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The Orlando Summer League kicks off next Saturday, July 5, and, as expected, the Celtics will be one of the 10 teams to participate in the festivities. But who will represent the green and white down in Florida next weekend? Well, so far, 13 names have surfaced:
Name | Position | Height | Weight | Last Played |
O.D. Anosike | PF | 6'8 | 241 lbs. | Scavolini Pesaro (Italy); Strasbourg IG (France) |
Chris Babb | SG | 6'5 | 225 lbs. | Celtics |
Dairis Bertans | SG | 6'4 | 185 lbs. | Bilbao Basket (Spain) |
Daniel Coursey | PF | 6'10 | 220 lbs. | Mercer |
Colton Iverson | C | 7'0 | 255 lbs. | Besiktas (Turkey) |
Edwin Jackson | SG | 6'3 | 201 lbs. | ASVEL Basket (France) |
Chris Johnson | SG | 6'6 | 201 lbs. | Celtics |
Mike Moser | SF | 6'8 | 211 lbs. | Oregon |
Devin Oliver | SF | 6'7 | 225 lbs. | Dayton |
Kelly Olynyk | C | 7'0 | 238 lbs. | Celtics |
Phil Pressey | PG | 5'11 | 175 lbs. | Celtics |
Marcus Smart | PG | 6'4 | 225 lbs. | Oklahoma State |
James Young | SG | 6'6 | 215 lbs. | Kentucky |
At this point in the process we all know what Babb, Iverson, Johnson, Olynyk, Pressy, Smart, and Young are capable of. But what about the others?
O.D. Anosike
O.D. Anosike is a big bodied forward who has a nose for rebounding the basketball. While at Siena College he led Division I in rebounding for two straight years, first in 2011-12 (12.5 RPG) and then again in 2012-13 (11.4 RPG). Only seven players in NCAA history have officially taken home multiple rebounding titles during their collegiate careers - Anosike is one of them. The other six to accomplish the feat were Leroy Wright, Jerry Lucas, Artis Gilmore, Kermit Washington, Xavier McDaniel, and Paul Millsap. Not exactly bad company.
Dairis Bertans
Dairis Bertans' numbers aren't going to jump off the page at you. He's averaged a steady 10-11 points per game - never shooting over 50% from the floor - over the past couple of years, playing in both EuroCup and the ACB League. However, the Latvian has been known to be a pretty explosive athlete and he has a world of experience under his belt despite being just 24 years old.
Bertans earned a spot on the U-16, U-18, and U-20 Latvian national teams and has represented the country as a member of it's national team.
Daniel Coursey
After averaging 10.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game over the course of his senior year at Mercer, Coursey made a name for himself in the Bear's upset win over Duke in the NCAA Tournament. The 6'10 big man poured in 17 points on 7-12 shooting that night while adding 4 boards to his stat line.
Coursey is a little underweight at just 220 pounds, but he has a solid frame and skill set to build upon. He won't be earning minutes stateside anytime soon but he could have a solid career ahead of him on the other side of the pond.
Edwin Jackson
If there's one thing that Edwin Jackson is good at, it's putting the ball in the basket.
In 32 games playing for ASVEL Basket in France last year, Jackson averaged 18 points per game on a solid 46 and 35 percent shooting from the floor and beyond the arc, respectively. He's also an explosive athlete, recording an average of 35.6 inches on his max-vert in three trips to Eurocamp.
Jackson thought about trying his hand at the NBA level back in 2010 when he declared for the draft as an early entrant but the 24 year old had a change of heart and withdrew his name from the field.
Mike Moser
Following a disappointing year at UNLV in 2012-13, Mike Moser transferred to Oregon for his senior year.
He bounced back in a big way during the 2013-14 season, stuffing the stat sheet with 13.2 points, 7.7 boards, 1.6 assists, 0.7 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. Moser is obviously a very versatile prospect and his 6'8 size makes him an attractive option to come off the bench as a do-it-all utility man. Out of all the free agents the Celtics have brought on to play for their Summer League entrant, it seems as though Moser has the best chance of sticking. That's not to say he will, but if it's going to be anybody, my money is on Moser.
Devin Oliver
Devin Oliver was a consistent contributor to the Flyers' cinderella run through the NCAA Tournament, averaging 10.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. The numbers are in line with those of his season averages - 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds - but his efficiency as a scorer fell off significantly against the tougher competition Dayton faced in the tournament. However, Oliver's career numbers prove that he's a gym rat that never gets satisfied with where his game is at. From his freshman to senior year at Dayton, he improved his points, assists, and blocks per game, along with his field goal and three point shooting percentages.
Stats courtesy of DraftExpress and ESPN.com.