Latest news with #JayKing
New York Times
03-06-2025
- General
- New York Times
Submit a question for Jay King's offseason Celtics mailbag
Austin Ainge just left the front office, Jayson Tatum is in the beginning stages of a long injury rehab process and a fascinating offseason is here. There are plenty of questions to ask about the Celtics' current predicament. So ask them. Drop your questions here and Jay King will answer them in an upcoming mailbag, touching on the disappointing end to Boston's season and the big decisions Brad Stevens will need to confront this summer. Read our complete Celtics coverage here. Jay King June 3, 2025 10:22 am EDT
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Which younger Boston Celtics will have a bigger role with the team next season?
Which younger Boston Celtics will have a bigger role with the team next season? With the Celtics looking at being without star forward Jayson Tatum for much if not all of the season to come with an Achilles tendon tear currently healing up, there will be extra minutes available for Boston to fill. And that does not even take into account that big men Al Horford and Luke Kornet are free agents who might not return to the team. There are several younger players on the roster who might see their playing time go up given all that is going on with the Celtics for their coming campaign. Could we see more of Baylor Scheierman, Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh, JD Davison, or Payton Pritchard, to name a few? Advertisement The hosts of the CLNS Media "Still Poddable" podcast, Brian Robb, Sam Packard, and Jay King, took some time on a recent episode of their show to talk it over. Check it out below to find out what they had to say. If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Which younger Celtics will have a bigger role next season?
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Celtics' Jrue Holiday Breaks Silence on NBA Future After Trade Report
The Boston Celtics' 2024-25 season concluded with a disappointing exit from the playoffs, as they were eliminated by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The series was marred by a significant injury to star forward Jayson Tatum, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 4, sidelining him for the remainder of the series. Despite efforts from Jaylen Brown and other key players, the Celtics were unable to overcome the deficit, leading to their elimination. In the aftermath of the season, attention has turned to the Celtics' roster and financial future. According to The Athletic's Jay King, the team is facing a projected payroll exceeding $500 million for the 2025-26 season, including luxury tax penalties. New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) looks to drive past Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4).© Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images This financial strain has prompted considerations of significant roster changes, with Jrue Holiday emerging as a potential trade candidate. King noted this in his latest report: Advertisement "Among many other factors for the Celtics to consider, Holiday will be at least 34 ... Though Holiday dealt with lingering injuries throughout the regular season, his reputation as a known winner and top defender should interest several contending teams if the Celtics do look to move him, according to league sources." After this report, Holiday addressed his future with the Celtics. "Yeah, I think we still have a really, really great opportunity," he said. "And a great window to be successful and win a championship again. The opportunity to win is now, and I still want to be a part of that." Holiday joined the Celtics in October 2023 via a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, who had acquired him days earlier from the Milwaukee Bucks. The move paid off as the Celtics went on to win their 18th NBA championship in his first season with the team. However, the 2024-25 season proved challenging for Holiday, as he battled with injuries, and was limited to just 11.1 points per game. Advertisement A seasoned veteran, Holiday's basketball resume includes two NBA championships (with the Bucks in 2021 and the Celtics in 2024), two All-Star selections, and multiple All-Defensive Team honors. His experience and defensive prowess make him an attractive option for teams seeking to enhance their backcourt. Related: NBA Fans in Disbelief Over Cooper Flagg, Celtics News Related: Calls Mount for NBA's Adam Silver to Make Change After News on Friday
New York Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Celtics-Knicks preview: X-factors, predictions and more
