BOSTON — On a sunny Saturday afternoon in September, more than a dozen kids inundated the Auerbach Center. As a rigorous training camp practice came to a close, Jayson Tatum and Joe Mazzulla participated in a lively game of “Duck Duck Goose” with the motley group, which included the children of Xavier Tillman, Jrue Holiday, and Luke Kornet, among others.
Mazzulla’s son, Manny, began getting up shots alongside a few player development coaches shortly thereafter. The rest of the kids — some toddlers, some older — played tag with Celtics assistant coach Amile Jefferson, their laughter filling the practice facility.