Forgive Phil Pressey’s nostalgic slip of the tongue. Talking to the media after the completion of the Maine Celtics’ practice Monday at the Portland Expo, the team’s first of the season, Pressey referred to the squad he now coaches as the Red Claws.

That was the name when Pressey wore the uniform for a game on Feb. 5, 2015, when he was a player in the Boston Celtics’ system. Pressey scored 34 points in his Red Claws debut/finale, adding seven rebounds and nine assists.

“I’m happy to be back. Portland has been welcoming. The organization in Boston has blessed me with the opportunity,” Pressey said.

Opportunity is the key word for the Maine Celtics, who open the 2025-26 G League season Nov. 7 at Greensboro, with the home opener Nov. 14 against the Long Island Nets. More than in recent seasons, the opportunity for Maine Celtics to get promoted to Boston is there.

Boston’s best player Jayson Tatum will miss most, if not all, of the season while recovering from the torn Achilles tendon suffered in the playoffs last spring. Key pieces to the 2024 championship team, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, were traded to help the team get under the NBA’s second luxury tax apron. Even JD Davison, the best player in the G League last season, was a casualty of NBA economics and is now with Houston.

Going into Monday night’s game in New Orleans, the Celtics were 0-3. Big picture-wise, a down season isn’t the worst that can happen to a team with a lot of question marks. Get a lottery pick and add a talented newcomer to the mix with Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and rejoin the ranks of NBA contenders.

That commute from Portland to Boston goes even faster when you’re making it to play in the NBA. Pressey’s job is to make sure his players in Maine are ready to receive that call, whether it’s from the Celtics or another NBA team. The opportunity is always there, he said, if you’re putting in the work.

Maine players can look at Pressey’s example. He played in 78 games in the G League and 148 n the NBA. What they’re doing in Portland is what the Celtics are doing in Boston.

“Something we try to get the guys to understand is, the standard is the standard. It doesn’t matter if you’re up in Portland or down in Boston,” Pressey said. “(Boston coach) Joe Mazzulla has done a phenomenal job of building his system, and it’s my job as head coach in Maine to replicate that.”

The three Maine players who could get the first call to Boston are the three on two-way contracts: guards Ron Harper Jr. and Max Shulga, and center Amari Williams.

The 57th overall pick in June’s draft, Shulga knows how close Boston is. He played in the NBA Summer League, and like many of his Maine teammates, worked out with the Celtics in their preseason camp.

“I look at it as an opportunity to just kind of grow and adjust my game to the NBA style,” said Shulga, a native of Ukraine who played his college ball at Virginia Commonwealth.

Shulga learned during this time working with the Celtics how difficult it is to play in the NBA, and how hard it is to stick there. He said he saw Tatum come in every day for his rehab. He saw everyone practiced hard, no matter where in their career they stood. That’s what he thinks about now when he steps on the Expo court to start his pro career.

“Everyone’s going at it every single day,” Shulga said. “You have to do it more, because they’re doing it, to earn your spot.”

Pressey remembers how loud the Expo crowd got in his one game a decade ago. Red Claws or Celtics, it doesn’t matter what nickname the team answers to. The fan support is there, he said, and he looks forward to his players experiencing it.

“For me being here, I understand the atmosphere. For somebody that’s new, they don’t know. After Nov. 14, they will know,” Pressey said.

Most of the Maine roster turned over from last season. Fans will see a few familiar faces, Hason Ward and Kameron Warrens. These early practices provide time for the players to get to know each other on and off the court.

“We have about a week, maybe 10 days, to get our stuff together. Some guys are familiar with what we want to do and some guys also played in the summer league. We need some reps,” Shulga said.

Reps lead to improved play and this season, for the first time in a while, improved play could lead to minutes in Boston.