The inevitable is here. For months, the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks have appeared on a second-round crash course. The forecasts were accurate. The Celtics will host Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday. Our experts are here to preview it. Three of The Athletic's NBA writers — Jay King, who covers the Celtics; James L. Edwards III, who covers the Knicks; and Fred Katz, who has joined the Knicks beat for the playoffs — got together to answer five burning questions about the series. Advertisement Here are their answers: King: The Celtics needed to adjust their style to overcome the gritty Orlando Magic. Though no opponent found consistent answers for Boston's 3-point attack during the regular season, Orlando broke it apart. After generating at least 33 3-point attempts in each game of the regular season, the Celtics fell shy of that low bar in each of the final three games against Orlando. Boston found other ways to win with Jayson Tatum handing in a big series and the defense holding the Magic to 103.8 points per 100 possessions, which would have easily ranked last in the league during the regular season. The Celtics emerged from that series a little banged up, but could benefit from nearly a week off between the end of the first round and Monday night's second-round opener. Edwards: I had questions about how the Knicks would handle a team as physical and relentless as the Detroit Pistons, and I thought they carried themselves well. New York didn't play the prettiest basketball against Detroit (and neither did the Pistons), but it did rise to the occasion in terms of the intangibles. The Pistons brought a fight to the Knicks and, to their credit, they were ready to rumble. New York was tough both mentally and physically throughout the first-round series. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges were really good in defending Cade Cunningham, who is as tough a cover as there was in the NBA this season. Detroit doesn't exactly have the league's most dangerous offense, but the Knicks did what they had to do to keep the Pistons from truly gaining confidence on that end of the floor. Furthermore, Josh Hart did Josh Hart things throughout the entire series, making winning play after winning play. As for Jalen Brunson, what else is there to say about his greatness at this point? Advertisement Katz: Uneasy. At times, the Knicks looked gorgeous, reminding viewers why they owned a top-five offense during the regular season. They played more physically than they had all year, meeting the Pistons' confrontational energy. And at other times, the Knicks looked like they had just learned how to play basketball. The offense would go stagnant or they wouldn't run their first action of a possession until far later than required. They would get away from Karl-Anthony Towns, or Towns would get away from himself. Talent won out against the Pistons — albeit, just barely. The Knicks had more of it; they had more experience, and they downed Detroit. But if a series with the Celtics, who swept New York during four regular-season matchups, is as bumpy, it won't yield the same result. King: The Celtics can win in a lot of ways, but, after needing to adopt a different style in the first round, they will likely be hoping to play more like themselves again. They will want to recover their 3-point volume, rapid ball movement and overall offensive flow. They will want to free up their supporting cast, which went missing for several games against Orlando. The Celtics had few issues against the Knicks during the regular season, going 4-0 while making 21 3-pointers per game. Tatum averaged 33.5 points across those four games on 53.5-percent shooting. If he continues to dominate New York like that, generating great looks for himself and others, the series could be a quick one. Based on how the regular season matchups went, the Celtics will likely try to use him to pick on Towns. But especially after the big games Tatum had, the Knicks should be ready for that type of focus from Boston. Expect New York head coach Tom Thibodeau to have a few new wrinkles prepared. Advertisement Edwards: The Knicks have to find a way to play fast consistently. They were at their best in the series against the Pistons when defending and rebounding at a high level. Obviously, upping the pace starts with getting stops far more frequently than they did against the Celtics during the regular season. With that, they also need to be strong on the defensive glass. Boston ranked 10th during the regular season with 11.4 offensive rebounds per game. New York ranked 25th during the regular season with 31.8 rebounds per game — and it averaged even fewer per game (30.8) once Mitchell Robinson made his season debut on Feb. 28. The Celtics offense is too potent to allow Boston to get multiple opportunities to score. The Knicks need to try to get out in the open court as often as possible, and then in the half court, create rotations as much as possible. Boston has too many switchable defenders who can guard straight up without help. It'll be impossible for the Knicks to create an advantage against a set-up Celtics defense without some urgency, cutting and ball movement. Katz: All must go right for the Knicks just for them to stand a chance. They need A-plus performances from Brunson and Towns, which includes figuring out how to stop the Celtics from slicing New York's center up in pick-and-rolls. They need more from Miles 'Deuce' McBride than they received in the Pistons series. They need lockdown defense from Anunoby, Bridges and Hart. But let's concentrate on one smaller game within the game that the Knicks have to win: The possession battle. The Celtics shoot more 3-pointers than any other team in history. The Knicks, meanwhile, were 28th in 3-point attempt rate during the regular season. There will be a wide gap, even if the Knicks close it some, from beyond the arc during this series, which means New York can't turn it over. It means