The Celtics kick off summer league action officially on Saturday afternoon and there is plenty of buzz about what should be one of the deepest summer league rosters for the Celtics in recent memory. Even with Romeo Langford (thumb) sidelined, Boston will have three 2019 draft picks suiting up, along with a pair of roster players (Robert Williams, Guerschon Yabusele) who could factor into the team's plans in 2019-20.
What exactly should Celtics fans be watching for in Las Vegas while keeping the future in mind? Here are five storylines to keep an eye on:
1. Is Robert Williams ready to push for meaningful minutes at center?
This question is a little less pressing now after the likes of Enes Kanter, Vincent Poirier and Daniel Theis all agreed to sign with the Celtics this past week. However, the best thing that could happen for the future of the franchise in the middle is Williams establishing himself as a top option among that pack of big men.
The first step in that process will be maximizing his opportunity at summer league. Williams only lasted a few minutes in Las Vegas last year before being sidelined with a leg injury. That didn’t stop him from making a minor impact at center in the first few months of the regular season as injuries piled up among the Celtics' bigs. That impact faded as the year progressed with Williams battling health issues and roadblocks in the depth chart (Baynes, Theis).
The early returns on Williams when he got some opportunities last year were quite encouraging though. In fact, there may not have been any other player on the Celtics who got more buzz from the Garden crowd when he entered the game. His block rate (5.1 per 36 minutes) was among the league leaders. He rebounded far better than expected on both ends for his size. He shot 70.6 percent from the field. All of these were very promising signs for a raw 21-year-old rookie.
There is still plenty to work to be done around the edges of his game this offseason. A lack of a jump shot makes him easy to ignore for defenses. His screening and strength level needs work. Most importantly, he needs to command the defense more when he’s out there. He looked lost at times within Boston’s scheme at times and struggled to contain guards in the pick-and-roll. That can’t continue if he wants to play big minutes this year for a team that is going to need a strong defensive quarterback with Horford and Baynes gone.
A lack of opportunity certainly limited him from improving on that front in year one. He wisely elected to play summer league to get a jumpstart on a big chance. The next week should be a good indicator of how much we can realistically expect out of him in the fall.
“Just prove myself,” Williams said of his goals this summer. “Actually being able to play. I think last year I played like two minutes. Getting on track, getting to know these guys, getting to know my teammates, and just getting back in the rhythm of playing and having fun out there.”
2. Could Grant Williams emerge as a closing small ball option?
The Celtics did a lot of work on their front line in the past week but there seems to be a sizable void still when it comes to guarding small ball centers. Kanter, Williams and Poirier will struggle defending those guys on the perimeter. Theis fared well on that front two years ago but his mobility remains a question mark for now after knee and foot injuries. Without the luxury of playing Horford now with the game on the line, there is no easy choice at center in the closing five anymore, particularly when teams downsize.
The makeup of the Celtics roster presents a clear-cut opportunity on that front to Grant Williams. The former SEC player of the year is going to be one of the more well-seasoned rookies in the league after three years at Tennessee. He is a smart and strong defender who has already stood out during practice this week for his vocal leadership.
“He has some of those characteristics already as strengths, mainly communication and high IQ, being in the right place,” Scott Morrison said of Williams. “He’s been the most vocal player we have out there, kind of directing traffic, calling out coverages, Undersized bigs have to be ready to play every kind of coverage defensively, so it’s important to pick that stuff up and communicate with his teammates. The other thing is outside shooting, and that’s something we’ve worked on with him extra since he’s been here, and he’s knocked some down, so that’s good to see.”
Williams’ outside shooting and ability to handle wings in switches will be areas to watch for in Vegas. He was just a 29.1 percent career 3-point shooter at Tennessee but a low sample size (just one attempt per game) could be deceiving there. He is incredibly efficient around the basket and gets to the free-throw line a ton, so if he can add a jump shot that defenses have to respect, that will be a huge boost to his stock. Defensively, a lot will come down to his foot speed and ability to pick up NBA schemes. If he can show the capability to be versatile out of the gate in holding his own against wings in Vegas, that should immediately make him a potential option as a small-ball five.
3. Will Guerschon Yabusele show enough for the Celtics to keep him around?
The fact that this is the second straight year I’m writing about this question in my summer league preview tells the story for the 23-year-old. He did not do much in summer league last year, yet the team picked up his $3.1 million team option for 2019-20 anyway in order to give themselves some extra salary to move in a big trade this summer. That blockbuster deal (Anthony Davis) did not happen, so the C’s are left with an overpaid and underutilized Yabusele on the books.
The Celtics have brought in four new big men to compete with him and the work for the Frenchmen starts in summer league this week. The fact he is playing in the third summer league of his NBA career (very rare) tells you a lot about his standing with the team. His roster spot is in danger for the fall without a strong showing. The fact that he’s making the effort to play in Vegas with the team (not mandated) is a sign of progress according to Scott Morrison.
“The first step is come to play for the team,” Morrison said. “I don’t know the ins and outs of the rules for summer league, but for those guys usually it’s their choice. They might be encouraged or discouraged, but he chose to be here. He came here to work and he’s been great in terms of our extra sessions of player development and film. He can show his focus both on and off the court in Vegas, and be at his best when it’s time to throw the ball up.”
