Boston

Celtics

Tatum, who had the best season of his NBA career in 2022-23, went into the offseason believing he could have to undergo surgery on his non-shooting wrist. However, after consulting with multiple specialists, the star forward decided against undergoing a procedure. According to Shelburne, Tatum received a cortisone shot, and he’s feeling “comfortable” regarding his health and potentially enhanced offensive role. With Marcus Smart now in Memphis, Tatum will have more opportunities to initiate the offense, even with Derrick White now serving as the starting point guard. After averaging a career-high 4.6 helpers per game last season, don’t be surprised if Tatum increases that number. He’s worthy of consideration on the back end of the top 5 in all drafts.

Porzingis was expected to miss four-to-six weeks while rehabbing his foot, which lines up perfectly with him being ready for camp, which Stevens confirmed on Monday. Stevens had said in June that he expected Brogdon to be ready to roll as well, which he also confirmed Monday. Boston brought in Porzingis this summer, and he should immediately slide into the starting unit and give them one of the best starting fives in the league. Brogdon should continue to be the team’s sixth man, though he may play a larger role with Marcus Smart in Memphis.

Stevens had been a solid piece for Cleveland over the last few seasons, but he was traded to San Antonio this summer in the deal that sent Max Strus to the Cavs. However, the Spurs waived him shortly after. Stevens met with Boston a month ago, and they finally signed him to a contract. He’ll be a solid role player, but he likely won’t impact standard-sized fantasy hoops leagues.

Less than a week after he was waived by the Kings, Queta has found a new home. The 39th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Queta saw the majority of his minutes with the Kings’ G League affiliate, where he established himself as one of the best bigs in the league. While the Celtics do have established big men in Robert Williams, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford, the first two have struggled with injury issues. There’s no need to select Queta in any fantasy league, but there could come a point where he offers value as a deep-league streamer.

Mykhailiuk spent last season with Charlotte, where he had some big games down the stretch after the Hornets had already thrown in the towel on the season. He’s never been much of a fantasy contributor, and it’s unlikely that changes with Boston. He’ll provide some depth, but he isn’t worth targeting in any format.

Haynes notes that KP is expected to be ready for training camp, which is good news, considering he’ll be in a Celtics uniform for the first time. When healthy, he’s got a top-15 ceiling, but fantasy managers may be able to get him at a discount in 2023 drafts due to the foot injury.

Less than a week after the Latvia Basketball Association denied a report that Porzingis was dealing with a foot issue, the 7-foot-3 forward announced that he will not play in the upcoming FIBA World Cup. According to Porzingis, he’s dealing with a case of plantar fasciitis, an issue that has lingered for “several weeks.” With Porzingis unable to represent Latvia, the question now is whether or not he’ll be good to go when the Celtics open training camp in early October. Given his medical history, it would be understandable if Celtics fans and fantasy managers alike were concerned by this development.

Not drafted after his lone season at Duke, Steward has managed to secure a spot for himself in Celtics training camp after two seasons with the Kings’ G League affiliate. According to Wojnarowski, the shooting guard will be competing for a two-way contract slot. Boston has already used two of its three available two-way slots, with JD Davison and Jay Scrubb being those players. Even if he were to secure the final two-way deal, Steward is likely to see the majority of his playing time in the G League next season.

In the aftermath of BIG Deutschland’s Rupert Fabig reporting that Porzingis’ status for the World Cup is in doubt due to an issue with his foot, the Latvian Basketball Association issued a statement of denial. “There has been information that questions the participation of Kristaps Porzingis in the FIBA World Cup. LBS denies this information,” the statement read. “Both the player’s individual preparation plans and the team’s overall training process are ongoing. The line-up for the match against the Dominican Republic will be announced on August 12.” Traded to the Celtics in June, Porzingis appeared in 65 games for the Wizards last season. That was the first time he’s hit that threshold since the 2016-17 campaign, so it would be understandable if Celtics fans and fantasy managers are a bit anxious. Latvia plays the Dominican Republic in a friendly on August 12, so we’ll see if Porzingis is available. Even if he isn’t, the FIBA World Cup doesn’t begin for Latvia until August 25 against Lebanon.

White has been awesome for Boston over the past season and a half since they acquired him from the Spurs. However, Marcus Smart starting at point guard had prevented him from being the dominant fantasy player that he’s capable of being. After the Celtics traded Smart to Memphis in a deal that landed them Kristaps Porzingis, it became likely that White would take over as the team’s point guard. Now, Mazzulla confirms it, which means that White should be in for a big year.