MILAN — On the surface, the Celtics’ trip to Europe this preseason appears to be a welcome shift from the monotony of training camp, a chance to bond and soak up a unique culture. But president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is wary of the timing.
Having a pair of trans-Atlantic flights, playing in two cities and adjusting to a six-hour time difference — all over the course of one week — is not ideal when the start of the regular season lurks less than three weeks away. But no matter how much it might disrupt their rhythm — or their sleep patterns — the Celtics are here, and they are going to make the most of it.
The team took a red-eye flight from Boston on Friday night. For rookies such as Terry Rozier and Jordan Mickey, it was their first time traveling abroad. On the plane, the players played cards and listened to music and enjoyed themselves.
“But then Pops, I mean [coach Brad Stevens], told us to turn down the music, and it just killed the buzz,” guard Evan Turner said. “It really destroyed team chemistry. Nah, I’m just kidding. But when we shut down the music we were like, ‘Guess we’ll go to sleep.’ ”
Turner took a two-hour nap at the team hotel. Other players heeded the advice to stay awake until they were ready to go to sleep for the night.
The Celtics originally were scheduled to hold a practice on Saturday, but that session was called off. Instead, they did some team stretching at the hotel and held a brief meeting.
In the early evening, Turner, Rozier, Mickey, Kelly Olynyk, and Perry Jones joined assistant coaches Walter McCarty and Jamie Young at a clinic for Italy’s Junior NBA Special Olympics.
When they got off the bus at a multisport complex in the city’s west end, onlookers held up their cellphones and snapped pictures.
“It’s really big, for a team from the United States to come here,” said Giuseppe Consalvo, a strength coach for a local teenage travel team. “And for the fans, it’s amazing to see these big superstars.”
Celtics fans might find that comment slightly amusing because the thing about the Celtics, the thing that is probably holding them back, is that they are a team without a superstar. But here in Italy, all NBA players are viewed through that prism.
Even Jones, who might not make the final roster and who commands minimal media attention in Boston, was swarmed by a horde of European writers at the community event.
When the Celtics entered the gym for Saturday’s clinic, the Special Olympians were ecstatic. Boston’s players guided the young athletes through drills and took pictures with them, and afterward Rozier and Mickey even serenaded a Special Olympics staff member who was celebrating a birthday.
On Sunday morning, the task will become a bit more serious, as the Celtics hold their first full practice here as they prepare for their game on Tuesday against Olimpia Milano. After that contest the Celtics will travel to Spain to face Real Madrid on Thursday before returning to Boston on Friday.
It is a short trip, but the players believe the benefits will last well into the season.
“Everybody in the locker room really gets along,” Turner said, “and I think it’s going to be even better once we leave this trip.”
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Jones, who missed the Celtics’ last two practices in Boston because of knee soreness, said he planned to take part in Sunday’s full workout here, and that he will “definitely” play on Tuesday.
“I’m feeling great, actually,” Jones said.
For Jones, who has had a history of knee issues, a quick return to the court could be critical as he attempts to make the final roster. The Celtics have 16 players under guaranteed contracts and need to trim that number to 15 by the start of the regular season.
Adam Himmelsabach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach