Jason Tatum in the Most Jason Tatum way possible on some show I've never heard of on NBC News, of all places. It is just the perfect. What's. What's the word I'm looking for? Not dichotomy, but the perfect. Help me out here. Give me a good vocab word. Two opposing views and styles. There we go. I knew it was a word that we had talked about recently.

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Yeah.

[Greg Monakis]

Juxtaposition of Jalen Brown using kind of his. His own method, his own media, going to his Twitch stream. And then our first time really hearing from Jason Tatum on some show on NBC News that I didn't know existed until about 24 hours ago. It's a really funny way to see kind of this relationship come to an end.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yes.

[Will]

And also, Jason Tatum just released his second children's book, the Baby Dunks a Lot series. So we heard from Jason Tatum at the release of his book and on that show on NBC News or whatever it was. Do you have the name of those two women? I feel like we should give them a show.

[Greg Monakis]

I wrote it. I wrote it. Well, I sent it in a message. I'll. I'll pull it up here in. In just a second because I thought it was so funny. Han. Here it is. The Jenna and I don't know if it's Chanel. Chanel. It's like, S H E I N E L L E Jenna and Chanel show. Shout out to you guys on NBC News with the. With the breaking NBA story of want

[Will]

a Jason Tatum interview. And it goes to those two women on NBC News. Like, I. He must have some relationship with them. It's great that, that he's out there doing media because everyone has been dying for Jason Tatum to speak on this, but he gave about exactly what you expected Jason Tatum to say. He was very understated and how he said it. And he was just like, hey, I found out like the rest of you guys. It's weird. You know, you spend nine years with someone and you have a lot of good memories, but at some point, you have to move on to new teammates. It's like, okay, man. Like, you can't give us anything. You can't, like, show one dude he's

[Greg Monakis]

made out of a factory. He. He's made out of the evolution of the McDonald's All American corporatization Nike Air Jordan factory. Like, just think about it. He's a 6, 9, 6, 10 wing who dribbles the basketball, dunks the basketball. Have you ever seen Jason Tatum without a perfect lineup or his curls or whatever? Haircut he has the curls is kind of like his signature. Have you ever seen him out of place with that ever?

[Will]

No. He's got his so manicured, man. And like, especially even his comment, he was just like, my mom's my best friend. I don't know what the whole context of that was, but like, I don't know if it was someone asking him a question about him and Jaylen's friendship, but I just saw like one of the quotes that came out from, I think it was the book signing is that his mom is his best friend, which I think most people knew that he talks about his friendship and his relationship with his mom all the time. And like, you know, props to him that he has that amazing relationship with his mother and they can kind of transcend the normal mother son relationship and truly look at themselves as best friends. It's something I tell little James, who just turned 2 on July 4th. Shout out, James. I tell him all the time, I'm like, hey buddy, you're my best friend. Like, I love you so much. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And Jason Tatum is living that out with his mom like today. And it's great. But you know, when you speak to the, the relationship and friendship of Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown and the Shams Report and all that, I don't really know what to make of it, to be honest with you, man, because I think it's just very like people want, wanted them to be best friends, but you have. So think of how many jobs you've had and all of the work friends that you have during those jobs that you just never talk to after you end up leaving that job.

[Greg Monakis]

It's very rare that you keep that friend. Like, I might still be friends with them on Instagram and like, I'll shoot them a message like, oh, dude, dope, you're in Mexico City. I love Mexico City. And that's like kind of the extent of the friendship anymore. After not working together for five, six years, whatever it is like it, it's so weird because the anytime you try to draw parallels from a typical job to an NBA job, it just usually doesn't align. But this is one of the things where it's like, it's a very different, different setup, but the dynamics ultimately not that different. Like how their day to day goes about is very different. But the way that you develop friendships and relationships doesn't really change. Like, Jeff Teague had a clip that I saw that really talked about this where he's like, yo, like sometimes I call people to come on the show. And they're just like, nah, I really with you like that. I'm like, okay, all right, man. I thought we were cooler. Okay, all good, man. Have a good day. And he's like, that's how mo. He's like, we don't have all these players on all the time because, like, guys that I'm cool with, we're just not, like, friends with. And he even talked about specifically being in the Celtics locker room with the Jays, and he's like, you know, here on this show, like, we get a lot of insight from JT because I'm just. I'm just better friends with JT's, like. But I have zero problem with JB. He was like, people don't know. He just kind of like, keeps to himself, does his own, and he's a cool ass dude. But, like, we don't text. I do text with jt. Doesn't mean I don't like one or the other. It's just like, some relationships go beyond the locker room or the job site, others don't. And others are just, you're. There's no issues. Like, that's just how it goes. And it just plays out different in the public eye. And especially because, you know, these guys drafted around the same time, both number three picks, both the guys that you're building around, like, I get why it's analyzed more, but the end of the day, they're just different personalities that on the court saw eye to eye on. On a lot of that, people tried to blow out of proportion, but really the only difference is they're just different dudes outside of the locker room. And that's. And that's fine. I don't think that's why this trade happened. To be clear. I think that's an overblown portion part of this that people want to lean into. I think that had literally zero to do with it, in my opinion.

