Tatum's summer workouts give Celtics a head start as camp opens

Jayson Tatum's offseason invitation to work out in Los Angeles helped the Celtics start building relationships before training camp opened Tuesday at the Auerbach Center. Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh and other returning players described a summer of shared workouts and competitive scrimmages as Boston's new teammates joined the group, according to Noa Dalzell's reporting for CelticsBlog.

The first morning of camp put those combinations on the floor. Dalzell posted video of Payton Pritchard and Mike Conley working out together. Conley is beginning his first camp with Boston, while Pritchard is one of the players who has spent the summer in Massachusetts. Their session gives an early look at two guards doing the daily work before the games begin.

Hauser told Dalzell that Tatum invited teammates through their group chat and many were able to make the trip to Los Angeles. On-court work was followed by golf and dinners. Walsh described competitive summer scrimmages, while Luka Garza said everyone had spent time at the team's facility. The formal start of camp follows those voluntary sessions with teammates.

The development staff has a substantial role in that preparation. Head of player development Craig Luschenat and his colleagues directed offseason sessions, Dalzell reported. Tuesday's footage also showed that work at a smaller scale: Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez took pre-practice shots with Tyler Lashbrook, DJ MacLeay and Amile Jefferson.

The frontcourt had its own session. Dalzell filmed Mitchell Robinson and Amari Williams putting up shots with assistant coach Nana Foulland. Those clips show the separate groups that make up a camp morning: guards working together, wings getting shots up and big men working with a coach.

Boston's official account shared its own Day 1 video Tuesday evening. The team called it a day to build the foundation. That message follows a morning in which players were already working in pairs and small groups, with coaches beside them. Camp now gives those groups daily time together as Boston prepares for its preseason schedule.