The Celtics closed out their 2025 Summer League schedule with a comprehensive victory over the Atlanta Hawks, winning 101-80 in Las Vegas.
Boston finished the tournament with a 4-1 record under Summer League head coach Matt Reynolds. Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s finale:
1. Top players sit
The two most established Celtics on the Summer League roster – Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman – both watched the final game from the bench in street clothes, with Boston opting to take a longer look at its rookies and unsigned players.
Scheierman led the team in minutes played over the first four games and made a positive impact as a passer (6.8 assists per game) and defender (2.3 steals). The second-year pro struggled mightily as a shooter, however, making just 27.4% of his field goals and 20.5% of his 3-pointers.
Walsh dealt with some fouling issues over his four appearances, including one ejection, but there was a lot to like about his offensive production in Vegas. A non-factor on that end of the floor in most of his 61 career NBA appearances, the 21-year-old averaged 15.0 points per game while shooting 46.3% from the field and 38.9% from three. Walsh also led all Celtics players in free throws per game (5.8), though his 65.2% success rate on those will need to improve.
Kenneth Lofton Jr. also did not suit up against Atlanta. The 22-year-old big man, who starred in the Chinese Basketball Association last season, averaged 10.8 points, 5.8 points and 3.0 assists over his four games with the Summer C’s.
2. Rookie report
The Celtics’ three 2025 draft picks – wing Hugo Gonzalez, center Amari Williams and point guard Max Shulga – all started against Atlanta along with Miles Norris and Kendall Brown.
Gonzalez, the only rookie on Boston’s 15-man roster, shot the ball poorly to finish out his first Summer League (2-for-8, 1-for-7 from three), but the Celtics were a much better team with the 19-year-old Spaniard on the floor. Gonzalez was a plus-22 in his 20 minutes against the Hawks, 19 points better than any other Boston starter.
Williams had some poor passing decisions and defensive lapses, but he turned in his most productive outing of the summer, finishing with six points, eight rebounds and four assists. Jalen Bridges benefited from two of Williams’ assists, which set him up for an open three and an easy dunk.
Shulga went 1-for-5 and tallied two assists and two steals. The VCU product finished the tournament with an impressive 19-to-3 assist-to-turnover ratio but a team-worst 24.1% field-goal percentage.
It would be surprising if Williams or Shulga saw real NBA minutes in the near future, but the size of Gonzalez’s role will be one of the top Celtics storylines as the season approaches. The first-round pick is understandably raw at this early stage of his career, but his energy and hustle – traits president of basketball operations Brad Stevens spotlighted on draft night – could earn him playing time on Joe Mazzulla’s new-look bench.
3. Emptying the bench
With Walsh, Scheierman and Lofton all sitting, and early standout Charles Bassey no longer with the squad after his three-game summer contract expired earlier in the week, there were plenty of minutes to go around for some of Boston’s lesser-used Summer Leaguers.
Among those: guard Isaiah Wong, who led the Celtics with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting (3-of-7 from three) and six assists. Wong, a Miami alum who previously spent time with Indiana and Charlotte, was a plus-28 in his 21 minutes.
Aaron Scott racked up seven offensive rebounds and added three assists, one steal and one block. Zach Hicks and Benjamin Gregg combined to go 6-for-11 from beyond the arc, with Gregg also grabbing eight rebounds.
Scott logged just five total minutes over the first four Summer League games. Hicks and Gregg played even less, making just one two-minute cameo apiece before Sunday’s finale.
Bridges scored 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting and went 4-for-10 from three. Brown went 5-for-8 to finish the tournament with a 69.2% field-goal percentage (18-for-26), second-best on the team behind Bassey’s 70.2%.
The Celtics closed with their deep bench lineup, and Bridges, Wong, Gregg and Hayden Gray all hit threes in the final four minutes to shut the door on a Hawks comeback bid.
Next up on Boston’s schedule: training camp, which will begin in late September or early October. Expect some of the non-rostered players on the Celtics’ Summer League squad to return to compete for spots in the preseason, which begins Oct. 7 against Memphis.
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