Celtics announce training camp roster

The Celtics have 14 players under contract and two players signed to two-way deals. Today, with training camp beginning in Newport, Rhode Island, they announced the 20 who will be present throughout.

The team has yet to settle on who will fill the 15th and final roster spot once the regular season begins, possibly providing a chance to a rookie vying for a spot in the NBA. Danny Ainge has received countless calls inquiring how Boston will use the open space left after the Kyrie Irving trade and wants to see what the Celts have before making a decision.

Brad Stevens and the announced roster convened at Salve Regina University this afternoon. Marcus Morris was not present, as he continues to face trial in Arizona for an alleged assault in 2015. He will not join the team until it concludes, but Danny Ainge expressed optimism and “no plan Bs” on the subject yesterday.

Andrew White, Devin Williams, L.J. Peak, and Jonathon Holmes join the 16 Celts on guaranteed or two-way contracts. White received a non-guaranteed deal back in August after playing in the Summer League with the Cavaliers.

The size, or lack thereof, of the roster is what immediately sticks out. None of the 20 players in camp are seven feet or taller, and only Al Horford and Aron Baynes provide extensive experience in the “big” role in Stevens’ lineups. There are plenty of players capable of playing in tandem with those two as small-ball bigs, but the roster does seem to indicate that the Celts are buying into heavy doses of small-ball in 2017-18.

As for the newcomers, White was not drafted after completing his lone season as a graduate transfer for Syracuse. He was a constant face in their lineups, hit 40% of his three-point attempts and set the school record with 212 threes converted in a single season.

Williams played for three seasons at West Virginia and was not invited to the 2016 NBA Draft combine before opting to play in Australia after no team drafted him. He recorded over 1,000 points and 800 rebounds in college, one of 11 players in program history to do so.

Peak is a shorter wing player (6’3” without shoes) out of Georgetown, where he posted inconsistent offensive stats but was valued as a defender. He shot 40% from outside during his sophomore year.

Holmes joined the Celtics organization in 2015, before bouncing around the D-League and ending up back with the Red Claws in a trade on Sept. 25. He was a four-year player with Texas and scored 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in his junior season, making the All-Big 12 second team.