For the Boston Celtics players trying to carve out a role for themselves off of the bench, being ready to dive for loose balls is one of the key little things Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is looking for from his reserves.
And despite solid play in the preseason so far, backup wing Dalano Banton found this out the hard way in the second half of Boston’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday when a slow response to a 50-50 ball got him pulled out of the game. “There’s nothing more important than holding people to a high standard, especially when you believe in them,” said Mazzulla after the game.
“We have a roster of one through 17, and I truly believe that and that was just a good learning opportunity.”
Celtics Lab 221: Separating fact from fiction in Boston's 2023-24 campaign with Jeff Zilgitt https://t.co/5hqfMCxlTI
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 10, 2023
“There was a loose ball and I thought he could have gotten it and so credit to him that he was able to take coaching and he responded really, really well,” added the Celtics coach on Banton’s reaction to the quick hook.
“He’s got a chance to be a really good player in this league, and I love the mentality that he brought to being coached and then responding. It’s super important — I’m thankful that he allowed me to coach him.”
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