[Will]

Yeah. If anything, it was just like the. On court fit with what Brad Stevens said about the 70% of the cap being used up with the two contracts and the usage rate that both of those players deserve. It just didn't make sense to them in terms of how those usage rates complemented each other and how they would actually accentuate the. The strengths of everybody else on the team. Right. And I think what they're betting on, when you look at the team that just won the title in Jalen Brunson, it was a very Brunson centric offense. Right. But they were still able to. To fill in the gaps with what Jalen Brunson was unable to do with guys like OG Anunoby who prior to this year and prior coming to the Knicks, no one would ever say like, oh, OE would have been the second best player on a title team, right? Like he was looked at as a good player. But with the Knicks and in the system that he's at next to Jalen Brunson, with all the defensive capabilities that he has, he played the perfect complementary role to Jalen Brunson. And this is what you and I and Lip Tack were talking about when we were texting about what percentage of Jalen Brown is OG Anobi. Right? And this is kind of how it's playing out, right? Brad Stevens and the and company didn't think that Jaylen Brown with his contract

[Greg Monakis]

could justify what percentage of Jaylen Brown is Paul George. Greg, let's, let's, let's go there because that's. That you're exactly right. That's, that's basically where we landed and kind of what he said, right? And we talked about this in the post press conference reaction where he basically said like, if you have Jalen Brown, you make your offense around Jalen Brown because he's that damn good with Paul George. Without saying it in this same blunt manner, he was like, Paul George is gonna have to fit into what we do here. Like around what we build around Jason Tatum. Like, it's not going to be like, how do we build this around JT and jb? It's how do we build this JT and how does Paul George complement that? So let's answer the question, Greg. What percentage of current Jaylen Brown is Paul George?

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[Will]

I would say probably 80%. Right? I said OG was like 90 to 95% because I just like really, really appreciate all of what OG can do. And I think like in the role that the Celtics like need him to play, needed Jalen to play like OG probably would have done 95 of what Jalen can do in that role with what the Celtics hoped Jalen would do. Right. It's just like be a more complementary piece to Tatum versus trying to take over the whole offense. And OG could not be 95 of who Jalen Brown wanted to be within the offense. Right. But he could be 95 of what the Celtics wanted him to be within that offense. I think Paul George, just because he's he. He can't guard up as well as OG Defensively, I think there's some things that Jalen as a tone setter of the defense, it's going to be sorely missed. And offensively with the toughness as well, I think Paul George is just one of those guys that floats a lot during games. And I don't think that he's adding any sense of toughness to this team, which is my biggest concern with the roster this upcoming season, is where is that grit and toughness actually going to come from? Because Jalen was basically the enforcer of the team. Right. So 80% and that is like being very generous and not accounting for all the games that he's probably gonna miss.

[Greg Monakis]

Yeah, we're removing that for now, which is like hard to remove because that is part of the Paul George equation. But yeah, I, I think probably somewhere about 80 is. Is probably right. You know, comparing him to 80 for

[Will]

the same money will.

[Greg Monakis]

Yeah, yeah, that's. Hey, one year less. You know, something I, I did think about Greg actually with the. Just on the money point is that with that player option. While I jokingly said like, hey guys, breaking news, he's gonna pick up that player option still potentially a likely route if this season goes, you know, pretty well. And it depends how many games Paul George played, the other part that I hadn't considered is that because it would be like I think 53, 54 million, something like that, is that maybe they can turn that player Option to kind of what. Hopefully not to the same degree, whatever the Cavaliers are going to settle with, with James Harden, but it's kind of like an opt out. But let's do two years 70. So we'll give you like 16 extra million, but we turn that 54 into 35 for next year. And I don't know what that would open up, but that changes some of the, the dynamics of your roster again because now you'd be Jason Tatum's at, you know, 60ish or whatever he's at that year. And then you have 30 for Derrick White, 35 for Paul George and like so on and so forth, Mitchell Robinson, Nemi's deal kicks in and like now it starts to look a little bit more like those Knicks books. Right. Like a little bit closer to that. So that was actually something that in my just blind rage I forgot to kind of calculate that. Okay, that's again to use Brad Stevens favorite word, the optionality of what that option could bring. And here's maybe what they could do

[Will]

because I don't want Paul George on this team for three years. If Paul George ends up on the Celtics for three years when we could have just had Jalen Brown for three years, I'm gonna be so mad. But what, what I think is if, if your theory is correct and they decide to go the James Harden root, he doesn't opt into his player option and we're an option. But yeah, okay, sign, sign him for two years. Right. And then we say, hey Paul, we don't really see you on this team, but we will send you to a place where, where that $35 million is going to go a little bit more because there is no state income tax. We're going to send you to Texas. They're going to send us, you know, whatever. You got three teams to choose from. We're going to get a player back that maybe even makes less money like a PJ Washington or Jabari Smith Jr. Someone like that. And then you can go recoup even more of that money.

[Greg Monakis]

Yeah.

[Will]

By playing in a state that Miami

[Greg Monakis]

is still looking to plug some of the pieces around Giannis and bam. Like there could be options. So, you know, again, Brad, Steven's favorite word. Optionality. Something I, I hadn't thought about. But, but thinking about, you know, Paul George on the court because, you know, let's. We're gonna go under the presumption for the rest of this part of the conversation of kind of looking at this roster that Paul George is going to hopefully what would you consider a success for games played for Paul George, what would you, what would you sign up for right now that's within the realm of reality?

[Will]

45.

[Greg Monakis]

That's so low.

[Will]

Success is a function of realistic expectations, my man. If I set the bar low enough, I am only going to be pleasantly surprised.

