Robb: Five Takeaways From Celtics Summer League

Robb: Five Takeaways From Celtics Summer League
By Brian Robb, CBS Boston
July 21, 2015 7:47 AM





R.J. Hunter (Photo by Jack Arent/NBAE via Getty Images)




BOSTON (CBS) — For some NBA franchises, summer league is an afterthought. For others, like the rebuilding Boston Celtics, it’s a crucial two weeks of the offseason. Five young roster players took the court for the Green this summer in Utah and Las Vegas, and their performances will help Danny Ainge and the rest of the front office decide which pieces are keepers and who is expendable in the months to come.

Early signs were not promising for Boston’s young crew out west, as the squad started out with two ugly losses in Salt Lake City before the tide quickly turned. The Celtics won five straight games in both Utah and Las Vegas, leading them into the quarterfinals of the Vegas tournament, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs via a heartbreaking buzzer-beater on Saturday.

So what did we learn about the Celtics in a busy two weeks of action? Let’s explore five takeaways.


1. Marcus Smart got hurt at summer league, but that doesn’t mean he should not have been playing.

By now, you have probably seen the gruesome footage of Smart dislocating two fingers on his right hand during a game last Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers. The prized prospect left the floor in complete agony but appears to have escaped a long-term absence. CSNNE.com is reporting that Smart could return to basketball activities as soon as mid-August.

The injury to the 2014 No. 6 overall pick resulted in some corners of the Internet wondering why the point guard was even playing in summer league during his second NBA season. Those reactions are understandable, but shouldn’t be given much weight, as the 21-year-old gained some valuable reps running the show at point guard over the past two weeks.

After Smart gave up ball-handling duties to Evan Turner for much of last year’s court time in the starting lineup, the Celtics needed to figure out if he was capable of running point in year two. The returns were promising, with the 6-foot-3 guard averaging 16 points and 4.2 assists per game over his five contests, showing off a more aggressive mentality attacking the rim and capable passing out of the pick-and-roll.

While Smart was a cut above the competition on the defensive end, his shooting (35 percent from the field) still needs plenty of work to reach an acceptable level of consistency. The long-term potential remains alluring, but the offensive numbers are a painful reminder that Smart has a long way to go to become a great all-around guard. Despite his talent, the young guard is not above needing summer league reps.


2. R.J. Hunter may be one of the best 3-point shooters on the roster this season.

Danny Ainge did well to upgrade the Celtics frontline this summer with Amir Johnson and David Lee, but one area he failed to address is Boston’s lack of reliable shooting. The Celtics finished in the bottom five in 3-point shooting last season, and Boston desperately needs shooters to help space the floor around Isaiah Thomas and other penetrators in Brad Stevens’ “pace-and-space” offense.

Hunter proved he could be a viable candidate to fill that void, despite having to battle a crowded Boston backcourt for minutes. After looking absolutely miserable in his first two games in Utah, shooting 0-for-8 from the field, Hunter rebounded and shot 35.6 percent from downtown over eight games.

That number is even more impressive when you consider the fact that Hunter wasn’t being shy with his attempts, averaging more than five per game in just 22 minutes of action. The 21-year-old was a volume shooter with NBA range at Georgia State, and that skill is translating well to the big leagues so far. Look for him to be a potential spark plug for Brad Stevens deep in the rotation next year.


3. Jordan Mickey is the kind of athletic big man the Celtics desperately need.

The Celtics have a laundry list of big men, but none of them offer the shot blocking or defensive versatility that Mickey showed off over the past couple weeks. The second-round pick is only 6-foot-8, but he stuffed the competition regularly, tallying 2.4 blocks per game. More importantly, he defended the pick-and-roll well, displaying the speed and recognition to switch onto smaller players, a crucial skill in today’s NBA for any big.

Offensively, Mickey surprised as well, showing off a competent jumper and solid finishing around the rim. He posted 12.8 points per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the field. It wasn’t all pretty for Mickey, as the big man was pushed around on the defensive glass for a lot of summer league and will need to add some strength to hold his own among the trees at the start of the regular season.
Overall though, the Celtics liked what they saw, and signed him to a four-year deal on Monday in another hint that a remaining piece of the Boston frontcourt could be expendable in the coming weeks.


