LAS VEGAS -- With Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams in street clothes, the Boston Celtics' Summer League luck ran out on Monday afternoon. They got absolutely battered by the Atlanta Hawks, falling 102-90. Atlanta was up by as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter.
“I think the biggest thing is just our energy," Amile Jefferson said post-game. "I thought our energy wasn't there, and they were shooting like 7% from three at halftime. They were making a lot of tough shots, and they were bigger than us at points, and it was hard to keep them off the glass. And I think we all know that this game truly comes down to shot-making and rebounding, and they did that at a higher level than us today. And they went out and grew a big lead, and it was hard for us to get back in.”
Boston missed Gonzalez's ball-handling the most. Williams' passing ability would have helped organize things, but with Milos Uzan and Curtis Jones left to run the offense, the Celtics didn't have a steady hand. Uzan played okay, thriving in the pick-and-roll at points, but Jones looked rough.
Jones' turnovers and poor shot selection put the Celtics in a tough spot on offense. He often missed open passes, choosing to take contested shots instead. And his work on the defensive end left much to be desired, too.
Kobe Johnson, the brother of Hawks star Jalen Johnson, dropped 30 points for Atlanta, shooting 11-of-18 from the field and 4-of-9 from deep. Henri Veesaar, a projected fringe first-round talent who fell to pick No. 52, also looked great. He finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 shooting from deep.
Despite reaching 90 points -- not an awful mark for Summer League -- the Celtics' shot-making wasn't good enough, especially in comparison to the Hawks'. Boston took three more shots, two more free throws, two more threes, and grabbed six more offensive rebounds than Atlanta. But the Hawks made five more shots and two more triples.
It was a mixed bag of performances for Boston. Rookies Dillon Mitchell and Chris Cenac Jr. had very different nights, though we can discuss them in more detail later in the article. Outside of them, Tucker DeVries stood out the most.
The 23-year-old forward has a pure jump shot, though it's only pure when it goes in. I know how that sounds. It sounds like, 'yeah, duh.' But the makes are clean. Swishes. No-doubters. The misses clang off the backboard or airball completely. He had 11 points, one rebound, and one assist on 4-of-10 shooting from the floor and 3-of-8 shooting from deep.
He's not the best defender, and at one point, he missed a rebound and got chewed out by Jefferson in the huddle. There's an outline for an okay player there, especially with the jump shot, but DeVries is certainly a work in progress.
After two straight impressive performances, John Tonje struggled on Monday. He put up five points and two rebounds on 2-of-8 shooting from the field and 1-of-6 shooting from deep range. His scoring just wasn't there on a day when the Celtics really needed it.
No one else on the Celtics stood out much. Hank Morgan played some okay minutes. Kyle Mangas made some shots, but his defense wasn't great. Nick Pringle flashed his athleticism, but he wasn't always in the right spots at the right time. Again, Boston really missed Gonzalez and Williams. Gonzalez, in particular.
© Denis Poroy
Dillon Mitchell
Mitchell didn't fill up the stat sheet as he did on Sunday. He ended the game against Atlanta with 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists while shooting 5-of-10 from the floor and 1-of-3 from 3-point range.
But he still showed glimpses of