Training Camp Report: Intensity High At First Practice

Our seven-months-long wait is finally over. The morning of October 31 marked the opening of Maine Celtics training camp for the 2023-24 season, and with that, G League basketball has officially returned to the Expo. 

Once head coach Blaine Mueller rolled the ball out for the opening day of training camp, the intensity levels picked up a notch as players battled not only for minutes, but for a spot on the team. 

As things stand at the outset of camp, the Celtics will field a roster littered with talented big men and spearheaded by Two-Way players Nathan Knight and Neemias Queta. But even when Knight and Queta are up with the big club, Affiliate Player Kylor Kelley, one of Boston’s four Exhibit 10 signings, will provide a shot-blocking prowess that put him atop the Oregon State program’s all-time leaderboard in blocked shots. James Banks III, a two-time ACC All-Defense selection at Georgia Tech, and North Granby, Conn. product Jaiden Delaire could be asked to man the middle against certain matchups as well. In Banks, Kelly and Queta, the Celtics will have three 7-footers patrolling the paint in Maine this season. The 6-foot-9 Delaire adds an element of mobility and skill to the position, offering coach Mueller a layer of versatility on the depth chart. Talk about imposing size and physicality. 

Even in today’s NBA, where skill and speed are emphasized at all five positions, big men still need quality guard play. The Maine Celtics will have no shortage of quality guard play this if second-year Two-Way guard JD Davison has anything to say about it. 

Between the opening of NBA training camp and G League training camp up in Maine, Davison spent his days putting in work with a veteran-laden Celtics squad at the Auerbach Center down in Boston. Last year, Davison took advantage of the opportunity to learn under Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon, a pair of seasoned point guards that compete on both ends of the floor. Now that Jrue Holiday is in the fold – a player whose game Davison has tried to emulate for years – he can continue to soak up knowledge and learn from Holiday’s steady veteran presence. Having come back to Maine looking stronger and more physical, there could be big things on the horizon for the fan-favorite Davison. 

DJ Steward, another Affiliate Player as one of Boston’s Exhibit 10 signings, offers a contrast to Davison’s pass-first playmaking style. Adept court vision and ball-screen navigation allow Steward to operate as a lead guard, but his ball-handling and pull-up shooting fit nicely alongside the explosively athletic Davison. Maine’s 2023 G League Draft pick, Wendell Green Jr., provides a feisty and aggressive defensive presence at the point of attack – despite arriving in Maine on Sunday evening, Green was ready to rock by 10:00 AM on Tuesday. Green, Donald Carey and Jordan Jackson, all G League rookies, fill out the backcourt depth chart. 

Davison isn’t the only returner from last season’s Maine Celtics team, either. A team that projects to be as young as these Maine Celtics needs a leadership presence in the locker room – that’s where nine-year NBA veteran Tony Snell factors in. 

Snell has appeared in 601 games and holds career averages of 6.1 points and 2.3 rebounds as an NBA player, and his 84.6% mark from the free throw line puts him in the upper echelon of efficiency. Having been a part of a championship-caliber team in Milwaukee a few years back, Snell certainly has the wisdom to impart on a young roster full of players trying to adjust to life as a professional. 

Marvin Smith Jr., a crucial role-player for the 30-win playoff team in 2022-23 is also back for another year in green and could slot into a role like last season’s. As is Jacob Young, whose 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists against the Wisconsin Herd late in the year helped secure the Celtics a home playoff game. Between Davison, Snell, Smith and Young, Celtics fans will see plenty of familiar faces at the Expo for the home opener on November 17^th. 

The remainder of Boston’s Exhibit 10 signings – Taylor Funk and Brandon Slater – provide a jolt of energy on the wings, spacing the floor, running lanes in transition, and filling in the gaps defensively. Those two rookies and Jordan Schakel, a 40 percent 3-point shooter with the Santa Cruz Warriors last season, provide necessary space for Davison and the guards to slice through defenses and have the range and footwork to give coach Mueller options for creative out-of-bounds plays. It didn’t take long for them to start raining threes in the Expo, even on the first day of camp. 

Day 1 is behind us, and now the Celtics can really settle in as they gear up for the 2023-24 G League season. A full schedule of practices this week leads into an intrasquad scrimmage over the weekend, guaranteed to be radiating intensity. Iron sharpens iron. 

Maine Celtics training camp reports will be published twice weekly leading up to the November 10^th season opener at Capital City. Stay tuned for the inside scoop on what goes down at the Expo in the coming days.