On Monday morning, the Boston Celtics arrived in Abu Dhabi, where they will play in two preseason games against the Denver Nuggets. Sure, the preseason might not make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, but it’s still basketball. Plus, for Celtics nerds like me, there are plenty of exciting storylines to keep an eye on as we all learn more about what this season’s roster is capable of.

First of all, it will be awesome to see the Celtics again. Did they have the shortest offseason of any NBA team? Yes. But that doesn’t change the fact that it was still far too long! It will still be great to see the gang back on the floor and playing against one of the league’s rivals.

When it comes to more specific things to keep an eye on in Friday’s opener, it’s exciting to watch the debuts of both rookies, Baylor Scheierman and Anton Watson. I mean, it’s exciting to watch the newbies every season, but this year it’s even more so, as the duo makes up two-thirds of the new faces in town (at least the ones expected to be part of the team). long distance). Boston brought back just about every player from last year’s championship team, so the rookies are really the “What do we have here?” guys.

Scheierman was Brad Stevens’ first first-round pick. The 6-foot-2 winger played 35 games for the Creighton Blue Jays last season, averaging 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per appearance. The 23-year-old scored his points efficiently, hitting 44.8% of his attempts from the field and 38.1% from distance.

His Summer League stats weren’t quite as impressive, especially on offense. He averaged 11.2 points per game on 36.2/29.4 shooting, but still showed the ability to impact the game in a variety of ways. Since then, he has spent a lot of time working on his body and talking “Jay King of The Athletic said he gained 10 to 15 pounds this summer.

“I think since summer league I’ve spent a lot of time with my body, working on it and trying to build a lot of muscle mass,” Scheierman King revealed. “I was able to gain 10 to 15 pounds in that area.”

His diverse skill set opens him up to a spot in Boston’s rotation. That probably won’t be the case this season, but he could certainly fit in at some point.

His draft classmate Watson is the lesser known of the two. The second-round pick is not technically a member of the Celtics’ 15-man roster, but he accepts one of their three-team contracts.

The 24-year-old had a solid senior season at Gonzaga last year, playing in 35 games for the Bulldogs. He averaged 14.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest while shooting 57.8% from the field and 41.2% from three. Similar to Scheierman, it’s easy to imagine him being a rotation guy one day due to his varied game (likely something Stevens values). Kevin O’Connor’s NBA Draft guide for The Ringer compared Watson to “Old Al Horford.”

Not bad.

Neither did his appearance at Summer League in July. The rookie showed great feel for the game as he consistently put himself in the right position to succeed with timely cuts, good effort on the glass and solid defensive positioning. He could be a backup candidate for a few minutes while Kristaps Porzingis recovers from his injury.

Speaking of which: How head coach Joe Mazzulla uses the trio of Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta can also be seen on Friday afternoon and throughout the entire preparation for the season. All three big men have a huge opportunity ahead of them in the coming months, with some more playing time still up for grabs. However, many rotation decisions will likely be based on a matchup basis, but there will be significantly less time available once Porzingis returns.

Kornet was the most used last year. He played 63 times for the Cs, playing about 15.6 minutes each time. The Texan was a solid contributor off the bench, averaging 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 70% from the field. He embodied consistency, which is why he became an integral part of the rotation. Kornet has a tall body at 6-foot-7 and serves as a solid rim protector off the bench. He is probably the safest option for Mazzulla.

Tillman is another intriguing option. He was traded to the Celtics at the end of last season and transferred from the Memphis Grizzlies at the trade deadline. A lingering knee injury limited him early on, and by the time he was ready to go, Mazzulla had already formed his confidence tree. The 6-foot-11 tall man saw very little action in the postseason, although he did make a big three-pointer in Boston’s Game 3 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

The unique thing about Tillman is that he has some chance. Sure, Kornet has shot and made threes in the past, but that part of his game hasn’t been discussed since Mazzulla took over. The same cannot be said for X, who has averaged 1.4 long-range attempts per game since arriving in Boston. The former Michigan State standout’s efficiency isn’t quite there yet, but his form looks solid enough that many expect his shot to continue to improve. He’s also the best full-back on the team – he’s also the smallest, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he can move laterally.

Queta could be the biggest wild card of the three. After coming from the Sacramento Kings last summer, he only appeared sporadically for the Cs in 2023-24. The Portuguese native showed flashes of promise, most notably his double-doubles against the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors during Boston’s West Coast trip last December. Unfortunately, there were times when Queta lacked discipline in defense and committed a number of fouls within a few minutes of play. In order for him to differentiate himself from the others, especially Kornet because they have similar games, he has to be more patient.

However, the advantage is there. Queta plays an exciting style of basketball. He’s a big guy with some bounce, which makes for the occasional loud dunks or blocks. He also plays with a great motor and pounds the offensive glass to create additional opportunities for the Celtics.

What makes the big man dilemma so difficult for coach Mazzulla is the fact that all three of these guys can play. There is no obvious leader in the group, so it will require some experimentation – which preseason is great for.

Boston’s preseason plan will also allow the team to see what it has to offer in Lonnie Walker IV and Jaden Springer. The fan base was excited when the Cs signed Walker IV for training camp in August, but he may not even be a part of the team when opening night rolls around.

Is it really likely that the Celtics cut him? Not really, but who knows?

It would make the most sense for him to secure the 15th and final roster spot, especially considering Brad Stevens was interested in him back in February. It probably wasn’t a coincidence that he ended up in Boston, even though it was late in free agency.

His 2023-24 season with the Brooklyn Nets was impressive. He averaged just under 10 points per game and shot 38.4% on three-pointers in 58 appearances. Shooting is a skill the Celtics value heavily, so it makes sense that Stevens brought him in.

The biggest question surrounding Walker was: “Where will he find his logs?”

Honestly, maybe not. If he ends up sticking around, he may just be a depth player. But the upcoming preseason games are a great opportunity for Walker to show everyone how he can fit into this team.

“Obviously my free agency didn’t go as planned and all that,” Walker told reporters last Wednesday. “So, Brad Stevens, he gave me the opportunity with the E10 to kind of prove myself and show my abilities offensively, defensively, off the field and as a great teammate. So I’m really excited and grateful to be here and I’m going to do my best.”

As for Springer, he suffered a similar fate to Tillman during his halftime stint in Boston. The young guard’s options have been limited, so it remains unclear whether he will fit into the rotation. At just 21 years old, he remains an exciting candidate. He can defend, handle the ball and even score a bit. The main problem is that he hasn’t quite found his stroke from beyond the arc as a career 22.6% 3-point shooter. If he is able to refine his shot a bit, he could be a real asset for the Celtics in the future.

His only Summer League appearance was great. He literally did everything for the Summer Cs, scoring 23 points and six assists with zero turnovers. Springer scored on all three levels that day. He managed three of his six attempts from distance, was an assassin from mid-range and produced a strong array of finishes at the rim.

If he can carry the momentum he gained in the three months between this game and Friday’s game into the preseason, he could earn a few more minutes this season. However, it’s difficult because he has three great guards ahead of him in the rotation. Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard have all proven they fit in Mazzulla’s system.

Still, it will be important for the organization to take a closer look at Springer this season before his contract expires in the summer.

After an entire offseason of doing nothing, it will be great to have Celtics basketball back on Friday. Sure, the starters may only play half of the game, but there’s just so much to see that it shouldn’t matter to you as a viewer.