Overview

• Players and staff describe a sharper edge to camp, with assistant Sam Cassell calling it the toughest of his 34-year career and Joe Mazzulla cautioning against recency bias.
• The team is emphasizing pace and a more physical defensive approach to generate turnovers, a shift Payton Pritchard detailed while noting the trade-offs with fouling.
• Mazzulla signaled offensive tweaks away from a rigid three-point profile, stressing matchup-driven 'two-on-ones' and a shot mix that reflects new personnel and coverages.
• Jayson Tatum remains out as he recovers from Achilles surgery, and Boston has replaced departed veterans with additions such as Anfernee Simons, Chris Boucher, Luka Garza, Josh Minott and Hugo Gonzalez.
• With only Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Sam Hauser and Pritchard as healthy rotation holdovers, White is preparing for expanded responsibilities as newcomers are pushed to catch up and every roster spot is empowered to impact winning.