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Boston Celtics: G-League beneficial for team’s young rookies

By Justin Trombino

UNIONDALE, NY - JANUARY 17: Austin Ainge Head Coach of the Maine Red Claws speaks to team during an NBA G-League game against the Long Island Nets on January 17, 2020 at NYCB Live! Home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2020 NBAE (Photo by Michelle Farsi/NBAE via Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NY - JANUARY 17: Austin Ainge Head Coach of the Maine Red Claws speaks to team during an NBA G-League game against the Long Island Nets on January 17, 2020 at NYCB Live! Home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2020 NBAE (Photo by Michelle Farsi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics G-League affiliate team, the Maine Red Claws, is really proving to be beneficial to the development of the young Celtics rookies.

The NBA G-League has been a great tool in transitioning young college players into one day NBA professionals. The Boston Celtics have been sending players to their G-League affiliate team, the Maine Red Claws, for years.

Some people look at it as a flaw in a players overall game if they get sent to the G-League. But the Boston Celtics have a pretty great track record in regards to sending their players to the Red Claws.

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The G-League takes a huge amount of pressure off of young player’s shoulders and allows them to focus more on their game rather than their surroundings.

There’s a long list of players who have gone to Maine and came back to Boston as a much more polished player. Some of those notable players include Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, and Robert Williams, to name a few.

All of these guys improved tremendously during their time with the Red Claws and have gone on to have solid starts to their careers moving forward.

The four rookies drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2019- Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, Carsen Edwards, and Tremont Waters are all exceptional and talented players that bring their own element to the team. With that being said, Waters is the only drafted rookie on a two-way contract and he could very well be the most polished and prepared rookie at this point.

It is noted that the competition in the G-League is much different than the NBA, but the Boston Celtics have sent their players to the Red Claws on multiple occasions this season.

In doing so, Langford, Edwards, and Waters have all excelled during their time in the G-League this season:

Romeo Langford (5 games): 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists per game.

Carsen Edwards (10 games): 21.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game.

Tremont Waters (20 games): 20.3 points, 3 rebounds, 7.5 assists per game.

Grant Williams is the only 2019 draftee who has not played for the Red Claws this season. He is averaging 3.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 41 games this season for the C’s.

Although he has formed into an optional role player for the Boston Celtics, it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t have improved in the G-League similar to his fellow draftees and other rookies.

Another true testate to the G-League and credit to the Maine Red Claws is the development of the two-way players the Boston Celtics currently have in  Waters and Tacko Fall. Both players have immensely improved since joining the organization.

Tremont has been nothing short of amazing, but we knew that when he came out of LSU. Prior to being drafted by the Celtics, Waters would become First-Team All-SEC and Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.

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His development seems to be on track with where Brad Stevens expected him to be, along with his confidence. He has averaged 4.3 points, 1 rebound, and 1.3 assists per game for the Celtics this season.

Tacko Fall could be the living proof of how beneficial the G-League can be for incoming rookies. He was a raw talent coming out of UCF who is still trying to grasp the game of basketball all while learning how to play at the NBA level with his enormous 7-foot-6 frame. He’s averaging a double-double for the Red Claws this season of 13.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

Now with Edwards being exposed to the G-League, we’ve seen a positive change in his all-around game. We’ve seen glimpses of the sharpshooter we were all impressed in Summer League.

Edwards is taking his time reading the floor, taking much better shot selections, and has even had a game where he scored 33 points.

It’s definitely not the norm to see high-end draft picks playing in the G-League, but it might be worth it if it’s proving to be beneficial in the long run.

Although, it does lead me to believe that both Grant Williams and Romeo Langford could improve their craft with the Red Claws and truly be the role players the Celtics need.

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With the recent success of the Maine Red Claws, it’s going to be exciting to see what the recent investments of the Boston Celtics can turn to in the future.

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