The new Celtics big man wasn’t familiar with this side of JT’s game.

BOSTON — Boston Celtics guard Mike Conley wore the apparel of a player Wednesday night, but the sheet of paper folded in his hand made him look more like a coach. That’s because he was operating as one for the night.

Throughout the Celtics’ 114-93 preseason win against the Charlotte Hornets, Conley could be seen pointing to teammates when it was time for them to check into the game. He said head coach Joe Mazzulla put him in charge of Boston’s substitutions for the contest.

“Joe approached me before the game and said, ‘What would you think about doing the rotations tonight?'” Conley said. “I was like, ‘S—, I’ll do whatever.’ I told him I had never done that before and it was cool for me to experience that.”

Though the Celtics played their expected regulars, Conley didn’t appear in the game. Set to enter his 20th season, the 39-year-old saw the game from a new perspective instead. Participating in such an exercise for the first time, he didn’t need long to gain a greater appreciation for some of what coaches go through on the sidelines. Even with the help of the staff to map out a rotation pregame, he ran into several circumstances that required adjustments or near adjustments.

The first big decision for Conley arrived early in the first quarter. When Derrick White picked up his second foul 2:05 into the game, Conley needed to choose whether to stick with the planned rotation or throw it away to ensure White would avoid further foul trouble.

“That kind of blew up the whole cheat sheet,” Conley said. “I was like, ‘Oh, no, now I’ve got to make a sub.'”

Instead, Conley settled for a conversation with White to emphasize that the guard needed to steer clear of a third foul.

“You have two fouls,” Conley told White. “You cannot foul. Coach is trusting me right now. I’m gonna leave you in.”

White rewarded the faith by avoiding his third foul. Conley was able to sub in Payton Pritchard a minute later without leaving the Celtics’ rotation in bad shape.

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Celts are winning the title this year. Fuck OKC, Fuck NYC, and BIG FUCK to Philly. Go Celts ☘️. Banner 19

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Jayson Tatum (19 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast)
• Mitchell Robinson (12 pts, 7 reb, 3 blk)
• Neemias Queta (16 pts)

Most Steals Per Game (SPG) In The 2026-27 NBA Preseason (Min. 2 Games) :

1. Paul George — 3.5
   
2. Brayden Burries — 2.7
   
3. Jonathan Mogbo — 2.7
   
4. Derrick White — 2.5
   
5. Ausar Thompson — 2.3
   
6. Scotty Pippen Jr. — 2.3
   
7. Zach LaVine — 2.3
   
8. Jordan Goodwin — 2.3

I think this year’s crew win the East and make serious noise in the playoffs. But I’d love them to get a guy who can score in the post — back to the basket — as a bench option

For example, if the offense isn’t flowing, sub out PG and bring in { this fella } to bang down low, draw a foul, maybe an and 1 or 2

Is there anyone out there like that who makes Hauser-ish money? I don’t mean to throw Sam under the bus, but I’m not trading White or Pritch for new-age Enes Kanter

☘️ 🏀