Towns, Robinson and Hart must gobble up rebounds on both sides of the court. A team that loses the 3-point game as well as the possession battle won't survive. Advertisement King: I'm going to sound like Joe Mazzulla, who has repeatedly stressed that even in the playoffs, most games come down to the simple details. In this series, the Celtics need to focus on limiting free-throw attempts and offensive rebounds. Though the Knicks don't get to the free-throw line much, Brunson has a gift for doing it. Boston's defense needs to be solid against him. He will produce anyway. (Have you seen his playoff track record? Sheesh.) But the Celtics should do whatever they can to keep him off the line. New York also has two relentless offensive rebounders in Hart and Robinson, who can change games with their pursuit of misses. The Knicks thrive on energy plays. Boston needs to cut those down. The Celtics will have plenty of other areas to worry about, but discipline in those two categories would go a long way. Edwards: Boston's 3-point shooting. No team in the NBA shot more 3s than the Celtics during the regular season, and they ranked 10th in terms of efficiency. Boston has great shooters across the board and is tremendous at playing and winning the math game. The Knicks, on the other hand, are not. This group lives in the midrange and was bottom five in 3-point attempts per game. If New York can't change the way it plays offensively or can't limit the amount of 3s the Celtics take — it'll need to limit dribble-drive penetration to do this — this could be a series that resembles how the regular-season meetings went between these two teams. Katz: Kristaps Porziņģis. Forget about the first-round struggles against the Magic. Porziņģis unlocks Boston's most dangerous mode. Towns, assuming he starts on Porziņģis, will need to stray far beyond the 3-point arc to close out on deep 3s. Porziņģis, meanwhile, will likely begin the series guarding Hart, the same way the Pistons placed centers on Hart last round. Tatum and Jrue Holiday, as they did during the regular season, should take turns on Towns. The strategy will allow a 7-foot-3 tower to roam into the paint, taking away driving lanes, layups and dunks. Advertisement How do the Knicks approach the Porziņģis problem? Do they put a wing on him, as some teams will try, moving Towns onto Holiday? It would take a change in mindset from Thibodeau to try it. The Knicks rarely crossmatch with their centers. Does the defensive-minded Mitchell Robinson become increasingly important, either because he plays alongside Towns or instead of him? King: For the Celtics, Holiday. He is considered day-to-day after missing the last three games of the first round with a strained hamstring. If he plays his usual role against New York as the primary Brunson defender, Holiday's health will face a significant test. Brunson might be the worst player to need to guard immediately after returning from a hamstring injury. He starts and stops constantly. He dances on and off the ball. He comes off screen after screen and his defenders had better be in tip-top shape. The Celtics will need to adjust if Holiday's hamstring can't handle all of that herky-jerky motion. They would have other options, but could be further limited by Jaylen Brown's banged-up knee, a lingering issue since mid-March. Boston would probably want Brown to avoid such strenuous minutes, if possible. Regardless, Holiday's health is critical in this matchup. Brunson has called Holiday one of the toughest defenders he faces. Edwards: I feel like Towns is way too good to be labeled as an 'X-factor', but I think it's very clearly him as it pertains to this specific series. Towns has to consistently punish smaller players when they are guarding him. A few NBA head and assistant coaches I talked to said that part of their thinking in putting smaller players on Towns is that they don't believe he can commit to playing a bruising style throughout an entire game or series, and that he'll eventually revert to his finesse ways at some point. Towns can't settle for as many fallaway, midrange jumpers or running floaters as he did against Detroit, even if he is talented enough to hit those shots here and there. The Celtics' defenders are too good and their offense is too potent. Advertisement New York also needs to do a good job of making sure Towns is involved in the bulk of its offensive actions. After all, he's one of the best offensive players on the court. On the other end of the floor, Towns has to execute his coverages at an elite level against Boston. He can't be too slow to close-out on Porzingis on the perimeter. If he's blitzing, he's got to make sure to commit aggressively and with active, high hands, like he did at times against the Pistons. If he's in a drop, he does still have to contest shots and rebound well. Katz: McBride. The Knicks' sixth man has not looked like himself since returning from a knee injury late in the regular season. By the end of the Pistons series, his confidence had dissipated. At one point, he passed up an easy layup in transition, flinging the ball back to the perimeter instead of trying a seamless 2-pointer. This was not the normal McBride, the one whose trademark is his lack of hesitation. He scored only 23 points during the six games versus the Pistons and shot worse than 30 