Re: The Summer League Thread

[Ktron]

Am I the only one who feels that so far, this years Summer League Basketball looks pretty bad? Terrible shot selection. Sloppy play and some of these guys just ain’t that good.

You just hit on why I don’t watch summer league basketball.

I figure I have just so many days on this Earth. I can’t waste any of my precious time on that!

LOL. I watched my last one on Saturday. I’m done till Oct.

[gyso]

Game 1 Boxscore:

[gyso]

Game 2 Boxscore:

[jrleftfoot]

The turnover bug (18) combined with an inability to knock down shots, 35.4 % and only 31.4% from deep (11/35) was the main reason thus SL edition lost.

They did shoot the ball very well from the line going 21/23 or 91.3%.  Begarin went 9/10.

This game featured Hauser, Davison and Begarin.  Unfortuntely they went a combined 7/33.  Mattie Ice shot well 4/8 and 3-3 from the line.  He lead the team in scoring.

Rookie JD Davidson did not shoot the ball well on drives to the rim but he did go 2/5 from deep and made both of his FT.   He also dished out 6 assists and had 1 turnover.  I think 5 of his 6 assists came off of drives and alley-oop.  JD also had 6 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Overall not a bad first outing as he filled up the stat sheet.

In regards to rookie Trevion Williams and Mfiondu Kabengele, Williams made some really nice backdoor passes.  Kabengele was the recipient of some really nice alley-oop passes from JD.  He was our best big man on the court.  Both of them made a few too many errors recording 4 turnovers each.

Brodric Thomas could not get away from Jamaree Bouyea.  Thomas is clearly not the guy that should be running the offense or even bringing the ball up the court.

I think one of our two SL bigs has a chance to make the team.  Right now I am leaning towards Kabengele.

Kabangele looked really good in game 2. I agree that he looks like a keeper. He's strong, plays with force,.Pretty athletic.Even has nice shooting form I know it's just summer league, but he plays with some swagger..Not living in New England , I actually never saw Matt Ryan before summer league. Wow .The nan can shoot.

[dbrown4]

NYCelt & Ktron,

Let's face it. Except for some very rare standouts, we're talking about a quasi-G-League (maybe worse) setup with Summer League and these guys are all more than likely battling for Seats 14-15 on the team or heading back to G-League.

It's almost like pick-up bball we used to play growing up. Whoever shows up can play! Get on the court and show us what you've got!

It was never that good.

db

[112288]

Matt Ryan must be given a shot with the Celtics.  They guy is lights out better at making 3 point shots then Hauser!

He has been the leading scorer in the first 2 games for the Celtics this summer.

112288

[bobheckler]

Couldn't watch the game but Kabengele and Ryan sure filled up the boxscore!


Kabengele is playing like what he is, a 24 year old who has NBA experience with 3 teams over 2 seasons.  We expect first year SL players to look a little mentally lost, and we expect players who are back for their 2nd SL to look better than the players with zero SL experience.  Does this translate into a spot on an NBA team?  Montrezl Harrell has made a very nice little career out of being a high-energy, bruising 6'7", 240# small ball 5.  There's no reason why a 6'9", 250# player can't do that too.  Ime likes to play big?  Well, this kid's big, and strong.  The closest thing we had on the team last year to Kabengele was Grant, and Grant really isn't this.  Grant has grit, but he has less height and never had 250# working for him.  At 250# Kabengele can move people off their spot.  He'll bang.



Trevion's boxscore is not getting him to where he wants to be. It looks like...nothing.

I don't know what's in Brad's mind, of course, but he has to be asking himself now if he has room for Hauser and Ryan.  Hauser was 4-9, 3-7 from 3 last night but Ryan had an even better game than he did on Saturday vs Miami.  7-12, 6-11 from 3 for 23 points.  2 steals too.  Ryan is 10-18 from 3 in SL so far. I'm going to post a story about Ryan's travels after this.







Bob


.

[bobheckler]

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2022/06/celtics-matt-ryan-was-driving-doordash-a-year-ago-now-hes-in-the-nba-finals-its-been-like-a-movie.html


Celtics’ Matt Ryan was driving DoorDash a year ago, now he’s in the NBA Finals: ‘It’s been like a movie’


Updated: Jul. 11, 2022, 11:08 p.m. | Published: Jun. 01, 2022, 10:11 p.m.



