BSJ Summer League Report: Heat 88, Celtics 78 - Tough shooting, turnover-filled Vegas opener

Everything you need to know about the Celtics summer league matchup against the Miami Heat, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

A sloppy summer league game? No way! 

The Celtics couldn't shoot (35.4%) and turned the ball over a ton (18 times) leading to a bunch of Twitter jokes about this still being the Finals. They had their flashes, and quite a few highlight dunks, but the guys who are supposed to be the scorers on this summer squad weren’t really able to put the ball in the bucket.

Final: Miami 88, Boston 78

Box Score

PLUSSES

The Celtics did well in transition. They did have a few good defensive possessions and they blocked 7 shots. They got to the line 23 times, making 21. 

MINUSES

Poor shooting and a lot of turnovers. Mostly, it was poor ball-handling that led to live-ball turnovers (7 of the 18 turnovers were Miami steals). 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Matt Ryan: Nice performance from Ryan, who was Boston’s best shooter and high scorer(4-8 3pt, 15 points). The ability to pull up and hit off the dribble might be the most valuable offensive skill in this setting, and Ryan was able to do that consistently. 

JD Davison: A nice debut for the second-round pick (who officially signed a two-way deal before the game). He didn’t shoot well (3-11 FG), but that was mostly misses at the rim from playing a bit too fast. If he gets himself a little more under control, he will finish some of those shots. He did go 2-5 from deep, but the misses weren’t close. He did finish with 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks with just 1 turnover, so his overall game was pretty impressive. 

Trevion Williams: The passing is real. Boston was able to score off some cuts with Williams at the top. He also finished a couple underneath and blocked a shot. On the negative side, he did look lost on a few defensive possessions. 

Sam Hauser: A tough shooting night for Hauser, who finished 1-9 from 3. The one he hit was off the dribble, which is not his game at all. This isn’t really a league for drive-and-kicks, and that's where Hauser will thrive offensively. I’m curious to see how he adjusts. He showed some solid defense, though. Not great in some possessions, decent in others. 

Juhann Begarin: 13 points almost entirely from the line (9-10). He moved the ball fairly well and showed that he’s still an incredible athlete. However, even though his free throw stroke was pure, his 3-point shot was very much not. He missed all 3 of his attempts, and he missed them by quite a lot. 

Mfiondu Kabengele: He was the recipient of a few lobs from Davison, and finished around the basket. He also passed well, finishing with 3 assists. 

TOP PLAYS

THREE QUICK TAKES

Shockingly, I’d like to see them cut more: I know, I know, I say this all the time. I can’t help myself. Smart players recognize scoring opportunities and will take them when they arise. Also, I want to see these guy doing it at this level so they can understand that if they get any minutes at the next level, this is how they’ll need to play. 

Davison has potential: I like some of the instinctive defensive plays. He moves well, sees the floor, and pushes the pace. I’m not going to overreact to one summer league game, but it was a good performance overall. He didn’t look lost, which a huge step at this point. 

Hauser will be fine: I never really had high expectations for Hauser, who will play a vastly different role with the actual Celtics. I think this will be a good experience to get Hauser out of his comfort zone and get him doing more shooting off the dribble and cutting. I want to see him pushed. This is good.