percent. After a regular season when he was the team's best point-of-attack defender against guards, he strayed too often from shooters lining the arc. He can't make the same mistakes when he's on Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard. For all the 'The Knicks can't win this series if…' hypotheticals, 'The Knicks can't win this series if McBride struggles to this degree' may top them all. New York could use bench help. When McBride catches heaters, he provides it — on both sides of the court. He's come through in the playoffs, as recently as last season. Now, the Knicks could use the usual version of him back. King: The Celtics will win in five games. This is a good matchup for them. They will attack Towns on the perimeter, where he's vulnerable, and put constant pressure on Brunson throughout the series. Advertisement Edwards: I agree with Jay. Boston isn't perfect but the Celtics are damn close, and as Fred and I always talk about, the winner of a playoff series is often the team with the fewest flaws. All of the Celtics' best players defend at a good-to-high level. There is no weak link to pick on. That's not the case for the Knicks. New York's best closing lineup will always have two defenders with limitations. Furthermore, the Celtics will always have at least three players on the court who can break down a defense off the dribble and create advantages. That is a glaring weakness of New York's roster this season. At this stage, it's hard to generate a sustainable half-court offense over 48 minutes without multiple dribble-drive playmakers, and the Knicks are lacking in that department. Boston is a bad matchup for 99 percent of the NBA, but specifically the Knicks. Katz: I'll go with the Celtics in five, as well. Regular-season results do not always point to what's to come in the playoffs. But the Knicks' four games against the Celtics — especially the first three, when Boston slaughtered them — made a wide gap between the two teams apparent. (Photo of Jayson Tatum and Karl-Anthony Towns: Elsa / Getty Images)
New York Times
17-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Celtics-Magic NBA playoff series: Whom to watch, X-factors and predictions
For the first time since Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins and Glen 'Big Baby' Davis clashed against Dwight Howard and Marcin Gortat in the 2010 Eastern Conference finals, the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic will face each other in the playoffs. The first-round series between the Eastern Conference's second and seventh seeds will begin at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Advertisement To preview the series, The Athletic brought together its Celtics beat writer, Jay King, and its Magic beat writer, Josh Robbins, and asked them to preview the matchup. Jay King: What's up, Josh? I am looking forward to covering what should be an intense and physical series. The Magic finished the regular season ranked second in defensive efficiency. They dented opposing offenses even more than usual down the stretch while winning nine of their final 12 games, plus another game against the Atlanta Hawks in the Play-In Tournament. Without the injured Jalen Suggs, what has led to Orlando's late-season revival? And, in this matchup, what do the Magic need to focus on to hold down Boston's high-powered offense? Josh Robbins: I'll let Magic coach Jamahl Mosley answer that question, because I posed it to him a couple of weeks ago. 'A very strange season,' Mosley said. 'I think that's the best way to describe it. The injuries to start off the year changed the way in which you approach things, the way in which you have to dissect things. Ultimately, the only way I can describe it is it feels like seven seasons in one.' Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner missed significant time with oblique-muscle tears. Jalen Suggs is out for the season because of a knee injury. Sixth man Moe Wagner tore an ACL in December. The Magic entered the season with high expectations that they haven't fulfilled, and the injuries and poor shooting have been the primary reasons. King: The Celtics were steadier. Except for an 11-10 lull in December and January, they rolled throughout most of the season to finish second in offensive rating, fourth in defensive rating and second in net rating overall. Kristaps Porziņģis missed 40 games and Jaylen Brown picked up a persistent knee issue late in the regular season, but Boston otherwise dealt with few significant health concerns. The Celtics saved their best basketball for the end of the regular season while going 22-5 after the All-Star break. They have used their rare continuity well. Advertisement Brown's injury might limit him in the postseason. He received injections for his knee shortly before the end of the regular season and was on a minutes restriction beginning in mid-March. Though the Celtics have sounded optimistic about his form at practices, he remains their biggest question mark with Game 1 days away. King: Not many. The Celtics sat all of their starters during the final regular-season matchup, which they lost 96-76. The Magic were without Franz Wagner in January when they fell to Boston 121-94. And two days before Christmas, the Celtics and Magic were short-handed during a game Orlando captured 108-104. Boston was without Jayson Tatum, and the Magic were missing Wagner and Banchero, among other regulars. 