Mavs 101, Celtics 90 - Jaelen House makes an impression in C's summer loss

The Celtics lost their first summer league game on Friday evening, dropping a 101-90 decision to the Dallas Mavericks (revenge!). Six Celtics scored in double figures led by Jaelen House (18) and Baylor Scheierman (15). 

The Celtics were torched by their turnovers (13 points off 14 TOs) and fouls (Dallas 18-22 from the line). They have wrapped up their scheduled portion of summer league, with one more game to play on Sunday which has not yet been scheduled. Once the top four teams of summer league are established for their playoff, the rest will get scheduled for Sunday. 

Jaden Springer, JD Davison, Neemias Queta, Drew Peterson, and Jahmi’us Ramsey didn’t play. 

Here are a few thoughts on the Friday performances: 

Jaelen House: He’s Kirkland brand Trae Young, with a lot of the same tricks and mannerisms on the floor and a thicker head of hair (I know … I’m one to talk). House is a hard worker, a hustler, and unafraid. He’ll talk his talk and he’s mostly been able to back it up given the setting. He was only 7-19 in this game, but he did have nine assists. 

I don’t think he’s an NBA-caliber player, but he also has the type of personality to prove people like me wrong. I can see him getting a camp invite to ultimately get cut and signed to the Maine Celtics. He's fun to watch, he makes plays he probably shouldn't be making, and with a chip on his shoulder, he might be able to outperform his expectations.

Baylor Scheierman: He looked gassed in spots but he did make some nice hustle plays and he went 3-6 from 3.

He finished with just two assists but his passing looked good. He’ll need some time to adjust, but there's something to build on. 

My biggest criticism is that he looks a little slow. He’s not going to melt anyone’s brain with his athleticism, but he’ll need to adjust to the NBA speed and how to operate in space. I’m not sure that's going to be done successfully in summer league. He’ll need regular reps with teammates on the same page to get there. That's what the G League is for. 

Anton Watson: I don’t think he was as crisp as he was in prior games, but he still made a nice impact. He finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and only one turnover and one foul. 

I think that last bit is what’s most impressive. He’s defending without fouling and involved in the offense without turning it over. That's hard to do in this setting. I think when we look back at this summer in a few years, Watson will be the biggest standout. 

Jordan Walsh: He finished 0-10 from 3 and is now 0-22 for the summer. That goes beyond tough shooting. I think this is a mental thing at this point. 

The good thing is that he attacked the basket well and went 4-6 on 2-pointers. 

He was 4-7 from the line, though, and he is shooting 53% on free throws over four games. He’s doing other things (11 rebounds, four assists, two steals), but the jump shooting is clearly in his head. I keep saying he needs to flush it, but it’s not looking like he can right now.

I think the guys are just about done with this Vegas experience. They looked kind of cooked out there for long stretches. They're still working hard and trying, but it seems clear that it’s taking a little bit more to do some of what they're supposed to be doing.