The NBA Summer League tournament provides young players on each of the 30 teams in the league an opportunity to show their teams what they bring to the table. For a team like the Boston Celtics that is full of young talent, it was no surprise that they shined throughout the action this summer.
The Celtics opened up the tournament by winning their first four games, booking themselves a spot in the final game against the Sacramento Kings. Things didn’t go as planned in this one, as the C’s got blown out by the Kings, ending their time in Las Vegas on a sour note.
Despite the tough finish, there was still a lot to like about the Celtics Summer League performance. Many of their young guys stood out and put up some great performances over the course of their five games, and it’s no surprise they were able to pull off a few blowouts of their own along the way.
With so much young talent on the Celtics roster, headlined by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, it’s tough to stand out and make a name for yourself. But there were definitely a few guys who were able to accomplish that during their time in Vegas. Here are three players from the Celtics Summer League roster who balled out, and definitely gave their coaches something to consider once the regular season approaches.
Boston Celtics Summer League Standout No. 3: Sam Hauser
An undrafted rookie out of Virginia, Sam Hauser joined the Celtics Summer League roster in hopes of finding his way onto the actual roster. In a sense, he ended up accomplishing that, as the Celtics handed him a two-way contract midway through the tournament.
Things didn’t look so great for Hauser at the start of the tournament. He only managed to score nine points over the first two games, and shot just 3/11 along the way. But everything changed in the Celtics third game against the Orlando Magic.
Hauser caught fire in the second half of this contest, and ended up as the Celtics leading scorer with 21 points. He shot an efficient 7/12 from the field, including 6/10 from behind the three point line. It was a stunning turnaround from Hauser, who just couldn’t seem to find his footing in the opening two contests, only to find himself shooting lights out in this one.
Hauser was promptly rewarded with a two way contract in Boston, and continued his fine play over the final two contests. He hit all three of his shots against the Philadelphia 76ers, and managed to shoot a respectable 3/6 in the blowout loss against the Sacramento Kings.
Hauser offers the C’s a bit of a different prospect then they really have, as he is a bigger forward who shoots the three ball well. He probably won’t contribute to the Celtics team this upcoming season, but he offers upside as a potential sharpshooter as a forward down the line, and he could end up becoming a solid contributor for Boston in the future.
Boston Celtics Summer League Standout No. 2: Aaron Nesmith
Aaron Nesmith had an interesting rookie season with the Boston Celtics last year. The sharpshooter, formerly from Vanderbilt, struggled to crack the rotation for much of the season. But when he did, he often ended up being the sparkplug the Celtics needed to help get them back on track.
Nesmith followed up a solid finish to the season by coming out and dominating in Summer League action. He managed to score double digits in each of the five contests, was his usual hyperactive self on defense, and even managed to make some contributions on the glass, as he was just a rebound shy of a double-double in their contest against the Magic.
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Nesmith’s coming out party however, was the game before against the Denver Nuggets. Nesmith was simply on fire, dropping 33 points while shooting 13/18 from the field, including 7/9 from three point land. It was one of the highlight performances from the entire Summer League tournament, not just from the C’s.
That game was a true look at what Nesmith could become; a knockdown three point shooter, who can also play lockdown defense. Celtics fans had to be getting giddy at the thought of him developing into the third scoring option alongside Tatum and Brown in the future.
Whereas Nesmith was primarily a spot up shooter last season, he was able to show his diverse shot making abilities this time around. Whether it be rolling off screens to get some mid range looks or quick cuts to the rim, Nesmith’s all-around scoring ability was fully on display throughout the Summer League action.
With all the turnover Boston has experienced, Nesmith should be given an opportunity to carve out a larger role for himself this season. He has tons of potential on both sides of the ball, and could end up being a big part of this team’s future down the line. We all knew about his potential, but Nesmith showed us during the Summer League that he is well on his way to reaching it.
Boston Celtics Summer League Standout No. 1: Payton Pritchard
While many players stood out on the Celtics Summer League roster, it’s clear that Payton Pritchard was the talk of the town as a result of his spectacular play. While he struggled like most of his teammates last night against the Kings, Pritchard controlled the proceedings of the first three games before missing the game against the 76ers so that he could go drop 92 points in a Portland pro am game.
Pritchard started things of with a 23 point performance against the Atlanta Hawks, which led all scorers. He followed that up with a near triple-double against the Nuggets, posting a 21 point, 12 assist, eight rebound performance. He nearly posted another double-double against the Magic with a 17 point, nine assist performance.
Anyone who followed the Celtics last season quickly picked up on Pritchard’s potential. He almost immediately took over Jeff Teague‘s role, and was typically one of the first guys off the bench. He has a knack for controlling the offense, and can score quite efficiently from all three levels of the floor.
Pritchard’s Summer League performance only confirmed what we initially expected. Pritchard was one of the more experienced players in Las Vegas given his role with the team last season, and he lived up to expectations by earning All-Summer League first team honors. His role should only continue to increase with the team this upcoming season.
What that role will be in unknown. Despite sitting behind guys like Marcus Smart, Dennis Schroder, and Josh Richardson on the guard depth chart, Pritchard is arguably the only pure point guard out of the bunch. He proved as much by demonstrating his playmaking abilities, averaging 8.5 assists per game in Las Vegas. If the guys ahead of him struggle to initiate the offense, the C’s could turn to Pritchard as the potential solution.
Pritchard was the star of the Celtics Summer League roster, and he may very well be on his way to establishing himself as Boston’s point guard of the future. After being somewhat forgotten due to Boston reshaping their roster, Pritchard reminded everyone of his potential with his Summer League performance. If he keeps things up, he may end up with quite a substantial role by the season’s end.