LAS VEGAS -- The Boston Celtics barely scraped by in their first game of NBA Summer League. It was an 83-80 win over the Toronto Raptors, and at first, it looked like Boston was going to get kicked to the curb.
In the first five minutes of the game, the Celtics shot 0-for-5 from the field and turned the ball over seven times. It looked like it would be a long Summer League for Boston's youngsters. But they fought back, and during that fight, they showed some promise.
Perhaps the most noteworthy performance on Friday night came from first-round rookie Chris Cenac Jr., the No. 27 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (and Brad Stevens' earliest-ever draft selection since taking over the front office). He looks like a guy who could blossom into something special.
"I feel like it all felt natural, honestly. I've always felt like my game was better in the NBA," Cenac said on Saturday afternoon when asked what about Friday's game felt natural. "But yeah, it all felt natural. I just went out and played hard, made the right reads, [and] let the game come to me."
Cenac's rebounding jumped off the page more than anything. Every chance he got, he found a way to get a hand on the ball. He finished the night with five offensive boards and five defensive boards. He never let up on the glass.
And defensively, despite an underwhelming shot-blocking season as a freshman at Houston, he showed out. Cenac had four blocks, two of which came directly as a result of his elite foot speed. It's been just one game, but Cenac's defense already looks impressive.
The rebounding and defense may already be close to NBA level (or at NBA level, in the case of the rebounding), but the offense was where the real under-the-radar flashes popped up. Cenac is a raw offensive talent, but the talent is undoubtedly there.
In the fourth quarter, he broke out a crossover move, driving baseline for a bucket. It was an atypical play for a near-7-footer. The type of movement that makes you raise your eyebrows. There's something to be unearthed from Cenac's offense. Something exciting.
As for Hugo Gonzalez, in spite of a horrific shooting performance, he flashed some improvement. His ball-handling, in particular, stood out. Every one of his eight assists was important on Friday, and he was under a ton of pressure.
Boston used him as its primary offensive creator for most of the night, and he only turned the ball over three times. It was the type of offensive performance that should give hope that Gonzalez could be a real creator in Boston down the line. The shots just have to fall.
Amari Williams grew into his game as the night went on, and Dillon Mitchell threw down a ridiculous slam. Even John Tonje was impressive, giving the Celtics some much-needed buckets throughout the evening. But the guy who stood out most to me (after Cenac and Gonzalez) was Milos Uzan.
Uzan spent last season at Houston, where he was teammates with Cenac. The four-year college point guard -- two at Oklahoma, two at Houston -- was a heavy-minutes player for Kelvin Sampson last year, notching 32.9 per contest, the most on the team.
The Celtics snatched him up right after the draft ended, signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract. And in his first Summer League game, Uzan showed why. He only had five points, four rebounds, and five assists, shooting just 2-of-9 from the field and 1-of-3 from deep, but he was a team-high +17 and played rock-solid defense.
"He was great on both ends of the ball," head coach Amile Jefferson said. "Defensively, his ball pressure really helped our attack. Just being able to get into the ball, speed the offensive player up, disrupt their offense. It was huge for us. And then he brought a calming presence on offense, which really helped us get into our sets and flow more seamlessly. Him working with Amari in the get-game and the pick-and-roll. He's just a really good, dynamic guard who's smart, cerebral, and he sees the floor really well."
Uzan wouldn't let Toronto's ball-handlers rest. They went at him constantly, but he took on the challenge with a ferociousness that completely changed Boston's defensive attack. When he was in the game, the momentum was skewed in the Celtics' favor.
I mentioned it in a previous article, but the Celtics have some flexibility with their two-way contracts heading into next season. The 23-year-old should definitely be on their radar to fill one of their open spots.
© Amber Searls
AJ Dybantsa
1. Vegas rookie takeover
It's been a rookie show in Las Vegas so far. On Thursday night, I got to watch Brockton's own AJ Dybantsa suit up for the Washington Wizards as he took on Utah Jazz rookie Darryn Peterson. The No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2026 NBA Draft went at it.
What seemed to be a nagging calf cramp took Dybantsa out of the game late in the fourth, but when he was on the court, he was in a league of his own. The jumpers weren't falling, but the driving was natural. Every time he put the ball on the floor, there was nothing the defense could do.
Watching film and highlights are one thing, but seeing Dybantsa in person is another. He is huge. And when he gets downhill, there's not much that can be done to stop him. He was an absolute monster, finishing the game with 27 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block while shooting 7-of-18 from the field. He shot 0-of-5 from deep but went 7-of-8 from the free-throw line (and remember, at Summer League, players are shooting one free throw for two points outside of the last two minutes).
Peterson played well, too. He finished with 24 points, three rebounds, and three assists on 6-of-18 shooting from the floor and 2-of-7 shooting from deep. However, he did turn the ball over eight times.
Dybantsa's 27 points were the most ever by a rookie in their debut... until the next night, when Chicago Bulls forward Caleb Wilson broke the record. He went berserk in the Bulls' game against Cameron Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Wilson finished the game with a whopping 35 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the floor and 7-of-11 from 3-point range. However, the Bulls fell short. Memphis eked out a 97-96 victory, and that's all Wilson cared about after the game. They lost, so his 35 points weren't good enough. It's also notable that Wilson has zero assists and six turnovers.
Boozer, on the other hand, churned out a solid performance of his own. He ended the game with 23 points, six rebounds, and four assists on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor. The entirety of the 2026 NBA Draft's top four showed out. And they haven't been the only ones.