Like Grant Williams, Yabusele has a chance to emerge as a small-ball five option for this team. He has a familiarity with the system, moves well for a big his size but he has failed to put it all together much at the NBA level. Outside of a couple of solid fill-in performances last year, Yabusele was buried on the depth chart. His 3-point shooting (32 percent) needs to be better. Mental lapses were too frequent. His defensive rebounding was subpar. There appears to be some untapped potential there but he’s also a fringe NBA player at this stage of his career. The Celtics might be better off giving his roster spot to someone else if he isn’t ready to contribute now. The coaching staff is going to make sure he gets his chance in summer league. It’s up to him to show that he belongs.
“Hopefully he’ll be out there and flex his muscle a bit,” Morrison said. “Punish some switches, teams want to switch on him at the four, put somebody under the rim and score, draw some help. He’s always been a good cutter, good passer, so put him in a position where he can showcase his strengths for the team, but also work on some things he didn’t have a chance to because he was more of a role player. When he’s on the court in summer league he’ll be one of our main guys.”
4. Does Carsen Edwards scoring firepower at Purdue translate right away to the next level?
The 6-foot-1 guard was one of the more exciting players in the NCAA Tournament last year, posting a pair of 40-plus point performances before falling just short of the Final Four. His size, age and lack of efficiency (39 percent from field) led him fall to the second round of the NBA Draft, where the Celtics happily scooped him up at No. 33.
Edwards looks like a replacement for Terry Rozier in the C’s depth chart and his firepower (24.3 ppg during his Junior year at Purdue) should help provide a scoring boost to the C’s bench unit. However, it will be fascinating to see in summer league just how much of that offense translates over to NBA-level defenses. Edwards will need to work on his shot selection and finishing, but the high volume 3-point shooting and ability to get to the line will be two areas that the Celtics will continue to encourage.
The offense won’t revolve around him at this level so the question will be whether Edwards can maximize his chances when they come. An adjustment period will be needed but like Grant Williams, Edwards is a seasoned college player so the learning curve may not be very long.
“Decisions can be made quicker,” Edwards said of the biggest difference. “Guys are more talented on the offensive end when you’re guarding them as well, but that’s what you expect. Just try to understand all the sets and hopefully it will settle down for me. I think I’m all right, though.”
Edwards is not known for his passing, so he projects as more of a Lou Williams-type scorer (as a ceiling) rather than a creator. If he can pick his spots well and hold his own on the defensive end (a surprise plus for him according to scouts), he could give himself the inside track for minutes over Brad Wanamaker this fall.
5. Will Tremont Waters make his case for an eventual roster spot?
The No. 51 overall pick is in line for a two-way contract after the Celtics filled up their 15-man roster over the past week. Trades may shake things up on that front but the SEC Defensive Player of the Year looks like a guy on the outside looking in when it comes to an NBA roster spot, unless he forces the issue.
Summer league is the best chance to do that for the 5-foot-11 LSU product. The SEC Defensive Player of the Year is a pest with his defensive ball pressure and intensity, but he’s also been showing off the characteristics of an old school point guard in practices this week that turned some heads among the staff.
“I think Tre Waters deserves a shout out,” Morrison said earlier this week. “I thought people would have a knock on him that he’s smaller and maybe that’s why he didn’t get drafted higher or whatever the case may be, but I’m a sucker for guys that make good reads, make the right depending on what the defense gives you and that’s his specialty, so he’s had some nifty passed out there already, he makes good reads, and he’s shown a little bit of a shooting ability that maybe we weren’t expecting; coming of a screen, knocking down a shot, coming off pick and roll and knocking down a shot. At the end of the day, you get the ball in his hands, he’s going to find the guys that are open. That’s kind of what I like the most, so I think he’s been impressive to everybody so far.”
For now, the Celtics would probably just like to groom him for a year and bring him into the roster next year if he develops. If he shows he’s ready to help now, there’s no reason why he can’t push a guy like Wanamaker in training camp for a roster spot. The competition is going to be fierce at several positions for playing time and I would expect point guard is one of them. We will find out in the next week whether Waters will be a player in that conversation.
Other players to watch in Vegas:
Tacko Fall: The 7-foot-6 center is not going to be on the Celtics roster this fall but it will be fascinating to see if he will make it at the NBA level. The Celtics would love to groom him in Maine if he doesn’t go overseas or catch on elsewhere.
Max Strus: The 6-foot-6 swingman out of DePaul is expected to sign a two-way contract with the Celtics. Has strong 3-and-D potential. Lots of depth for Boston at that spot but he should have a nice opportunity during summer league with Romeo Langford sidelined with a thumb injury.
Full Schedule
Saturday, July 6th: Boston vs 76ers at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Monday, July 8th: Boston vs Cleveland at 7:30 p.m. (NBATV)
Tuesday, July 9th: Boston vs Denver at 8:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
Thursday, July 11th: Boston vs Memphis 10:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Playoff rounds: July 12th-July 15th