4. Terry Rozier still seems redundant on the Celtics roster.

The 6-foot-1 guard out of Louisville held his own while manning both the point guard and shooting guard spots. He filled up the stat sheet nicely (12ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.2spg), while displaying the kind of defensive intensity and athleticism that led to his rise to the middle of the first round. Still, on a team full of undersized guards, Rozier seems a bit repetitive in a group that includes Smart, Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley.

There really aren’t going to be a ton of minutes to go around beyond that trio, making Rozier a potential cheaper alternative to one of them if/when Ainge deals some of the backcourt glut as part of an enticing package for a star.


5. Jonathan Holmes is an NBA player.

There may not be room for him on the Celtics next year, but the stretch-four proved in summer league that some team probably should have taken a chance on the former Longhorn in the second-round of the 2015 NBA Draft.

Holmes didn’t take a ton of shots in summer league, but he was incredibly efficient when he did, hitting 44.6 percent of his three-point attempts in eight games. He looked solid in other aspects of his game as well, playing competently on defense, chipping in on the glass and taking what the offense gave him.

With 16 guaranteed contracts already on the roster next season, it will be tough for Boston to convince him to come to training camp without trading away a player or two. However, odds are strong that Trader Danny might have something cooking, and if so, Holmes may be a beneficiary of an open spot created in a multiple player deal. Stay tuned.



bob
MY NOTE:  I will almost guarantee you Hunter will be the best 3pt shooter on the roster next season.  Thomas may take more, but Hunter will hit more.  Thomas shot 34.5% from 3 last season.  Hunter hit 35.6% and that's after a horrendous first two games.  And yes, Rozier is redundant.  That doesn't mean the redundancy is eliminated by trading him, specifically.


.

Robb obviously missed the obvious. Hunter is our nest shooter. Period.

Rozier redundant? Didn't Robb note about Smart that we really need a playmsking point guard? How can Rozier be redundant if we don't even have one other true point guard on the club.

I'm not sure Rozier can be classified as a true point guard yet.  But the only reason he might be considered redundant redundant if Smart, Thomas and Bradley are with the club.  The key to that question may be Hunter.  If RJ can be trusted by Danny to fill it up from distance, Bradley's days with the Celtics could be numbered and Smart, Thomas, Hunter, Rozier, and possibly Turner could spend time at either guard position for a nice guard rotation.

Sam

Sam, we both need to get to sleep and let Danny sort this out.

Worcester,

Yeah, that's true.  But it doesn't hurt to guess at some of the factors that may be running through Danny's mind.

As for sleep, that's another story.  More often than not, I go to bed at 4:00.  Saturday, it was the Foo Fighters at Fenway (super show), and we got home after 2:30.  Tonight, it was back to Fenway to attend the celebration of my best friend, Dick Flavin's, new book about the Red Sox.  It's called "Red Sox Rhymes...Verses and Curses" (available on Amazon), and it's a masterpiece of commentary on Red Sox history in verse, with explanatory text.

Two years ago, I wrote on this forum about the struggle my friend was going through to beat cancer if the throat.  Not only does he appear to have beaten the cancer, but he also (at age 78) is using his rehabbed voice as the public address announcer for all Red Sox day and weekend games.  Moreover, he's a paid roving ambassador for the Red Sox, with as many as seven speaking engagements a day all over New England at venues as diverse as Kiwanis Clubs and Church dinners.

It's quite possible that he knows more about the Red Sox than any other living person.  For example, he dredged up the fact that Babe Ruth and Ted Williams once faced each other in a home run hitting contest.  Although Flav won his six television Emmys as a public affairs satirist, his passionate avocation, from the age of 7, has always been the Sox.  And now, having put the Big C to rest (permanently, I hope), he's living a dream by being a Red Sox insider.  I'm so extremely proud of him.

His "To Be in Love with Baseball":

When you first discover baseball,
When you're given your first glove,
You find out at a tender age
What it's like to fall in love.

Then you realize that your parents
And your grandfather, too,
All have this in common,
They love it just like you.

For your whole life it's part of you.
Its praises must be sung.
For to be in love with baseball
Is to be forever young.

And my personal favorite, "Long Live Fenway Park:"

For a hundred years she's stood here,
Heard cheering, seen our tears,
Through all the good times and the bad
Fenway persevered.

She's baseball's great crown jewel,
A treasure—this is why.
Look out there on her field, you'll see
The ghosts of games gone by.

