Joe Mazzulla Provides Update on Robert Williams, Discusses Getting Blake Griffin Acclimated, and Sheds Light on Plan for Wednesday's Preseason Game

The Celtics host the Raptors Wednesday night at 7:30 EST.

A few days removed from a 134-93 thrashing of the Hornets in their preseason opener, the Celtics are gearing up for Wednesday's matchup against Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors.

Regarding availability, the only player in question is Luke Kornet, who's dealing with an ankle sprain expected to sideline him for one to two weeks. Kornet suffered the sprain at practice last week, meaning he might miss the entire preseason. 

Tuesday, Joe Mazzulla said of Kornet's progress, "(he's) getting better each day, (he) seems to be in a great mind frame. (He's) still day-to-day. Hopefully, he can get back whenever he's healthy." 

Kornet's status for Wednesday's preseason game against the Raptors remains uncertain. However, it seems more likely that he won't play.

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Speaking of Boston's big men, when it comes to Robert Williams, who's taking part in film sessions, getting treatment, and shot free throws on Tuesday, a sign of progress, Mazzulla conveyed, "he’s in a great mind frame. He understands how important, as guys are getting better on the court, he knows the treatment room is his basketball court right now, and he’s doing a great job of getting treatment and building towards that (return)."

And as he makes the jump from sitting behind the bench a season ago to, at 34, becoming the youngest active head coach in the NBA, Mazzulla also discussed getting comfortable in his role as a team leader.

"I think we're all leaders in our own way. These guys are really good at what they do, and they've been around a long time; it's a collaborative mindset, we all understand what we need to do to get to where we want to go, and we're all just trying to make each other better."

Blake Griffin spoke to that on Monday, sharing how appreciative he is that everyone, players and coaching staff, have welcomed him and already made him feel like he's a part of the group. 

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Discussing integrating Griffin into the fold, Mazzulla expressed, "people can't perform unless they feel like they're ready to go and they fit into our identity on both ends of the floor, and the conversations we had were like, 'hey, take a deep breath; everything we do is going to complement your game in some way, and here's how we'll work on it.'"

Lastly, regarding Boston's approach to the upcoming preseason games and whether the team plans on getting its veterans some rest, Mazzulla offered the following.

"We'll probably give them a night off at some point, but (we) definitely want to ramp them up also. We don't want to go into a regular season game without them seeing what their stints are and how we want to play. We just haven't figured out when that is yet."

Mazzulla says the plan is for everyone to make the trip to Greensboro, North Carolina, for the Celtics' game against the Hornets on Friday.

Further Reading

Blake Griffin Shares His Initial Impressions of New Celtics' Head Coach Joe Mazzulla

A Self-Aware Blake Griffin Says He Wants to 'fill the gaps' to Help the Celtics' Championship Pursuit

Top 5 Plays from Celtics Win vs. Hornets in Preseason Opener

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' 134-93 Drubbing of Hornets in Preseason Opener

Marcus Smart Discusses Blake Griffin Signing, His Role as a Team Leader, and His Offseason Focus

Celtics Showing Interest in Multiple Former Head Coaches (Report)

Here's What Stands Out About the Celtics' Schedule