New Celtics free agent addition flashes intriguing potential in Grizzlies win
The Celtics bet on players with untapped upside with many of their offseason moves this summer and saw some encouraging returns out of their gate in their preseason opener Wednesday night. One of the promising highlights in Boston’s 121-103 win over the Grizzlies came from reserve forward Josh Minott. Boston signed the 23-year-old to a two-year deal back in July after he spent the first three years of his career largely buried on the bench in Minnesota. Opportunity in Boston helped Minott land with the Celtics in free agency and he started to show the promise of a potentially increased role on Wednesday night.
Minott stuffed the box score with eight points, seven rebounds, three rebounds, three steals and a block in a team-high 26 minutes off the bench in the 18-point win. He struggled from the 3-point line in the victory (0-of-3) but left his fingerprints all over other aspects of the game with constant energy on the defensive end or hitting the boards.
“He just has a knack for the situation or play on both ends of the floor,” Joe Mazzulla told reporters in Memphis. “Whether it’s getting offensive rebounds, a couple steals, a couple blocks. He has some good versatility, but he has a knack for the ball and a knack for being in the mix. He was able to generate some steals an deflections tonight and obviously some offensive rebounds.”
Minott has never played more than 20 minutes in a regular season game during his three years in Minnesota on a stacked playoff roster so Boston’s wing rotation should open the door for some opportunity for him. Beyond Sam Hause and Jaylen Brown, there’s no one who is a lock for big minutes at the position as the likes of Minott, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez will battle for minutes off the bench. All of those players acquitted themselves well at spots in Wednesday’s win but it was Minott and Gonzalez that stood out from the pack with their defense and motor.
The Celtics gave Minott a two-year deal (with a team option) this summer so this bet has the potential to produce big dividends when Jayson Tatum returns to the fold next season if Minott can establish himself as a rotation player. The Celtics have not had a player that brings his athleticism and energy off the bench for a few years now and it’s evident that uptempo is the style that Joe Mazzulla wants this team to have as its identity. Minott played well into that a reserve in the blowout win.
“At both ends of the floor we played with the right intentions,” Mazzulla told reporters in Memphis. “So we’ve got to continue to do that. Of the 48 minutes, I’d probably say 32 to 34 of them were at the pace we wanted to play with at both ends of the floor. We just have to work to maintain those habits.”
Minott’s role in the rotation will be worth watching on Friday night as Payton Pritchard, Anfernee Simons and Neemias Queta return to the lineup after getting the night off in Memphis. It’s possible other starters are rested for the matchup but Minott did enough on Wednesday night to warrant another long look from the coaching staff.
Bears Recent $43 Million Addition Already Close to Getting Labeled a Bust
The Chicago Bears took a gamble when they added veteran Grady Jarrett to their defensive line this past offseason.
It’s a gamble that has yet to pay off. Chicago was hoping to get a proven disruptor on the interior of the defense who could both pressure QBs and help shore up run defense. So far, that hasn’t happened. Instead, Jarrett is moving quickly toward earning the dreaded “bust” label.
The Bears’ offseason commitment to Jarrett underscores how much they believed in his impact. They inked the two-time Pro Bowler to a three-year pact worth around $43 million, including $28 million guaranteed.
With his guaranteed salary stretching into 2026, there’s no easy way out of this deal, which is why it’s already starting to look like a mistake by general manager Ryan Poles and company.
Bears Defense Has Started Slow Out of the Gate in 2025
Chicago’s defensive struggles might be making Jarrett’s current lack of production stand out even more. The Bears have been gashed on the ground and inconsistent at generating pressure, issues that directly overlap with what Jarrett was signed to help fix. Heading into Week 6, Chicago is ranked 31st against the run, giving up almost 165 yards on the ground per game.
Through four games, Jarrett has recorded just four total tackles, three QB hits and no sacks while playing slightly more than half of Chicago’s defensive snaps. His overall PFF grade (55.7) is currently ranked 112th out of 186 qualifying interior defensive linemen.
As it stands, it’s unclear whether Jarrett is slow ramping up due to age and injury issues, or whether Chicago’s defense is just taking longer than anticipated to get rolling, Jarrett is 32 years old and is still working his way back from an ACL tear he suffered in October 2023. He managed 53 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2024, but a lingering knee issue has landed him on injury reports this fall and could be limiting his explosiveness.
Grady Jarrett Needs to Start Producing for the Chicago Bears ASAP to Avoid Being Labeled a Bust Signing
GettyChicago Bears DT Grady Jarrett is already flirting with the bust label heading into Week 6.
While Jarrett was named a team captain leading up to the season and has been a solid leader in the locker room, he wasn’t paid solely to provide veteran leadership. He was brought in as a tone-setter. With so much guaranteed money and so little production, the optics of his signing are going to sour quickly if the tide doesn’t turn. October and November will be huge for Jarrett, as he needs to show that he can still be a difference-maker on the defensive line.
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen thinks injuries across the entire defense are a huge reason his unit has struggled early on.
“When you have a lot of moving parts, it makes it a little bit challenging,” Allen said, via 670 The Score’s Chris Emma. “So, hopefully we can get guys back, stay healthy and develop a little bit of continuity within the group. There’s something to be said about guys being able to work together for extended periods of time. When you’re able to do that, you kind of understand where each piece to the puzzle is going to fit.”
Jarrett’s one of the guys the Bears want to see healthy, but since he’s not practicing even after the team’s bye week, there’s definite reason to be concerned.