[Greg Monakis]

That's fair. I mean, I mean I'm not too far up. I'll just say 55. Like yeah, we got someone in the chat here. Tone shifter at 50. Like, yeah, I, I think that's, I mean I, I think he split the difference on, on what we're hoping for. I view it a little bit like how I viewed Kristaps Porzingis. Right. Like if he can get us 55, 60 games and you know, 50 to 60, let's just say, and be healthy for the playoffs. Like the, the latter part of that statement, being healthy for the playoffs is, is what really matters. So if we can get to that point and you saw that, you know, after a nice 25 game vacation, which everyone's kind of glossing over in this whole transaction. League, league mandated 25 game vacation because

[Will]

he was on PDS as well.

[Greg Monakis]

Yep. Just something to note. Seems relevant. Shout out to Paul George. He was on IG already flashing the, the Celtics kick. So he's, he's, he's vibing in. He's.

[Will]

Welcome to Boston, baby.

[Greg Monakis]

Welcome to Boston. YG Trace. Yeah, like, I mean that's going to be tough for him to get to that. But again, I view it like kp. It's, it's kind of all gravy. As long as we can get him to the post. He looked, as we saw in the first round, more spry off of that, that mandated vacation.

[Will]

All you got to do, just call it straight up, no back to backs in two games a week max. At two games a week, you never play him more than two games a week in the regular season.

[Greg Monakis]

Yeah, I, I 100 agree with the, the no back to backs, like treat him like Al Horford. Like how we did Al Horford that year. Like 100 and so and with that, I think much like the Celtics did with Al Horford, they had the ability to do that because they could play Luke Cornet. They could play. And this is when Nemius Keda started to kind of show a little bit more that he had because he started getting a little bit more time with Al taking time off, KP being out. You had the ability because you had more, more, more, more bigs in the stable to be able to do that. And that's the one luxury area the songs really have when it comes to wings is to be able to rest Paul George. So let's just kind of go through here. I, I did like a little bit of a mock depth chart here. 3 layer depth chart of, of the Celtics here. So this is what I would expect for their starting lineup. Expect a little bit of hope and you know where the hope's going to come in as soon as I say it here. This is what I would, would expect for their starting lineup. Derrick White, Jason Tatum and Paul George. No doubt about it, they're healthy. Those three are without a doubt starting. I'm gonna assume that Peyton Pritchard remains in his six man role so I'm not going to put him in, in the depth chart starting lineup. He may finish a lot of these games but he's. I think he's going to remain role because it just seems to be like really built for him. But we'll see. So I have another spot here where I put Baylor slash Houser. I think one of them, I, I would guess Hauser is just because he got the, the nod last year might be where it starts this season. But I would say one of the two of them gets that quote unquote backcourt or you know, in between the D. White to, to Jason Tatum Paul George spot. Would you agree with that?

[Will]

I think the only argument for it maybe being Ugo is that Paul George is a better shooter than Jalen Brown. So you have an extra shooter on the court. Right. So you don't necessarily need that extra spot to be a shooter. Right. So that would be, that would be my argument for maybe Ugo gets, gets the nod there or maybe Jordan Walsh gets the nod there to take a little bit off of Derrick White and asking him to guard the point guard and the best player on, on, on every team. So that would be the only counter argument to that. If I had to choose, you know, I'm choosing Baylor over just, just be on the bench man. Be a bench player. He's not consistent enough to be a starter in the NBA. He just needs to be a bench player and I'm fine with that.

[Greg Monakis]

Yeah, we need them all over the league. You need depth and Sam's a great, a great example of that. So for me, yeah, it would be Derrick White, it'd be Baylor, it'd be jtb, pg. And we've talked about our inclination that starting Mitchell is just better for how you have to kind of again, he's another guy. What you're over. Under for games that you hope you get out of myth Jesus Christ.

[Will]

I'm gonna go lower for the medical staff. I'm gonna say 40.

[Greg Monakis]

Okay. Yeah. I mean same. I think it's a little bit lower than Paul George is my expectation. So I'll say 50. If I said 55 for Paul George will say 50 for. For Mitch. I was thinking about this other day actually Greg, this would be if, if one of the gambling sites wants to put this out there.

[Mint Mobile / Mazda Advertiser]

Over.

[Greg Monakis]

Under 100 games played combined for Paul George and Mitch Robinson. Like that's, that's a pretty juicy line right there. Like can you get 50 and 50? Can you get 60 and 40? Like, like, like it's, it's a really good line I think for, for the two of them.

[Will]

Here's what I, I would say. I would make sure that every game Paul George plays, Mitchell Robinson plays and vice versa. Right. I don't think that you should stagger those two guys. I think that they need to develop chemistry with everybody and as a unit. So that would be my ask is that if Paul George is sitting, Mitchell Robinson sitting. If Paul George is playing, Mitchell Robinson's playing.

[Greg Monakis]

Yeah, I like that. Because again, you want to give the team that you need for the postseason is going to include the two of them. If the Celtics are going to have and we'll talk about where we think their chances are and how as of July 9, we kind of have expect what our expectations are like it's going to include the two of them, whether it's starting, closing, but they're going to be heavily involved. Whatever it is is they're going to be heavily involved. So I, I think Mitch Robinson is who I hope is the starter, but you can throw it as a toss up. I think right now that it's either going to be Mitch or Kada in that spot. Whichever one's on the bench, they're going to play significant minutes. I think it's going to cut, not cut out entirely Luca Garza because Mitch is going to miss a bunch of time, but I think it's going to significantly lower Luca Garza's moods. Would that, would that be a fair assessment for, for our depth chart discussion?

