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We got our first taste of the Summer Boston Celtics as they tipped off their Las Vegas Summer League slate with a bout against the Philadelphia 76ers. In typical Celtics-Sixers fashion, Boston made quick work of their division rivals. No, I don’t care that Summer League means nothing. A win over Philly is a win over Philly. This one is for stealing Al Horford.
In any case, it’s the summer, so we’re going to do this summer recap in the most summer way possible – bullet point overreactions.
The Great:
- Carsen Edwards (20 points, 5 3-pointers, 3 steals in 28 minutes) was everything and more. Boston’s leading scorer, a pesky defender and a great floor presence. There were several possessions where he was Boston’s only offense, and he performed admirably in those situations. He handed out buckets inside, outside and in the midrange – any way you want it. I initially thought that he was too small to play alongside Marcus Smart, but with how big he plays, that might not be the case next year. Boston found a gem in this one.
.@Cboogie_3 gets things going in Vegas pic.twitter.com/KN4xZfE4Wr
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 6, 2019
- Grant Williams was exactly what we imagined when we, as a collective, tweeted Boston picking him at #22 into existence. Williams was everywhere defensively, making great plays with help defense and on the boards. He was mic’d up and brought the verbal intensity, showing great leadership both in word and deed. I’m excited to see more from him. The Spacelord posted 12 points on 50% shooting from the field and from behind the 3-point line while going for an astonishing +21 in just 20 mins.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 6, 2019
The Good:
- Tremont Waters was on the ground more than he was standing up for all the right reasons. He dove for the ball on virtually every 50/50 play, showing tremendous effort across the board. He shot poorly, but he made his impact known with looks around winning plays.
- Boston’s perimeter defense as a whole was fantastic. Guys were shuffling well, using their bodies instead of reaching, making great reads in the passing lane and more. Loved seeing the activity on that end
- T I M E L O R D showed great progression on both ends. Robert Williams III (9 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks) was high on energy and high on effort on both ends, showing more refinement than we saw last year. Williams could end up being a key piece in a depleted front court, and as Austin Ainge mentioned in his on-air appearance, Boston’s going to need him to key in on defense. Today was a great start (even though he largely didn’t succeed at expanding his range with midrange jumpshots). If he keeps it up, he’ll be a regular rotation player this season. Boston will need it.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 6, 2019
- Tacko Fall (+18!!) was a lot of fun. He’s a very large human being, but he showed a lot of poise and worked for good timing on some of his moves. It was fun whenever he or Timelord were in the game, and I wonder if we’ll see them share the floor at any point this summer.
The Bad:
- Aaron Harrison (7 points, 1-4 shooting) was very unremarkable despite starting. He’s a veteran, and he’ll look to make more of an impact to win a training camp invite somewhere as the Celtics continue through Vegas.
The Ugly:
- Guerschon Yabusele (0 points, 0/4 shooting) was pretty terrible today. With so many talented fringe players and with Boston’s roster crunched with worthy candidates for roster spots, this might be it for him.
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Overall, it was a fun debut for the Summer Celtics. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that Romeo Langford will suit up because of his recovery from a thumb injury, but there’s still plenty of interesting things to see up and down Boston’s roster. The Summer Celtics will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night for their next appearance in Vegas.