Matt Ryan can't play in the NBA Playoffs because he's on a two-way contract, but he's celebrated plenty with the Celtics as they're now in the NBA Finals. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)AP


By Souichi Terada | sterada@masslive.com


SAN FRANCISCO — Matt Ryan could have never expected this moment a year ago. Back then, he was still waiting for his first real chance at professional basketball.

Ryan had bounced around in his college career, suiting up for Notre Dame, Vanderbilt then finally Chattanooga. But his shot at the NBA was disrupted like so many others because of the pandemic. Ryan missed his window, he said, as the predraft process was a shell of its normal self.


Ryan spent roughly a year, starting in March 2020, at home in Yonkers, New York, trying to figure out if his basketball career would ever materialize. Europe or elsewhere overseas were likely destinations, so he kept working out at home and keeping his body ready whenever opportunity called.

But he wanted to make some money. So Ryan turned to delivering food around his hometown through DoorDash. That was life for the 25-year-old: Long before he was with the Celtics on a two-way contract, he was just trying to keep his basketball career afloat. Now he’s onto the NBA Finals, the greatest stage in basketball.

“It’s been like a movie,” Ryan told MassLive before the Celtics’ practice Wednesday. “The whole past year for me pretty much has been a movie. A year ago, I was driving DoorDash and working outside at a cemetery. Now, I’m in the NBA Finals.”

Ryan has grinded for the past year, bouncing around from stops as he pursues the dream of professional ball. The initial plan was to go to Australia last summer, but the Cavaliers brought him in for Summer League. Ryan averaged 11.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in his four games. The dream was on.

The Nuggets signed him for training camp, though he was waived soon after. Ryan then stuck with the Grand Rapid Golds. Ryan also got reps with USA Basketball for the World Cup qualifying roster in February 2022.

Then, finally, the Celtics called.

“I was pretty emotional,” Ryan said of the signing. “I had my family with me. After how the last couple years have went, it was just bittersweet. Definitely very emotional. … It’s been the best year of my life. It’s been crazy.”


Ryan’s made an impact from the bench — especially during the celebrations. He was the first dude hugging Jayson Tatum after the buzzer-beating layup against the Nets. Game 1 against the Nets was also Ryan’s birthday, so he was already on “cloud nine.” He’s also always seen celebrating with the bench guys, who are hard at work behind the scenes.

Ryan will also, at the very least, can forever say he scored in an NBA game. The moment came in the blowout win over the Grizzlies on the last day of the season. He started 0-for-4 from the field, but nailed the 3-pointer with 35.6 seconds left. This time, it was the rest of the team celebrating Ryan’s accomplishments on the court.

“It was my first time checking into an NBA game,” Ryan said. “My teammates knew I definitely wanted to get a bucket in. Last game of the season. So, get them up. I got up 5 3s in four minutes, started 0-for-4. But we only remember the makes. Made the last one. Everybody was happy. It was a great moment.”


Ryan said he’s soaking in every moment of the Celtics’ deep playoffs run. He won’t ever see the court in the postseason, but he continues to work on his game behind the scenes and improve for the future. And it was only so long ago Ryan was delivering on DoorDash looking to make an extra buck.

Now, he’s onto the NBA Finals with the Celtics. The dream continues.

“We’re working really hard every day,” Ryan said. “We don’t get into the games in the playoffs, but we’re putting in so much work that nobody sees. For all of us, it’s really just about when the game time comes, it’s not our time to go out there and play. Support our team as much as we can. Give as much confidence and positive energy as we can.”


Bob


.

[dboss]

I know SL games can be about as exciting as watching paint dry.

Last night's game qualifies as an exception to the rule.  

Matt Ryan does not want to deliver food anymore.  Would his presence on the team replicate what Sam Hauser gives us?  Yes and No.  Both are wings that can shoot the ball from deep.
While Sam is working on expanding his game to be more than a catch and shoot guy, Ryan is already there.  Sam is already under contract so the question for Brad is simple math.  You can add Ryan for around $1.6 million.  Is there room on this team for another long distance sniper?  hell yes.

Next who stays and who goes between T Will and Kabangele.  I am going with the IT factor.  That would be Kabangele.  $1.9 million should get it done and then we will be done.

Forget about the soon to expire Fournier TPE. We really do not need to use it.

Ryan and Kabangele will be end of the bench players.  I like what they bring to the end of the bench.

There are things that happen that are so unusual that when they do happen it is difficult to believe it did happen.  

Such was the case last night when the refs announced a change in the score and took points away from Boston well after the disputed points were actually scored.  Then, they let the game play on to the final minute and reverse their decision and gave points back to Boston.  

