The Summer League is a college ball sicko’s haven: players who are fighting to get into the league from every college imaginable.
I had previously been unenthused by the concept and deemed it “bad hoops” when in reality it’s as pure as it gets.
This is essentially a tryout for the NBA for some of these guys. It’s been great watching the Celtics shine, who I will be noting today as I recap the performances of some of the more notable players on the squad.
The Cs best Summer League player is clearly Hugo Gonzalez, who I feel gets praise every week on this page. This is the perfect time for him to shine and hone his ball-handling skills, then return to his off-ball role on the main roster. Hugo has unfairly been under the lens because of Brad Stevens’ rumored reluctance to include him in a Giannis package, so fans are criticizing his play even harder than is justified.
Starting With a W Against The 6
Against the Raptors, we saw multiple Celtics have an immediate impact. Hugo had 17/10/8 on 3/16 shooting (weirdest stat line, but hey, that’s Summer League). Notably, Chris Cenac Jr., the newest first-round selection for Boston, was not included in the starting 5. Coach Amile Jefferson decided on Amari Williams, a former second-round pick, instead.
Williams is such a perplexing case for me; he played well in the spot minutes last season (and saved the game against Brooklyn in 2OT), but is one of the most unathletic bigs I’ve ever watched. His lateral quickness is lacking, to say the least. He’s also not a stretch big, which may or may not be a downside, like I mentioned last week. Amari had a solid stat line of 23/13/2 with 2 blocks against Toronto.
Last note against the Raptors: Cenac Jr. had an awesome 3 to send the game to overtime. He was a lot of fun in his minutes; he recorded 4 blocks, a steal, and 10 boards. He’s raw like Brad mentioned, but there’s a clear upside in his game: a serviceable stretch big with crazy defensive abilities given his tremendous athleticism. If you remember my draft recap article, I was more than excited for Cenac Jr. to don the green, and now more fans also share my opinion.
Summer League Kings Dethroned: Win Against Hornets
The next game was against the Charlotte Hornets, who are the reigning Summer League champions. Silent in the first game, second-round pick Dillon Mitchell was nothing short of electric against the Hornets. Shooting an efficient 10/20, Mitchell sported a 24/8/2 stat line with 6(!!!) steals and 2 blocks. His 7 O-boards tell half the story; he had a few “mebounds” in there, but still an exciting line for the Rick Pitino product.
Cenac Jr’s college teammate, Milos Uzan, came off the bench against Charlotte for a nice 13/4/6 stat line. If you watched any of the game, you would be aware of his great ability to facilitate, as well as his comfort with the ball in his hands. I was shocked he went undrafted, and he feels like a steal for the C’s. I hope he can stick around in Maine for a few years and maybe make the main roster.
The last player to note from the Charlotte win was John Tonje. The former Wisconsin Badger was essentially the last man on the bench for Boston last season and was acquired in the Chris Boucher trade. He’s been pretty fun to watch in Vegas in the starting lineup. I value plus/minus highly as a stat, and Tonje always seems to have one of the better ones in these games, illustrating his top-notch defense. He has a great first step with the ball with a quick take off. He was the leading scorer going into Game 3 for the Cs.
Tough L to Rising Hawks
Credit: Boston Celtics-Twitter/XMonday night, the Celtics took on the Hawks and lost to Henri Veesaar and company, without 8th overall selection Kingston Flemings. Amari Williams and Hugo Gonzalez were notably omitted from this game, most likely because they were added to the “Too Good for Summer League” list. As I mentioned before about Tonje having a great +/-, he actually had a team low -26 in the 12-point loss. He only scored 5 points Monday night. DIII product Hank Morgan actually had the highest +/- at +18. He’s been a 3 and D player for the Maine Celtics for a season.
Jalen Johnson’s brother, Kobe Johnson, had a pretty 30-bomb off the bench as the Celtics failed to make anything happen offensively. Mitchell once again shot efficiently while Cenac Jr. continues to grow as a rim defender.
W Over the Kings
The Celtics defeated the Kings on Wednesday night, led by another dominant performance by Gonzalez alongside solid games from the rookies.
The Kings somehow managed only 4 points in the fourth quarter, highlighting the defensive versatility and overall chemistry of the young squad.
