BSJ Summer League Game Report: Celtics 108, Grizzlies 91 - Standout performance from JD Davison

Everything you need to know about the Celtics summer league matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, with BSJ insight and analysis:

IN A NUTSHELL

JD Davison put forth what was easily his best performance of the summer league, helping Boston build a big early lead that carried through the whole game. The Celtics moved the ball well and got out in transition, flying around for alley-oops (a running theme for them this summer). The Celtics got big performances from Juhann Begarin and Justin Jackson on their way to a 108-91win.

Box Score

PLUSSES

One thing you want to see from players in this spot is improvement over the course of the week, and that's what Boston got from Davison. And for a summer league team with very little practice time, they're working pretty well together. Ben Sullivan is doing an impressive job with the team. Joe Mazzulla is moving to the front of the bench after the departure of Will Hardy, but I wonder now if Sullivan will move into the lead assistant role. 

That would be great, because not only would they have two great coaches working the sidelines during games, the Sullivan/Ime Udoka duo will be bigger than some opposing frontcourts. 

MINUSES

Honestly, not much more than the usual summer league stuff. There's always going to be some sloppiness, playing too fast, and guys just flat out making the wrong plays because they're trying to get their own buckets. But the Celtics seem to have cut down on at least some of that. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

JD Davison: Some of the final numbers include 3-pointers that won’t always fall at this rate. He was 4-6 from deep, which is nice to see, but the better element to his game was playing a little more under control to finish at the rim a bit better. He’s been seeing the floor well all week, and his 10 assists were a nice capper. He’s still a little reachy on defense but that will go away with time. 

Juhann Begarin: He had another nice game, but I think his athleticism is fueling a lot of what he’s able to do well right now. That's the thing about summer league in general, the great athletes can really look good against lesser guys but will suddenly look a little slower against NBA defenses. I think Begarin is showing a lot of potential, but I think he’s heading back overseas for another stash year to work on things. Boston won’t want to start the contract clock on him now when there's no real potential for him to contribute in a meaningful way. 

Justin Jackson: Struggled from deep but added 16 points and 5 assists to the cause. I don’t see Jackson sticking around in Boston, but he’s making a case for a camp invite somewhere. 

Trevion Williams: It’s always fun to see a big man lead a fast break, isn’t it? I think both Williams and Mfiondu Kabengele tried to do too much at times (also a running theme throughout the week), but Williams' passing is still good. Another intriguing guy to track as he probably goes through the G League this coming season, but he has some interesting skills. 

TOP PLAYS

TWO QUICK TAKES

Davison’s improvement is a good sign.

As I said, guys getting better throughout the week-plus they're in Vegas is great to see. The focus and capacity to improve quickly for Davison lends some hope to the notion that he’s a lottery talent who biffed his one season in college and dropped to the second round. 

I wrote after he was drafted that one big question about Davison would be how he handles the disappointment of falling in the draft. He could either blow it off, or he could take it as a tough lesson learned. If he’s going to grow into one of those second-round steals, it would have to be the latter, and growth like this over three games at least makes that path possible. 

It’s obviously way too early to determine what he’s going to be or how long it would take to get there, but figuring out how to play under more control and taking the coaching to heart at least tells you he’s willing to put in the work and accept the coaching. 

So is Matt Ryan not playing.

He sat out to rest the ankle he tweaked on his buzzer-beating 3-pointer earlier this week, but him sitting probably means a little bit more than that. 

I’d say guys in less certain roles would find a way to gut it out and make the most out of every chance to impress a scout or executive. 

With Ryan on the bench and the team taking it easy on him, it probably means that he’s done enough to get to training camp and compete for a roster spot. That would make sense, as I would expect at least a two-way opportunity for him again, and maybe even a chance at an end-of-bench, dual role between Boston and Maine.