[Angie Hicks]

Yeah.

[Will]

And what are the chances that our guy Amari Williams ends up stealing some minutes this year? I will, I'll say this. He will play when, when Mitchell Robinson is out. Amari Williams will be getting minutes for the Celtics this year.

[Greg Monakis]

Yeah, they signed him to that two way deal. So they'll have a lot of optionality with him see how many times I can work that into the conversation.

[Will]

God, and I've always hated that word. That was. It's like Brad Stevens invented that word. People have been using optionality for the last couple of years. I'm like, it's the same thing as saying options. Just say options.

[Greg Monakis]

That's the English teacher in you right there. Coming in. Just, just getting really specific on the, on the, the type of word that's being being used. But yeah, it's an interesting question on Amari Williams. Like I wrote down 13 names here and I actually didn't put him down because of the two Wayness of his, of his contract. And so I viewed it as kind of like Mitch K to Garza is the center rotation. But you're. I think Williams will certainly find his way in kind of circle what I mentioned earlier about resting Al Horford and kp and that's how we kind of got our first taste of Keda getting more time. I think Amari Williams will be used in a, in a very similar way for that.

[Will]

Maybe a little. Maybe a little. Paul George, small ball five this year.

[Greg Monakis]

I mean I'd say that's JT's role. But yeah, I mean I think the two of them on the court, I mean, you know, it's. Oh God, it's, it's so annoying to think about it. This is what we wanted with JB in that first round series is like, hey, bring in Ugo, use Baylor and Derrick White or whatever and you have like a pretty solid five man lineup that you can go to that you know, we saw in game seven, we saw it in game seven, so we knew it was being discussed.

[Will]

Here's one thing that Paul George does offer over Jaylen Brown. Despite Jalen's ability to play bigger than his size. Paul George is legit the same size as Jason Tatum. If you see them next to each other, they are eye to eye. So you're gonna have two six, nine, six ten wings. That's, that's, that's something to look forward to.

[Greg Monakis]

Something.

[Will]

I think that's something, right? So it's like hey, we're small ball five. But you don't know if it's Tatum or George, right? So that the answer is it's Ugo, man.

[Greg Monakis]

Well, let's talk about Hugo because I, I don't think at least initially Ugo's gonna start. I liked your case for it. I don't think Ugo's gonna start. But I think there's no way based off all of the quotes that Brad Stevens had about Ugo, that Ugo's not. And Ugo obviously should have been playing in the playoffs. Like it was one of the weirdest Missoula decisions that end of the season he basically went completely away from Ugo, who doesn't play, I think a single minute even in garbage time of the games and then has a really nice stretch in Game 7. But of course got exposed for not being able to hit those, those corner threes and then couldn't play much in the second half. But in his minutes they were still either they were plus or they were close to a positive because he was so good in so many other aspects. So he's going to play a huge role off the bench. So now off the bench we know what Peyton Pritchard is going to bring. He's going to bring six man of the year quality minutes to this team. If we're putting Baylor in the starting lineup, that means Hauser's out there and his, what should be his role in a, you know, 10 to 20 minutes depending on the matchup and what it calls for and if his shots on. And then you have these, you know, wings here that are going to be able to spell Paul George and even Jason Tate. We got to remind ourselves Jason Tatum is in year, full year one of coming back from the Achilles like very under discussed part of this Jalen Brown chase. How much pressure all of a sudden goes on to a guy that we're literally going to start talking about and forgetting that this is his first full year back from an Achilles injury and he missed the end of the playoffs with another, with another injury. So these are going to be guys that are going to be used in relief for both of these. We assume for Paul George more than JT based off his history. But then that gives you the Ugo and Jordan Walsh kind of combination along with if Hauser's there and I put Ron Harper Jr. On the kind of third level of my depth chart. But he could be right up here in this second group as well where I think all of these wings are going to be going to be utilized and play pretty big roles on the, the Celtics definition of depth throughout the season.

[Will]

He would be my, my dark horse for winning that fifth, fifth spot in the starting lineup. Ron Harper Jr.

[Greg Monakis]

I know starting game seven, you think that means something.

[Will]

I think we have some evidence that Joe Missoula believes in Ron Harper Jr. Starting him in Game 7 and the Celtics organization clearly believes in him by giving him that contract. Right. So I, I don't Think it it's impossible for him to end up being the starting shooting guard coming out of camp.

[Greg Monakis]

Right.

[Will]

Derrick White at point guard, Ron Harper Jr. At shooting guard. Harper Jr. Is a really good defender, has some size to him. And you have Tatum and, and George at your forwards and then Kada or Robinson at the 5. I think the Celtics have a ton of options. What they desperately need going back to Brad Stevens press conference is for someone to separate themselves from everybody else. Somebody has to win that starting spot. And it basically it's like someone has to justify taking Sam Houser out of the starting lineup. Right. You have to do something good enough to remove Sam Houser shooting 40% from 3. What is the skill that you're going to bring to that starting lineup? Ugo, Jordan Walsh, Ron Harper Jr. Baylor Scheireman. We're looking at you four guys who can actually rise above the rest of the dudes and be like, I am the starting shooting guard for this team.

[Greg Monakis]

Because that, that really kind of feels like one of those moves where it's like once whoever separates themselves from the pack, it's like, oh, this unlocks something like Julian Champagne was kind of that guy.

