Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Ante Zizic, 23rd pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2016 NBA draft
Height, Position: 6-foot-11, power forward/center
Current team: Cibona Zagreb (Croatia)
Stats: Liga ABA: 19.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 blocks in 10 games while shooting 67.0 percent from the field.
Champions League: 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.33 blocks in three games while shooting 64.3 percent from the field.
A-1 Liga: 29.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in one game while shooting 71.4 percent (10-for-14) from the field.
Summary: Zizic has been one of the more impressive big men in the overseas this season, delivering with the kind of consistency you don’t see every day in a 19-year-old kid. Like Yabusele, Zizic has a good shot at being on the Celtics’ active roster next season based on his size, potential and the need for Boston to add more high energy, versatile bigs.
Sherrod Blakely delivers a ‘where are they now?’ for the Celtics picks who aren’t on the active roster. Click on the link to find out more about:
- Abdel Nader who isn’t technically overseas–unless something’s happened to Maine lately.
- Marcus Thornton–not the one who was traded to Phoenix for Isaiah Thomas, the other one.
- Guerschon Yabusele–AKA the Dancing Bear
Page 2: Where the Spurs are in town
The challenge awaiting the Celtics, even with the obvious momentum that comes with three straight road wins, will be one of the greatest they’ll face this season.
“They’re a very good team,” said Avery Bradley of the Spurs. “They haven’t lost a game on the road yet. We want to be the first team they lose to on the road. We just have to make sure we’re prepared and have the same attitude we had at the beginning of the [Brooklyn] game, for the entire game. That’ll be important for us and we’ll get the win.”
Sherrod put in some work on Thanksgiving, typing up a couple articles for CSNNE.
Bradley’s right. The Celtics need to put in a complete game effort this afternoon, and as Blakely points out elsewhere in the article, that’s a tough order of business for a 1:00 game. Matinee games can be hard on the eyeballs in the early going.
If the Celtics win this game, it will say a lot about the extent to which they’ve progressed year-over-year. Stevens has yet to beat San Antonio, and the closest the team has come was about a year ago on the road.
All of the Celtics are available, if slightly dinged up, and they should be well rested after a road trip that ended practically in their backyard down in Brooklyn. This is a good yard stick game, and it’ll be interesting to see if the team rises to meet the challenge.
Page 3: If Marcus is scoring, the Celtics are losing
| Category | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 6.7 | 14.4 |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 3.2 |
| Assists | 5.3 | 1.8 |
| FG Pct. | 27.3 | 45.2 |
| 3-point Pct. | 18.2 | 44.8 |
| Minutes | 32.7 | 30.8 |
| Plus/Minus | +70 | -58 |
That, folks (emphasis added), is about the craziest stat you’ll see all day. So far in this season, the Celtics are at their best when Marcus Smart’s shooting is at its worst.
But, like Horford and Crowder, you’re just not going to see Smart looking to pad his numbers at any point in the game. These three guys are throwbacks, and while Isaiah Thomas is the face of the franchise, the extent to which the Celtics have struggled while these guys have been out is a reminder of the extent to which they create–and enforce–the identity of this team.
The rest of the links:
NESN: Amir Johnson Rocks Fantastic Larry Bird Socks Before Celtics Beat Nets
Why Avery Bradley Is OK With Celtics Battling Injuries, Starting Slow
CSNNE: Beyond the numbers: How valuable is pace for title contenders?
Boston Herald: For Celtics, Thursday for family, Friday for Spurs
Boston Globe: Celtics ready for matinee with Spurs
Terry Rozier is a new player this season
It may have been a bit premature to worry about the Celtics
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