It was unbelievable but it actually happened.

[jrleftfoot]

Halftime of game 3. Wouldn't miss summer league.Feeds my roundball addiction and the games get better as the players adjust to one another. Firmly convinced that Kabangele makes the team .Davison really pushes the pace. T. Williams finally showed a little , but I think K is better in every aspect except passing. B.Thomas played well. Made a dunk I didn't expect. Barring a veteran pickup, I think Kabangele makes the team. Ryan and Thomas fighting for last roster spot. Jackson 4 for 5 in first half.

[gyso]

[dboss]

Halftime of game 3. Wouldn't miss summer league.Feeds my roundball addiction and the games get better as the players adjust to one another. Firmly convinced that Kabangele makes the team .Davison really pushes the pace. T. Williams finally showed a little , but I think K is better in every aspect except passing. B.Thomas played well. Made a dunk I didn't expect. Barring a veteran pickup, I think Kabangele makes the team. Ryan and Thomas fighting for last roster spot. Jackson 4 for 5 in first half.

Before the 2019 draft I did a write up on Kabangele. Going see if I can dig it out of the archives.

Last night's game gives us a closer look at his skill level.

He played some games for G-league team RVG Rio Grande Valley Vipers this past season . Small sample size of 8 games 17.5 PPG and 10.6 rebounds. They won the playoffs this year and he averaged 21.8 PPG, 12.3 rebounds and 4.3 Blocks. Kabangele was the best player on their team during the playoffs.

I really like his energy and intensity. He plays above the rim. Given a likely limited role required from him, I think he is the hands down favorite to catch on with the Celtics. He will turn 25 in August and fits right into our timeline.

Other game thoughts include an apology to Brodic Thomas. I did not know you could shoot like that. He is already on the team as the Celtics exercised the QO to retain rights. Surprise SL addition Justin Jackson played very well. He is looking for some team to give him a shot but it will not be Boston.

Rookie JD Davison has not found an offensive rhythm. Last night he still was effective at the point dishing out 9 assists with 3 turnovers and he had 4 rebounds.

Draft and stash Juhann Begarin is not ready yet. Last night he just tried to do too much while forcing way too many plays and chucking up way too many shots (7/19) he definitely has some talent to go alone with an NBA body and athleticism. He had 6 rebounds and 3 assists but he also turned the ball over 5 times. Throw him back in the water.

Trevion Williams has some very good ball handling and passing skills. Him and Kabangele both have a chance to make this team given the 3 roster spots but I just do not see the Celtics taking in 2 developing centers. Trevion is the 2nd fiddle at center on the SL team as evidenced by the minutes he is getting as compared to Kabangele. Maybe the Celtics can get him on our G-League roster.

Ryan was out with the sore ankle but I think he will make our 15 man roster.

As of now I am still of the belief that Ryan and Kabangele make the team.

[Berlin-T]

Ryan, Kabangele and Thomas would be my choices.

Berlin-T

[dbrown4]

These games are fun to watch. Ryan can hit. He has an Eddie House feel to him. Loved his emotional interview after hitting that shot with .5 seconds left.

Kabangele can bang and score nicely. Same with Thomas. Things might get a little tight, but that's a good thing heading into the next season just missing hanging Banner 18 by 2 games.

db

[jrleftfoot]

Halftime of game 3. Wouldn't miss summer league.Feeds my roundball addiction and the games get better as the players adjust to one another. Firmly convinced that Kabangele makes the team .Davison really pushes the pace. T. Williams finally showed a little , but I think K is better in every aspect except passing. B.Thomas played well. Made a dunk I didn't expect. Barring a veteran pickup, I think Kabangele makes the team. Ryan and Thomas fighting for last roster spot. Jackson 4 for 5 in first half.

Before the 2019 draft I did a write up on Kabangele.  Going see if I can dig it out of the archives.

Last night's game gives us a closer look at his skill level.  

He played some games for G-league team RVG  Rio Grande Valley Vipers this past season .  Small sample size of 8 games 17.5 PPG and 10.6 rebounds.  They won the playoffs this year and he averaged 21.8 PPG, 12.3 rebounds and 4.3 Blocks.  Kabangele was the best player on their team during the playoffs.

I really like his energy and intensity.  He plays above the rim.  Given a likely limited role required from him, I think he is the hands down favorite to catch on with the Celtics.  He will turn 25 in August and fits right into our timeline.  

