Celtics continue to impress against (very) shorthanded 76ers in preseason blowout: 10 takeaways

“It’s about us,” Jaylen Brown told reporters after the game. “So every time we step out on the floor, it don’t really matter who the opponent is.”

The Celtics pummeled a number of fringe NBA players wearing Philadelphia 76ers jerseys in their third preseason game on Saturday, claiming a 139-89 win.

Here are the takeaways.

1. We aren’t going to belabor this point throughout the takeaways, so let’s put this right at the top as plainly as we can. Heck, we’ll even put it in a new paragraph so you can’t miss it.

Saturday’s game was essentially a scrimmage. Everything we write during the preseason comes with the “it’s only preseason” caveat, but this game was barely even that.

The Sixers – a team that employs Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey – started Ricky Council IV, KJ Martin, Guerschon Yabusele, Jared McCain, and Jeff Dowtin Jr. after they played the Timberwolves in Iowa on Friday. The Celtics were well-rested and jumped on top almost immediately. When their starters sat, their bench firebombed the iteration of the Sixers that took the floor as well.

“It’s about us,” Jaylen Brown told reporters afterward. “So every time we step out on the floor, it don’t really matter who the opponent is.”

As long as the Celtics maintain that mentality, they will win a lot of games, and if Nick Nurse opts to start Yabusele instead of Embiid at any point, the Sixers might be in trouble.

1B. As a very quick aside, good for Yabusele – the former Celtics first-round pick was excellent for France at the Olympics and now has another shot at an NBA contract.

2. The Celtics are not concerned about a delay of game warning if being more timely means cutting the pre-game high-fives short.

Presumably when the roster gets trimmed, there will be fewer players who need to be greeted, so this situation won’t happen when the regular season rolls around and … yes, we are analyzing the pre-game high-five line. No, we will not continue.

3. Luke Kornet’s candidacy for the starting lineup with Kristaps Porzingis injured got a bit of a boost in the first half – Kornet scored all 15 of his points in the first two quarters, finishing 7-for-10 from the floor. He poured in 11 points in his opening stint, and at one point even flashed a “1” and “0” to Jayson Tatum after scoring his 10th point.

“Got to love the Kornet celebrations,” Jaylen Brown quipped afterward. “Where would we be without those?”

So, should Kornet start? He certainly has plenty of continuity with the starters, and lineups with Kornet last season put up ridiculous numbers, out-scoring opponents by 12.7 points per 100 possessions.

Starting Kornet would also keep Al Horford (who sat out of Saturday’s game after missing both contests in Abu Dhabi) on the bench longer, and it might reduce the temptation to play Horford more minutes than he should play early in the season when the games aren’t quite as important as games in May and June.

Saturday’s game, of course, probably didn’t move the needle in that regard one way or the other. Still, Kornet played great.

4. Brown dished out four assists in the first half, including this absolute gem after shaking Council with a nasty dribble move.

Brown also scored his first two baskets of the game out of the post – one on a fadeaway jumper (complete with the “too small” sign), and the second moving Jared McCain out of the way en route to a layup and a foul.

5. Tatum, meanwhile, went 3-for-8 from behind the arc after going 3-for-7 in the first two games of the preseason with his new 3-point form. Those totals aren’t going to make any headlines, but they are consistently very acceptable, which might be even better news than a 6-for-8 performance – getting more consistency from Tatum as a 3-point shooter (and maybe fewer of the high highs and the low lows) would be a big boost.

6. Sam Hauser can get incredibly hot from time to time, and it looks like he might be ready to start the season blazing, which is a great sign for the Celtics. When Hauser is hitting 3-pointers, they are essentially unbeatable – trying to deal with the stars is hard enough without a game-breaking shooter entering the game to space the floor and score nine points in two minutes. Hauser finished 5-for-6 from behind the arc, including two nonchalant triples in the third quarter that looked more like Steph Curry than Duncan Robinson.

7. We don’t mean to alarm anyone, but take a look at Jordan Walsh shooting 3-pointers.

That’s a jarring improvement after watching Walsh brick 3-pointers in Summer League. The 20-year-old caught a pass from Lonnie Walker right in his shooting pocket, got his feet situated quickly, and delivered a perfect, smooth stroke that swished through the net.

So was this a one-off? Not at all – Walsh went 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and all three looked similarly smooth and snappy.

Much more evidence is needed that Walsh can shoot like this against NBA competition, but Saturday was a highly encouraging performance.

8. Walker had his first promising game for the Celtics, shooting 4-for-7 from the floor with nine points and dishing out seven assists. On a team full of sharp-shooters, Walker did well distributing and getting into the paint to create passing lanes.

If he makes the final roster, Walker would (of course) be well out of the rotation – at this stage, the competition for the 10th-man role looks like it’s between Walsh and Springer, and Walsh probably took a bit of a lead on Saturday.

But having another guard option on the bench, especially someone with some NBA experience, wouldn’t hurt as an insurance policy in case Derrick White or Jrue Holiday needs to miss a little time.

9. Rounding out the parade of shooters from deep, Xavier Tillman continued his scorching start to the preseason from 3-point range, shooting 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Tillman, who is a career 26.7 percent shooter from behind the arc, looks comfortable and confident.

10. The Celtics return to the court Sunday, taking on the Raptors at TD Garden. Don’t be too surprised if the team that plays the Raptors looks like the Embiid-George-Maxey-less Sixers that showed up to Boston on Saturday.