[Will]

Yeah.

[Greg Monakis]

For the Spurs. Right. So I think that's kind of the comp is like they went from Barnes starting to Julian Champagne starting. And it really changed a lot of the dynamic. And we saw how that played out with them making it all the way to the finals as a super young team. And, and I think they're pro. Like I think the Celtics starting Hauser and then having one of these guys become that Julian Champagne, like that could be a game changing wrinkle in the Celtics season. And I think that's a pretty good, good comp to. To look at for this team. And then that brings me to the last couple guys I have here.

[Edward Jones Representative]

Great.

[Greg Monakis]

Which is Mike Conley and Luca Garza. And I think that speaks to the depth because Garza had a. Definitely a season that exceeded our expectations. Definitely your expectations going, going into the season for the regular season. And we saw got expanded.

[Will]

I was wrong. I was wrong.

[Greg Monakis]

Proud of you man. Hand up. We're all about accountability on this show. So I'm, I'm really proud of you on that. So. But Luca Garza looks like he's getting probably squeezed out of some minutes this year with what you're seeing with Keda Mitch and who knows where Amari Williams falls into this. And then Mike Conley, I think he's just gonna be the like happy to be there veteran. Like I think he'll still get some minutes because the Celtics just need probably a little bit more ball handling, depending on where Baylor Shireman's development and Ugo's development.

[Will]

And listen, brother has been available if Payton, if Peyton Pritchard or Derrick White gets injured next year for an extended period of time, like we're gonna need Mike Conley Jr. Yeah, that's fair.

[Greg Monakis]

That's. That's a really good point, actually. And that hasn't been the case in the last couple years. Right. So having him now, and we talked about this a few episodes ago, that's been. Achilles Heel is a little bit of. A bit of a dramatization because they've been so good at developing other areas, but it's been the one area the Celtics haven't really been able to develop. We talked about J.D. davis and we talked about Tremont Waters, talked about Carson Edwards, like, just nothing has really been able to stick in that development area. And so the pivot just bringing in the one. One of. One of the most veteran veterans that you can possibly have out there. And if you need him for two weeks, like, he's just going to be ready. He's just going to be ready. He'll probably be steady. He's not going to wow you anymore with, you know, who he is at this time and at this age. But I think having him in the locker room and then having him as that, if needed, guy that can be a ball handler, can set up the offense, can spread the court with. With his shooting. I think it's a really nice release or safety valve to have in your. In your back pocket.

[Mint Mobile / Mazda Advertiser]

It.

[Will]

Absolutely. And I, I do want to make one more point on. On why I think Ugo might end up starting in that fifth spot.

[Greg Monakis]

Yeah.

[Will]

And this might be a little long winded here, so stay with me. Okay. So end of the season, Brad Stevens press conference, the number one thing he says that they need to add to the team is rim pressure. Right. They need to change their shot profile, whatever, however he phrased it. But they. They wanted more rim pressure. You remove Jalen Brown from that, Right. If you just enter Paul George for Jalen Brown and you keep Sam Houser there, that is a whole lot of jump shooters with not a lot of people that have an attack first mindset. Right. So there are two ways to think about this. Ugo, right. Instead of Sam Houser put someone that's going to be willing to play out in transition is going to be attacking in straight lines, taking advantage of 45 cuts and all that stuff. So I think there's a, there's an advantage to having Ugo there just as someone else that's willing to, who's, whose first instinct on a basketball court is attack. Right. Because he would be the only person in that starting lineup whose first instinct was to attack. Jaylen Brown previously played that role. Now the other, the other idea would be, okay. Last year the Celtics were seventh in the league in offensive rebounding. And we just acquired Mitchell Robinson who was first in the league in offensive rebounding. Adam Taylor, old friend of the pod, he's writing for Celtics blog again. He wrote a nice piece about the Celtics going back to like your, what you call the stable of bigs, right. And he, he had this good stat about Mitchell Robinson when he was on the court last year. He grabbed 21.2% of all available offensive misses while he was a crazy number. It's a crazy stat. It's absolutely bananas, right? Two out of every 10 shots that was missed while he's on the floor, he's getting the offensive rebound. Right. So if you're just, if Brad Stevens looks around and it's like, hey, you know what? We, we're not going to find the attackers that we need to really make it a difference as having the attacking mindset, but we can double down, triple down on one of our strengths last year. And if we're a jump shooting team, well, we're just gonna grab as many of those rebounds as we possibly can. And rim pressure is going to come from a different, a different mindset than what I initially was looking at. You know, getting someone like an Anthony Edwards type, like someone that just attacks all the time. Right. Although Ann probably shoots too many ju personnel at this point in his career. But I think those are two ways to kind of think of, think of the Ugo and the Mitch and, and all that and how that might play into the Celtics recipe for offense next year.

[Greg Monakis]

I like it. I mean, I think it makes a lot of sense. I think it's probably one of those things where back to what we were saying originally, like gonna have to prove it a little bit in whatever minutes that he gets to, to kind of earn that spot. But I think it absolutely could be a game changer. So. So Greg, let's, let's, let's add. Talk it out a little bit here. Like, how good can this team be? And for those of you that are following us over on Bleacher Report, we had a quick hit on this earlier. Either it'll be out today or tomorrow. Make sure you Follow Bleach report app. Follow the Celtics. You'll get some more content from us. But how good can this team be? And the east has gotten, you know, better. And some teams are just getting older, although I don't know. Greg, did you see the latest news about the Raptors in Kauai? I just saw it before we. We signed on, so you may not have seen it yet.

[Will]

Yeah. That the trade is. No. Is not official. Yo, shout out to Nick, NBA friend of the pod.

[Greg Monakis]

Hey, what up?

[Will]

Go subscribe to Nick's YouTube channel. He actually did a breakdown of the Celtics summer league roster. Haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but it's on the. The next. It's. It's in the queue, Nick, for things to watch. So shout out to you.

[Fidelity Representative]

Yeah.

[Greg Monakis]

And so. And we're gonna talk about summer league here in just a second. But, yeah, so basically I haven't read the full thing yet, but essentially, Kawhida, the Raptors is on pause until they get this aspiration deal. It's. I. It's so funny and it's hilarious that this took like, two or three weeks to come out. Like, what the. Like, how did this, like, this deal was reported on so long ago. Kawhi's going to Blue Jays games and getting standing ovations. He's in the building for Kyle Lowry's retirement presser they did a few days ago. Like, how is this just coming out now after basically all of free agency is completed? And I guess in one sense, it makes me really relieved that the Celtics didn't get involved in this in any way, because this is. This is almost worse to happen. Imagine, Greg, if we had to come back on here and talk about a pause in the potential Jalen Brown leaving the Celtics and how.

[Will]

Oh, my God, dude, I would be ecstatic if they were like, actually, Paul George can't come to Boston. Jalen Brown is gonna.

[Greg Monakis]

I'm not saying that. I'm saying if the Celtics had traded him for Kawhi instead, that we're in this position like that sounds. Yes, I agree. I wish they could step in and do the, you know, the David Stern where he vetoes the Chris Paul trade to the Lakers. I wish that would happen for the Celtics right now. But, yeah, this is bananas as to what this is going to mean for the East. But back to the Celtics here, Greg, like, right now, we just went through the whole depth chart. Start regular season. Let's start there. How good do you think this team is going to be?

[Will]

I don't think there's any reason they can't be better than they were last year. You know, you replace Jalen Brown with Jason Tatum, arguably the, the better player that I think the, the biggest thing is can Jason Tatum be the iron man that Jalen Brown was for the Celtics this year? Right. You factor in growth from all the guys on the team. It's a very young team. All of them had an opportunity for growth during the season last year. They took their lumps in the playoffs. You could factor in, you know, a learning curve there. And then you add Mitchell Robinson, as we talked about with the offensive rebounding and everything. If the Celtics are going to be shooting jump shots and playing advantage basketball, which I'm starting to think it might not be as much advantage basketball as it is. Just what Gary Washburn.

[Greg Monakis]

There's a lot of these. There's a lot of those in there.

[Will]

Too many. Too many.

[Greg Monakis]

There was a lot. It was, it was overload.

[Will]

But yeah, okay. Yeah. And I just think that there's no reason the Celtics can't be a 50 to 60 win team if Jason Tatum is healthy and you get 50 games out of both Mitchell Robinson and Paul George. Factoring in everything else, Celtics were. The thing is, Jason Tatum was out last year, but the Celtics overall were a really healthy team. Right. So we're playing with fire in that regard.

[Greg Monakis]

Hard. Yeah, a lot, A lot of. A lot of minutes to PG and Mitch here that are. Are going to be hard to rely on. And remember, like part of the trade off of having less talent was like KP wasn't showing up anyways. KP still, I don't know what his total games was last year, but it wasn't very high. Right.

[Will]

Al Horford, how did he get 20 million, bro?

[Greg Monakis]

Dude, I don't know. That's one of the craziest contracts that I've seen. Unless there's something I don't know.

[Will]

No, no, no. Trey Young's contract is the craziest contract that was given.

[Greg Monakis]

Yeah, I said one of, of the. Because that kind of slid through as like a footnote. Just like, oh, yeah, by the way, KP's got two years, 40 million. Excuse me. What? I thought KP was going to be lucky to get the mid level or part of a mid level.

[Will]

I thought he was going to get the Anthony Simons, bro.

[Greg Monakis]

That would make more sense to me, honestly. Flip their deals. Flip Anthony Simons.

[Will]

I don't understand what the NBA is doing with these contracts, man. The Trey Young contract is bananas, bro.

[Greg Monakis]

I mean, It's a Wendy effect. It's the Wemby effect.

[Will]

Everybody's young contract, bro. $50 million for four years.

[Greg Monakis]

I can't explain that one. That one.

[Bank of America / US Soccer Representative]

What?

[Greg Monakis]

I mean, I said it from the time they made the Wizards, made the trade. Like, I actually like this move. As long as you don't pay Trey or you pay him like 30 million, 35 million, not 50. Whatever he got.

[Will]

Like, Celtics are stressing about paying Jalen 60 to 70 million, and Trey Young's out here getting 50. Like, get the out of here, bro.

[Greg Monakis]

Yeah. But for the Celtics, Greg, I. I've started to. And of course, like, Mitch. Mitch is less of it. And it's.

[Fidelity Representative]

It's.

