BOSTON – The Boston Celtics will open their season riding the back of a very young roster, but their youth pales in comparison to that of their first opponent.
The Philadelphia 76ers will not dress a single player over the age of 24 when they take on the C’s at 7:30 tonight at TD Garden.
Even more startling is that the Sixers’ top leader, Nerlens Noel, is just 21 years old. The Everett, Mass. native is tied as the longest-tenured member of the team, as he enters his third year with the organization (and his second active season).
Despite his youth, Noel believes he is the right guy to lead this Philly squad.
“It is a little crazy,” admitted Noel. “Knowing I’m just 21, having to take this role on, [but] I’m taking it straight on. I want to be the guy for this team moving forward.
“I’m most familiar with the system so I take a lot of responsibility and accountability on myself to help these young guys out a lot.”
One of those young guys is 19-year-old Jahlil Okafor, the third overall pick from the 2015 NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-11 pair is expected to handle starting frontcourt duties, but there is concern about potential overcrowding in the paint, according to head coach Brett Brown.
“I think the fact that one of them isn’t a legitimate 3-point threat is a challenge,” Brown said following the team’s shootaround Wednesday morning at Emerson College. “How do you space the floor around those two and how do those two co-exist with each other?
“The good thing is they want to please. They’re good people, they want to pass to each other, they get along. There’s a big, big relationship.”
Their unselfishness is why Noel believes there will not be any issues in the paint between him and Okafor.
“We both play off each other very well and I think something that helps out a lot is our underrated passing,” said Noel. “I think as long as we keep moving the ball and keep finding each other like buddy-ball, I think spacing will not be an issue at all.”
The 76ers’ ability to move the ball will be key when they take on the C’s tonight. When the teams faced off during the preseason finale Friday night, Philly’s glaring issue was turning the ball over. They coughed it up 23 times, en route to an 81-65 loss.
Brown said Boston’s starting combination of Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder was suffocating on the defensive end.
“The mojo, the mindset that they start the game with jumped us last time,” Brown said. “We couldn’t dribble, we couldn’t get into anything, so it was an eye-opener to the physicality of the start of that game … They did a hell of a job guarding us and I think it starts with their individuals. They have really committed physical defenders.”
Noel believes Boston’s defense was the best Philly faced during its preseason. The 76ers have spent this week making adjustments, hoping the offense does not fall victim to such harassment during the opener.
“We went through a lot more spacing concepts that will keep Boston on their toes,” said Noel. “We just gotta do a better job of knowing our personnel. They like to get in the passing lanes and be able to cause a lot of havoc.”
That defensive tenacity should only grow fiercer for the Celtics now that the regular season is officially underway.
Facing a Philadelphia squad that is depleted by injury and will only have a max of 10 players available tonight will be to the Celtics’ advantage.
Boston’s experience should also be beneficial, as it will be the most veteran squad on the floor. That will not be a common occurrence for the young C’s this season.