Other game thoughts include an apology to Brodic Thomas.  I did not know you could shoot like that.  He is already on the team as the Celtics exercised the QO to retain rights.  Surprise SL addition Justin Jackson played very well.  He is looking for some team to give him a shot but it will not be Boston.

Rookie JD Davison has not found an offensive rhythm.  Last night he still was effective at the point dishing out 9 assists with 3 turnovers and he had 4 rebounds.

Draft and stash Juhann Begarin is not ready yet.  Last night he just tried to do too much while forcing way too many plays and chucking up way too many shots (7/19)  he definitely has some talent to go alone with an NBA body and athleticism.  He had  6 rebounds and 3 assists but he also turned the ball over 5 times.  Throw him back in the water.

Trevion Williams has some very good ball handling and passing skills.  Him and Kabangele both have a chance to make this team given the 3 roster spots but I just do not see the Celtics taking in 2 developing centers.  Trevion is the 2nd fiddle at center on the SL team as evidenced by the minutes he is getting as compared to Kabangele.  Maybe the Celtics can get him on our G-League roster.

Ryan was out with the sore ankle but I think he will make our 15 man roster.

As of now I am still of the belief that Ryan and Kabangele make the team.    

agree with pretty much everything you said. J.Jackson is making a statement though. Davison with 19 points and 3 assista at halftime of game 4. Maybe some of our brethren gave up on this 19 year old prematurely?

[bobheckler]

JD Davison with his best game so far by far.  28 points on 9-14, 4-6 from 3, 3 steals, 10 assists and 3 turnovers.  1 block, and it wasn't even on his man.  One of those turnovers were him dribbling on top, not going anywhere, and the ball bounced off his foot out of bounds, so as far as decision making goes really only 2 turnovers.  10 and 2 is pretty frippin' good.  JD was on fire today, the best player on the floor for either team by far. He has a very nice crossover, and he also plays with change of pace. The change of pace is not usually a part of the game you see in rookies, that comes later when the game slows down a bit for them but Davison has it now (at least against SL competition).

Great passing by this team.  Really, really good stuff.  27 assists on 39fgms.  Ben Sullivan is doing a good coaching job, getting these players who barely know each other to trust each other and to not just think about their own games.

Trevion with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 17 minutes.  3 assists, 1 turnover.  He wants to be a point center a bit too much, but we see Al do that too.  Al will lead a fast break, but Al Horford is a 5X All-Star.  Trevion Williams isn't.  Still, only one turnover and a double-double in 17 is a nice boxscore.  He really Hoovered up the rebounds.

Begarin with 17 on 8-17, 3 steals.  He was 1-4 from 3.  He's not a good shooter but he is very good moving without the ball.  A lot of his points were off of movement and the willing passing of his teammates.

Hauser and Ryan were DNPs.


https://www.espn.com/nba-summer-league/boxscore?gameId=401451063&league=nba-summer-las-vegas





Bob


.

[dboss]

I missed the game today so I am reading comments here and checking out the highlights.

I was great to see JD look more to score but still dishing out 10 assists.

Was this our last game?

With Ryan being an UFA he may not be on the roster. I think his agent is out there fielding offers and would probably give Boston a chance to match or beat the offer before he signs with another team. However he can just sign a contract with another club and Boston has no rights of retention. I do not understand why Boston did not make him the QO. (Boston (BOS) declined $1.6 million Qualifying Offer; becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent)

Thomas is a restricted free agent. Boston has the right to match any offer because they did make the QO to him. On Spotrac he is shown under the CAP hold category as is Ryan. Therefore he may not have signed the offer.

Things remain fluid as updates are expected.

As of right now we have JD signed to a 2-way contract with one spot still open.

We also have 12 guys under contract with 3 open roster spots.

I am pulling for Kabangele to get one of the three open roster spots. After that it is hard to say who else is retained. Brad has a figure in mind but we do not know what that is. He has mentioned recently that the Celtics are still looking at options to add another big. He also referenced the TPE's that will be available around the trade deadline.

[bygone]

dboss, I believe this is our last game unless we make the playoffs. Looks like a 50/50 chance at this point, still TBD.

Bobh I agree, coach Ben Sullivan and his staff (Tamara Moore & ?) have done a great job after a shaky start with Miami. They played team ball.

