Vote now for The Globies sports awards

NEWPORT, R.I. — As the Celtics’ bus idled outside the main gym at Salve Regina University on a balmy Thursday afternoon, about 50 fans and onlookers lined the sidewalk waiting to catch a glimpse of the team that generated so much buzz this summer.

Coach Brad Stevens decided to bring the Celtics to training camp here partly to get away from distractions and partly to create some cohesion within a group that returns just four players from last season. And after the team concluded its third and final day of camp before returning to Waltham, Mass., for Friday’s practice, Stevens said the brief jaunt had been a success.

“We’ve made progress,’’ he said. “Today was an important day to kind of just do a lot of walkthrough mental work and stay off our feet. We did nothing live. We went really hard yesterday afternoon. So it’s been a good start. But we have a long way to go. We have a long way to go.’’

The Celtics held five practices over three days in Newport. And with so many new pieces, there has been some urgency attached to the installation. Camp is not being used to brush off cobwebs; it is a time for these players to learn a new system as well as each other.

Stevens said the process has not been gradual, because really there is not much time for that.

“I’ve tried to just throw as much as we can at them,’’ he said. “I’m kind of a big believer in throwing the whole at them and breaking it down later. We’ve put in quite a bit that we think will look good, and we’ll have a few exhibition games and a bunch of practices left to continue to adjust that.’’

On-court chemistry is essential. Stevens said he and his staff have spent “every waking minute’’ of the past month trying to come up with player groupings that will be most lethal during the regular season. But the coaches also understand that sometimes what appears best on paper does not translate to hardwood, so it is important to be flexible.

“You find things that look really good and you find things you’re going to throw out quickly,’’ Stevens said. “We’ve put in a lot in the first three days. And so we’re still making a lot of errors just out of trying to overthink things instead of just playing freely. And that’s stuff that you build through habit and work. And I think that that’s something we have to continue to work hard on.’’

Stevens was somewhat cautious in his evaluations of this week, partly because if one player is doing something well, it is most likely because another did something poorly. For example, the Celtics’ defensive rebounding — considered their most likely weakness this season — has been solid this week. But that also must mean that their offensive rebounding has had its flaws.

“That’s the beautiful part about intrasquad scrimmages,’’ Stevens said, smiling. “Something is going well, you know? Someone is winning, someone made a shot, someone blew a defensive assignment. There is always something to watch.’’

Stevens also moved training camp to Newport for the first time since 2013 because he was hoping the Celtics would become more familiar and comfortable with each other off the court. Last season the Celtics often cited their inextricable bond as a reason for their success. This season, everything is new.

“It’s just great being able to catch up with guys off the floor,’’ said center Aron Baynes, who signed a one-year deal in July. “We find out more things about everyone when we’re in situations like that than we would be able to when we’re just out here beating each other up for a little bit. It’s good to get out, have a good meal with people, and wind down a little bit.’’

On Wednesday night, Baynes, Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Daniel Theis, Guerschon Yabusele, and Jayson Tatum were among a large group of Celtics that went out to dinner at a waterfront seafood restaurant here.

Baynes said that Horford, who is in the second year of a four-year, $113 million contract, picked up the check. After telling reporters about Horford’s generosity, Baynes noticed him standing about 15 feet away.

“We had a great dinner, Al,’’ he said. “Appreciate it!’’

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@ globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.