[Greg Monakis]

This is like one of those things that we'll talk a lot about and we'll see how I feel in the regulars when we actually are going through it. But, like, Mitch being in and out, I don't feel super stressed about because again, he's a ceiling raiser for the playoffs. Like, that's. That's what Mitch is. You're paying Mitch to raise your ceiling in the playoffs. Keda Garza and maybe a little bit more Amari Williams. So I know if Nick's. You're still in the. If you're in the chat, I know that's your guy right there. Like, if you get a little bit more of those guys, like, we won 56 games with those guys last year. Right. So adding Mitch, even if it's 4:40 games, 50 games, like, that only increases what the Celtics can do with that win total. The PG position because Jalen Brown was so consistent. That again, depends on what you think the leap. Leap is going to be for some of these wings. And I've started to kind of talk myself into. I. I really have questions about the Celtics in the postseason because it's going to be tied to health, going to be tied to their top end guys. And how I feel about how some of that depth matures and accelerates their growth throughout the year. A lot of questions, I think, postseason wise, but I think there's a good chance the Celtics might end up as the 1 seed. Like I really do. After all this hemming and hawing. I do think that there's a pretty good chance the Celtics could end up as the 1 seed. And let's just kind of go through it here. Greg, I just got the standings pulled up. We can just kind of go through it. Pistons last year were the 1 seed with 60 wins. They're gonna bring back Durin. I would assume they added John Collins. But especially coming off their postseason, like, are you expecting them to. To be 60 wins again? Like, I'm not.

[Will]

No. No way, dude.

[Greg Monakis]

Right. Some type of slippage or fall off from the Pistons, Knicks, they only won 53 games in the regular season. They're still, I think, by a clear margin, the most dangerous team in the playoffs. And I would consider them regardless of if they end up 1, 2, 3, 4 in the east. They're the team to be. They're the most dangerous team East. But I don't necessarily expect them to all of a sudden turn into a regular season wins juggernaut. I expect them to be good, obviously, but I don't think they're going to be a wins juggernaut in the regular season, do you?

[Will]

No, no. I think I, I think there, there's going to be a lot of, like, lower level, like high level, high 40s, low 50s records in the east this year.

[Greg Monakis]

Yeah.

[Will]

Cleveland, remember that one year in the west where there was like, I. There was like a team that almost won 50 games that didn't make the playoffs or something like that. It was like guns, maybe.

[Greg Monakis]

I do remember that. Like, I, I mean, last year, just even looking at the standings here, I mean, the Heat were the final playing team. They were 43 and 39. Usually that 10 spot is a team that's like seven, eight games under.500, but they were 43 and 39. The Hornets, who had that crazy run the last 60 of the season, were 44 and 38. So not quite to that level, but, but not too far away. And, you know, Cavs, it's made. They get LeBron in there. It's a weird fit with Harden, but it certainly gives them more talent. It's going to give them another, you know, regular season. They're going to be boosted. They're again also going to be tied to health. It's just, I don't know, anything with James Harden feels like it's just bound not to succeed in the long run. But they're going to be in the mix, the Raptors, even without this Kawhi fiasco, whatever the hell is happening. Like, they won 46 games last year. Granted, the slippage from them if this Kawhi trade doesn't go through, but if Kawhi does and he plays, you can expect them to be probably closer to 50 wins than they were last year. The Hawks, they're kind of. I'm trying to think of. I can't remember if they've made any massive, not really any massive off Season changes, but they are a team that's kind of growing together. Their internal growth is kind of heading in the right way. Sixers, Jalen Brown over Paul George in the regular season. That's a real big difference for their win total. Right? In the regular season. Yeah, like, just because he plays like even above that, he's better than him on the court. The fact that you're gonna feel pretty confident you're getting 68 to 72 games versus 40, like that's a, that's a big difference of what that can do for your winter.

[Will]

They're also betting pretty big on Joel Embiid being healthy though. Like it's just Embiid and Bona. Right? That's, that's all they got right now for their big man.

[Greg Monakis]

I mean, Barlow's kind of a big.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Greg Monakis]

So it's, it's pretty, it's pretty thin. Drummond went to the Knicks as the, as the Mitch replacement. So it's thin up front. But I think they're thinking, hey, we went 45 and 37 with Embiid barely playing and we over Tax Maxi and Edgecomb was a rookie. Now we got Edgecomb year two. Maxi won't have to lead the league in minutes played and, and be as high in the usage department. And we're replacing Paul George with Jalen Brown. Like that should be 45 to what, 52 wins? Like, as long as those three guys are healthy, even if you get Embiid in and out every couple of weeks, like that should be around a 50 win team. The Magic. God only knows what's what to predict for them. But you know, they still have Bane's little Paulo, still Franz, and they gave the Pistons a scare, so who knows which of them shows up. And then the Hornets. Hornets and Heat. We haven't talked about the heats. They have Giannis. They have Giannis. We don't, you know, know what the rest that's going to look like. Hornets. They could be frisky. We'll see how much the drop off is without Lamelo. I could see them kind of being around the same without Lamelo, but maybe not taking quite that step. A step to the side to take two steps forward. Not necessarily.

[Will]

They're probably a team that I, I think probably takes a step back unless you see a pretty big jump from Brandon Miller. I just think Lamello was such a driver of, of their offense that all the open looks that he generates are just not going to be there this year. So unless Brandon Miller can kind of take on that playmaking role, I could see them falling pretty fast out of the playoff picture. But for them, like, man, if you're in the 9 and 10 game, you get two lottery balls and you're gonna

[Greg Monakis]

get Brandon Miller and Con can apple a ton of opportunities, right? Like, which is going to only help them in the long run. So. And the Hornets are just going to be. Still be a tough team to play. And that leads us to the last two teams, the Pacers, who easily could be right back in the top of this mix. Getting Halliburton back, full season of Zubotz, getting their team healthy again. And then I think the Wizards are a pretty big wild card. Could they be a top five, six team or are they just gonna crumble? Like, who knows? I, I honestly have no idea what to make.