Kabengele showed me his mettle against GS and Bucks. He has the motor, desire, rebounding and presence in the post to be a strong consideration for the Cs.  Kuminga (GS 29pts 2 reb) and Wiseman (GS 7 pts, 6 reb, 3 blocks) both guarded  Kabengele (20 pts, 13 reb, 4 dimes, 2 blocks)  a lot and yet he was quite impressive.
Against the Bucks Sandro Mamukelashvili (28 pts, 9 reb, 2 dimes, 3 steals, 2 blks) was a non stop driving force but Kabengele held his own (15 pts, 11 reb, 4 dimes, 2 blocks, 1 TO)

Begarin did turn it over a lot, but he was always running without the ball opening up a lot of shots for his teammates, he cuts well, has length and athleticism. 19 years old and learning with good instincts. Interesting choices for Brad ahead but I feel good about 2022-23.  Better rotation with Brogdon and Gallo and promising young talent.

[willjr]

Good article on the summer league roster
https://apple.news/AOxE_3YcDTfu-kibt80PPSA

[NYCelt]

Still only a summer league game, but nice to see Davison at least temporarily quiet the critics. I get so tired of the rush to (negative) judgement garbage; Davison and Williams made my day with this game. Of course there will still be over-analysis and play-by-play dissection by all of those that think they actually know something, but good for these young players.

[dboss]

dboss, I believe this is our last game unless we make the playoffs. Looks like a 50/50 chance at this point, still TBD.

Bobh I agree, coach Ben Sullivan and his staff (Tamara Moore & ?) have done a great job after a shaky start with Miami. They played team ball.

Kabengele showed me his mettle against GS and Bucks. He has the motor, desire, rebounding and presence in the post to be a strong consideration for the Cs.  Kuminga (GS 29pts 2 reb) and Wiseman (GS 7 pts, 6 reb, 3 blocks) both guarded  Kabengele (20 pts, 13 reb, 4 dimes, 2 blocks)  a lot and yet he was quite impressive.
Against the Bucks Sandro Mamukelashvili (28 pts, 9 reb, 2 dimes, 3 steals, 2 blks) was a non stop driving force but Kabengele held his own (15 pts, 11 reb, 4 dimes, 2 blocks, 1 TO)

Begarin did turn it over a lot, but he was always running without the ball opening up a lot of shots for his teammates, he cuts well, has length and athleticism. 19 years old and learning with good instincts. Interesting choices for Brad ahead but I feel good about 2022-23.  Better rotation with Brogdon and Gallo and promising young talent.

bygone

Agree with all of your observations

Brad addressed 2 major depth issues.  I do not think we will be seeing 7 1/2 man rotations.  At the same time I do not see all of our starters logging the same number of minutes.  I think they can cut back on AH minutes and Gallo can play some stretch 4.  I also expect to see more small ball rotations with maybe only 1 center.

A couple of additional comment about our SL team.  They have average 100 PPG even though that game one was an offensive nightmare (78 points)  There are still game being played but that 100 PPG average puts us at #1.

JD Davison has a real knack for throwing lob passes.  The pace and timing of those passes is top notch.  I cannot wait to see him feed Rob.  Maybe in preseason.  With 4 other PG's on the team this year will be about getting better up in Maine and taking advantage of any opportunities if he gets called up.

I think the team is all set and I really do not think we need to go out and find a 4th center. Kabangele is really a F/C.

[worcester]

Kabengele shows me much mo9re than Luke ever did, a man who has yet to learn how to blow his own horn.

[dboss]

Still only a summer league game, but nice to see Davison at least temporarily quiet the critics. I get so tired of the rush to (negative) judgement garbage; Davison and Williams made my day with this game. Of course there will still be over-analysis and play-by-play dissection by all of those that think they actually know something, but good for these young players.

Trevion Williams can play. Above average handle for a center and excellent passing skills. Strong low post moves and today he apparently made a 3 pointer but I did not see the game. If there was a way for Brad to keep him and Kabangele I do not think anyone would have a problem with that.

My wish list is Ryan, Williams and Kabangele. I feel that if you are filling out the roster for 13, 14 and 15, the 3 of them are better as a group than all the roster fillers from last year.

You can never have enough bigs.

[dboss]

Kabengele shows me much mo9re than Luke ever did, a man who has yet to learn how to blow his own horn.

W

The strange thing about the Kornet signing is the fact that Ime did not play him except in 12 games and only for about 7 MPG. In the playoffs with Rob missing a lot of games Kornet only averaged 2.1 minutes.

[worcester]

Dboss...I just don't get what Brad sees in Luke. I fully agree that we should sign Ryan, Williams and Kabengele.

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