The last time the Boston Celtics had a core of players capable of contending for an NBA title, Marquis Daniels was part of that collection of players wearing the green and white during the era that saw Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen doing the same.
So the Celtics alum knows a thing or two about the sort of play and the kinds of habits that are needed to be in the mix for hanging banners, and the Floridian wing recently sat down with the “Green With Envy” podcast to talk about that moment in time, and the insights it gives him into this current Celtics contention core.
To begin with, he is not concerned with the so-called “leadership vacuum” in the wake of the team trading away veteran point guard Marcus Smart.
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For Daniels, the team’s best player should be more than enough even with a less obviously vocal leadership style, and this coming from a man who played with Kevin Garnett.
“A guy like (Jayson Tatum), he’s a quiet guy. He would rather lead by example — go out there and play hard, show his work. But, when he does speak, people will listen. Because, he doesn’t say much, so it’s like ‘Okay, he’s saying something, so it must be important.'”
“I think JT’s gonna be really, really good in this league for a long time,” added the former Boston wing.
Kristaps Porzingis is impressed with the Boston Celtics' offense https://t.co/Zw8lqFhMeX
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 13, 2023
As for the structure of the team today, Daniels thinks that while so-called “positionless basketball” is fine for some contexts, but for the goals Boston has, more defined roles are critical.
“I think positionless basketball is good for winning games, but not for winning championships. I say that because you can put guys out there, they can score the basketball and things like that. But when it comes down to actually playing your role, the PJ Tuckers, the Al Horfords, the guys that are going to do the stuff that don’t show up in the stats.”
“They’re going to do the dirty work, they’re going to do the grind. Stick their nose in there, get their nose busted,” he added.
Marquis Daniels on Jordan Walsh, Kevin Garnett, and 2010 NBA Finals https://t.co/kALyPKcjrP
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 13, 2023
He also wants to see more varied offense from Tatum. “Everybody is not gonna be the Golden State Warriors and just run around shooting 3s.”
“You (have) got to have players to do that. Some teams aren’t built around that. That’s just not it. Like, JT can create his shot from anywhere. He can shoot the 3; he can get to the mid-range. So you want to tell JT he just needs to shoot 3s? Now you’re limiting him from who he can be.”
Daniels’ own chances to hang a banner evaporated with Kendrick Perkins’ knee injury, but the team did manage to get back to the NBA Finals following similar principles to what he outlined above.
Which Boston Celtics role players will crack the rotation this season? https://t.co/8UEZAqx8S1
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 13, 2023
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
Whether this iteration can make its own finals return is in the hands of Tatum and company, but the advice of the Celtics who have made that leap in the past is certainly not a bad place to start the journey.
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