[Will]

Shout out to you for giving them a chance at a five or six seed.

[Greg Monakis]

I, I mean if, if you end up in a world where Anthony Davis plays 55 games, let's say Trey Young, I'm not a fan, but he helps raise your floor for your wins. You have the number one pick. Alex Sar's got potential. They got a couple other young guys in the mix. Chris Middleton just went there, went back there to give them some, some more.

[Will]

I'm shocked he didn't go to Miami.

[Greg Monakis]

Yeah, I couldn't believe that either, man. I thought that was, I thought you nailed that when you came up, but I was very impressed. But I think ultimately everyone besides the Bucks, Bulls and Nets has a chance to win anywhere between like 45 to 56, 57 games, depending on what team we're talking about. Yeah, and, and they're mostly quality. They're mostly real teams or at least they have one or two guys that you're like, yeah, you can't sleep on that. So east is going to be deep. But yeah, I'm starting to talk myself into, I think the Celtics. I, I fully expect the Celtics to be a top four seed. I think there's a good chance they're a top one or two seed, but

[Will]

I think they're going to be really good, man. There's no reason why the Celtics are going to be bad next playoffs.

[Greg Monakis]

The playoffs where it's going to be.

[Will]

I'm not going to enjoy the season as much because Jalen's not going to be there. But I'm still a fan. Fan for life. Ride or die, man.

[Greg Monakis]

That's where the, the. We get to look at all the Ugo and Shireman and Jordan Walsh developments. Those are going to be the make or breaks for us. So last thing we'll do here quickly and then we'll, we'll sign off. Celtic summer league, Summer league in general started today. The Vegas summer league, that is Celtics start tomorrow with their first game against the Raptors. We've mentioned Amari Williams, we mentioned Ugo Gonzalez, they're on the roster. Any particular players or any particular developments that you're. You're looking for, for what you're going to check out?

[Will]

Yeah, man, I, I want to see Amari. I want to see if he can 1. I want to see if he's actually 72 or if that was one of those rumors that comes out every year about somebody growing to 7:2. It's like a joke that happens every off season. Chris Sak, I just really haven't watched him play. And Dylan Mitchell, I haven't really watched him play either. So those are two guys that I'm really interested in seeing. And then Tanjay, I mean, you know, he had a couple flashes last year being interesting, so kid can score a little bit, but Amari Williams is the guy that I'm watching. I want to see him put up like 25 and 12 with five blocks in the first game. And the Celtics are like, okay, we are good. We do not need to play you anymore.

[Greg Monakis]

Shut it down. Shut it down. Go, go play some blackjack. We're. We're good here. Yeah, I think it's. I think Amari Williams is the number one person to watch. I think Ugo's just not gonna play that much because he just came off of playing for, for Spain in the Euros or fiba, whatever, whatever it was that was going on. He had some really good highlights. I didn't watch any of the full games. I saw some of the Hugo highlights. He filled the stat sheet. Kind of what you want to see from a guy that's going to grow into one of the biggest, one of the biggest players on the Spain roster. Right? You want to see him getting those reps and kind of growing on that international stage. I think that's really important. So I think Amari Williams, seeing what we got with Sanak, and then can Dylan Mitchell shoot at all? Does he have any potential to be able to shoot the basketball? Like, that's the thing that I gotta see is just like, what does that form look like? How, how's it coming off the wrist? Does it look like there's a chance to, to make this work? Or is it going to be one of those, you know, Andre Roberson type things where it's like Oh, I see a potential of a basketball player. Oh, he shot the ball. Never mind. Yeah, it's like I don't quite see it.

[Will]

Kill Chris shot like we don't want.

[Greg Monakis]

Yeah, yeah. You can't, you can't be. You can't be. I still don't know how Michael kid Gilchrist did that, did that shot. But yeah, I think those are the things to watch for. It'll be fun to check in on those guys and see, see what that looks like. So we'll have more coverage of that as the Celtics tip off a couple games this weekend, couple games early next week. So we will check in on our thoughts about some of those players. But the real off season is upon us now. Not much else left to happen unless we get really, really surprised, which in the NBA you never know. You never know what you're going to wake up to. So we'll keep you guys posted here. I'm gonna wrap up this episode but as always, appreciate you guys rocking with us at Green mvpod. You can follow us on Twitter, Instagram, tick tock. Make sure you're subscribing to the YouTube channel. Hit that subscribe button. Really helps us guys drop in. Get that subscribe button going for us and follow us on Bleacher Report too. Download the BR app, follow Celtics.

[Will]

Happy birthday to my guy Alex Gonzalez. Happy birthday to my big bro Charles Manekis. Hit turning the yeah. And shout out to my big three, nine Danny Moy. I don't know how old Danny is, but he's older than 40.

[Greg Monakis]

So a lot of birthday shout outs today. Roll call on the birthdays, man. And shout out to of course our guy James, your son, my Godson for turning 2 years old just a couple of days ago. Big shout out to the big J. All right, that's gonna do it for this episode. We will catch you guys later. Enjoy the rest of your week. Peace.

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