'You can look back and watch film on those things, but it's an entirely new team that we're playing against, and we're a different team than they've seen us last,' Tatum said. 'So playoffs are different.' Though those games likely left few hints about how the coming playoff series will go, Orlando's size and physicality have historically bothered the Celtics somewhat. It should be an entertaining clash between Boston, which set records for most 3-point attempts and 3-point makes in a single season, and Orlando, which easily allowed the fewest 3-point attempts. Robbins: I agree 100 percent with Jay here. The absences of so many key players from both teams make it a fool's errand to put much stock in Orlando's winning two of the teams' three regular-season games. But there's one exception. The Magic prioritize limiting the number of opponents' 3-point attempts, and that's a key reason they have an elite defense. The Celtics averaged 48 attempts from deep throughout the entire regular season, but the Magic limited them to 33 attempts in December's Magic victory and 37 attempts in the Celtics' blowout win in mid-January. Mosley and assistant coach Dale Osbourne will make limiting the volume of 3-point attempts a key part of their defensive game plan in this series. King: The fight over the 3-point arc could determine whether this series becomes a close one. The Celtics want to shoot and shoot and shoot some more, while the Magic, like Josh pointed out, do the best job of preventing 3-point attempts. In general, the Celtics need to stay disciplined. The Magic have shooters they will feel comfortable leaving at the arc, and that should give Boston a good chance of protecting the rim in this series. It wouldn't be a shock to see Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla lean heavily on double-big lineups, which have typically fared extremely well for the Celtics this season. Luke Kornet, who has been one of the NBA's best backup big men, could have a significant role. The Magic will have serious trouble scoring consistently if they aren't able to find ways to punish Boston's size. Advertisement Still, in Banchero and Wagner, Orlando has two powerful wings who can live at the free-throw line. I would guess Mazzulla will emphasize avoiding fouls against those guys. This Magic squad has had problems scoring all season; handing them freebies just doesn't seem wise. If the Celtics keep the game in the half court, where the Magic ranked 27th in offensive efficiency, it's hard to imagine Orlando scoring enough to keep pace. But ugly offense for Boston could charge the Magic's attack. Suggs' absence will be felt in this series, but even without him, Orlando's defense is mean. The Celtics will need to handle the intensity of a young and hungry team that sucks up an opponent's comfort. Robbins: In addition to limiting the number of Boston's made 3s and attempted 3s, Orlando has to get more out of its offense. The Magic generated (or opponents allowed) enough wide-open 3s during the regular season, but they made only 35 percent of those wide-open attempts, the worst percentage league-wide. I'm stating the obvious here when I say they have to hit shots, but it's still true. And whenever the Magic generate stops on defense, they have to try to push the pace and get shot attempts at the rim before the Celtics set their defense. And finally, Orlando has to make this a physical series. Even without Suggs and Moe Wagner, Orlando still has enough size and toughness to make things difficult for Boston. King: For the Celtics, it's Brown's health. At playoff time, he usually guards one of the opponent's best players while handling a heavy burden in the Celtics' offense. His role is grueling. How many of his normal tasks will he be able to handle? And for how many minutes will he be able to handle those? Robbins: Orlando has three key X-factors. When he's at his best, Cole Anthony can pour in the points off the bench, as he did in his team's Play-In victory over Atlanta. Anthony Black, a second-year guard who is 6 feet 7, already is an outstanding, switchable defender who disrupts shots because of his height and long arms; he, too, was key in the Play-In win, and the Magic will need him to cause the Celtics' outstanding perimeter players problems. Advertisement Last, 6-foot-10 big Jonathan Isaac would be a perennial All-Defensive team candidate if he played the number of games and minutes required to qualify for the award; his shot-blocking can change the tenor of a game. If he can hit open corner 3s, that would be a huge bonus. King: The Celtics will win in five. The Magic won't be able to score enough. But Boston won't come out of this series feeling great about itself. Orlando's defense has a lot of bite. Robbins: A Magic roster with Suggs and Moe Wagner fully healthy would have made this a great series. But even then, the Celtics would have had the edge because of their shooting skill and experience. Now, Orlando has even less margin for error. The Celtics will win the series, but the Magic have Banchero and enough size and toughness to steal a game or two. My prediction: Boston in five. (Top photo of Payton Pritchard and Cole Anthony: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)