Boston may have earned the win over Toronto, but Raptors rookie Allen Graves -- the No. 19 pick -- looked great. He was one of the best players on the floor all night, and the stats prove it.
Graves finished the game with 22 points, 13 rebounds (five offensive), two steals, and three blocks while shooting 9-of-16 from the field and 3-of-8 from distance. The Santa Clara man was a monster on the glass, ripping down boards between Celtics players. And his defensive intensity was fun to watch, too.
2. Bam Adebayo vs. Tyler Herro
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo and Milwaukee Bucks guard Tyler Herro got into a physical altercation in Las Vegas. Adebayo reportedly struck Herro in the head during the interaction. An article published by The Athletic noted that the incident occurred in front of Herro's AAU team.
"The altercation occurred at a practice court in a Las Vegas hotel, according to sources," Charania wrote. "It started when Adebayo approached Herro about comments the guard made, critiquing the center on social media after their seven-year run as teammates in Miami ended when Herro was traded to Milwaukee."
Earlier this summer, messages were leaked in which Herro criticized Adebayo's lack of an offensive game, insinuating that he is overpaid. Those messages came after Herro was traded by the Heat to the Bucks in the deal.
When the news broke, I was sitting by the court at the Thomas & Mack Center. Herro was seated courtside, taking in the Heat vs. Bucks Summer League game, just a few feet in front of me. His new teammate, Ryan Rollins, looked down at his phone, saw the news, and looked up at Herro. His first instinct? To sing the SportsCenter Top 10 theme song: Dun dun dun, dun dun dun.
© Brian Westerholt
Ja Morant
3. Fun Summer League tidbits
It's only been a few days of Summer League, but I've been enjoying some fun conversations. And some of the random interactions around the complex have been cool to see, too.
The Herro-Rollins tidbit is definitely one of the more interesting ones, but the Celtics' courtside crew was entertaining, too. Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta, Derrick White, and Jordan Walsh all sat together for the Celtics-Raptors game. Joe Mazzulla was in the gym, too, but he sat way up in the stands to avoid being in the spotlight.
Queta has been very present during Summer League, from the very first Vegas practice. Fresh off his extension, he seems to be in a good mood, too. He dapped up all the reporters who showed up for the first practice, though I missed out on that particular interaction, as I was in the hall filming a video with Mitchell.
Nick Pringle hasn't suited up for the Celtics just yet, but he was throwing down some insane dunks at practice on Saturday afternoon. If he does take the floor at any point, keep your eyes in the sky.
A huge chunk of the Wizards' roster was sitting courtside for Dybantsa's performance on Thursday night. Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Deandre Ayton, Justin Champagnie, Khris Middleton, and Tristan Vukcevic were all watching.
That's been the case for most of the games. Toronto's stars were out and about during the Celtics game. At halftime, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley were shooting around on the court at halftime.
I'm sure I'll encounter some other random things throughout my time here, but that's what stood out so far. I'll make sure to keep updating you throughout the week.
4. Ja Morant speaks trade
New Portland Trail Blazers guard Ja Morant was in Las Vegas, and for the first time since the trade, he shared some thoughts. He said that he's looking forward to proving the "bad guy" reputation wrong.
"What would I like cleared up? I think you know the answer to that. My image. [That] I'm a bad guy," Morant said via ESPN. "I'm Ja. I've done what I've done in the past, but it's been addressed and handled already. I don't see why, years later, that's still the topic when nothing's happened since. If I was that guy, y'all wouldn't be talking to me now. I wouldn't be here."
Morant is looking forward to a fresh start in Portland. The fit is a bit weird on paper, as the Blazers now have a ton of rotation-level guards on the roster: Morant, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe. But Morant should be a headliner for the Blazers regardless.
"New home. New team. New organization," Morant said. "I get to show the fans in Portland a different Ja. It's like starting all over again. ... Over the years, I've grown a lot and learned a lot. My mindset changed. I go into things differently now. I feel more mature, and I'm ready to work."
5. Summer Leaguers to watch
The courtside interactions and off-the-court tidbits are one thing, but Summer League is also a chance to watch some under-the-radar players compete for their NBA lives. There are plenty of guys to get excited about in Las Vegas this year.
New York Knicks wing Tyler Nickel is one of those guys. Selected with the No. 47 pick, the Vanderbilt product is an absolute flamethrower. He's an elite 3-point shooter who hustles on the glass. There's absolutely a spot for him in the NBA as a 3-point specialist.
He's not a rookie, and he's not that under-the-radar, but second-year wing Liam McNeeley has been hooping for the Charlotte Hornets. He's an absolute bucket, and in the two games he's played, he's looked a cut above the competition.
Pete Nance played well in the one game I saw him play. He sank four of his eight threes while hustling on the defensive end. He's a bit small to play the five, and the shooting mechanics aren't great, but I can't help but think he could find a place in the NBA.
I really like Tre Donaldson. He wrapped up a four-year collegiate career at Miami this past season, and he's playing for the Heat's Summer League squad. He can hit his shots, and he's a solid ball-handler, but he's also an absolute dog on the defensive end. If you want a guy to scrap and claw his way to a roster spot, it's Donaldson.
Lastly, I'll go with a rookie: Meleek Thomas. I scouted him from a Celtics perspective ahead of the draft, and when I watched him play for the Cleveland Cavaliers, I saw all of the upside I believed he has. The shot creation was there. The playmaking was there. The hustle was there. He has the makings of a sparkplug scorer with some high energy on the other end, too.