Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Saturday he’s not sure the team’s biggest addition this offseason, center Tristan Thompson, is ready to play on time in Boston’s season opener at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on December 23.
“I think it’s hard to say right now,” Stevens said after the team’s practice on Saturday. “He hasn’t been anywhere in practice yet. He’s done our previous practice … 2v2, 3v3, very light, mock read work on both ends. So that’s it.”
Thompson, who signed a two-year, $ 19 million deal with Boston this offseason after spending the first eight years of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, has not played in a competitive game since March, as Cleveland was one of eight. teams that did not qualify for the NBA bubble at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
That period of inactivity further complicates Thompson’s increased activity, Stevens said, after he injured his hamstring prior to the start of training camp.
“He hasn’t played in a long time,” Stevens said. “He didn’t play in the bubble, so there will be an acceleration period for him whenever he can go live to practice, and I guess it won’t just be one of those situations where you are available one day and do good practice and you can play, I think it will be a little more than that ”.
“I don’t know what that means with respect to December 23. Every day that passes, I would say that it is more unlikely,” he said.
One player who won’t be available for the season opener is star point guard Kemba Walker, as Boston has already said there won’t be an update on the status of his work to strengthen his left knee until early January. Stevens said Saturday that Walker is making some individual shots with “a little movement,” but he’s not doing any teamwork, even in small groups.
The other free agent Boston signed this offseason, veteran point guard Jeff Teague, was asked Saturday if he had been given any indication as to whether he would start in Walker’s place to open the season. However, he said it has yet to be discussed.
“I’m not sure,” Teague said. “But it doesn’t really matter. We have a lot of good players, a lot of talented players, and it will be a team effort not to have a guy like that right now, a dynamic point guard like that, so I guess we’ll figure it out.”
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