There's Babe Ruth standing on the mound,
Ted Williams at the plate.
And someone's great grandfather
Just came in through the gate.

That's Yaz patrolling in left field,
In center, Freddie Lynn;
Cronin's playing shortstop
But Pesky's coming in.

Luis Tiant whirls and spins
And then he lets it go.
There's another leaping catch
By Dom DiMaggio.

Jim Rice lines one off the wall,
Malzone comes in to score.
Pedroia makes a diving stop,
Or is that Bobby Doerr?

Fisk hits one deep into the night.
Will it be foul or fair?
It caroms off the foul pole
And the cheers still fill the air.

Dewey Evans' rifle arm
Just cut a runner down.
There's Tony C., still young and strong,
The toast of his hometown.

Roberts steals another base
Pinch running for Millar.
There's Radatz, Lonborg, Jimmie Foxx
And Pedro and Nomar.

Look closely.  You can see them all.
They come here every day.
Fenway was and is their home.
It's where her ghosts still play.

And in the dugout by first base,
There sits the current squad.
Some day they will take their place
With all the Fenway gods.

That's why this pace is magic,
Why she's made such a mark.
She's a hundred plus and going strong.
And long live Fenway Park!

My friend, Dick Flavin.  I'll definitely be up a while tonight, reliving his triumphant celebration at Fenway last night.

Sam

You know, one thing strikes me as we all conjecture what life for the Celtics will be like in the coming year.

Don't underestimate the Garden crowd.

The newbies will be embraced warmly by a Boston crowd that has traditionally poured out its love for guys like Connor Henry, Terry Duerod and Brian Scalabrine. Such guys were never destined to become stars, but they found out quickly that Celtics fans are in love with effort. If a player fails despite his effort, the fans will let him slink silently away; but they'll give him all possible support until such time.

Can you picture R.J. Hunter hitting his first 27-footer in the Garden? Or Rozier snaking in for a layup or making a great defensive play? Or The Mouse blocking a layup from behind? Or Holmes legally leveling a defender? Ripples of applause from fellow players in Las Vegas was one thing. But give a Garden crowd a reason, and they'll almost literally score a TKO with deafening waves of encouragement. And it's not just psychological form of encouragement. The escalating adrenalin I love to talk about can be a physical response to that kind of outpouring.

Just one more reason why the conjecture we now share about the future can overlook dynamics of what can really happen when these guys hit the boards.

Go Celtics!

Sam

Another thing that the summer leagues showed was that the Cs still need help at the small forward position.  Of course, none of the four guys drafted in June were really supposed to be small forwards. Young, on the other hand, just did not look much different than he did last year.

I looked at the rookies and also at James Young and did not see anyone on the summer league teams who can play this position even on a limited basis, and I am sure that is why Ainge picked up Perry Jones.  I am betting that Jones will be given a good, hard look during pre-season camp to better fill this position. If this kid could score 31 even in one game as Durant's fill in, he must have something going for him. Perhaps a change of scenery and a new coaching staff will bring out a more sustained type of play for Jones.

Sam, what a heart rending poet Dick Flavin is. You are blessed to have such a friend. Great news he beat the big C, as John Wayne would say. I was up last night watching him and Maureen O'Hara in the Quiet Man.
Re throat cancer, i have a good friend near Munich whom I consider the world's best at treating that affliction. Dr. Friedrich Douwes. He uses Electro-Cancer Therapy and was President of the German Society of Oncologists.

Back to the Celts, the young'uns are going to love the Gahden crowd.

Clyde,

I think the Celts don't just need a small forward. They need a starting small forward. I'm a big fan of Crowder, but primarily when he comes off the bench. When he starts, he seldom sees the ball on offense, with the result that he tends to force shots on those rare circumstances when he does get a touch. Perhaps, given the glut of guards on the team, the Celts are counting on Turner to start at the "3." In the absence of a pure PG, it couldn't hurt to have Evan's ballhandling skills at the SF position.

Sam

Sam,

I'll get to the thread topic in a moment...

First off, we certainly knew you were at Fenway before you posted the fact; misdial or not, Nancy was thrilled with her birthday call from Fenway!

Second, I'm happy to see your news about your friend Dick on two fronts; the first being I found that inspirational.  As you're aware, I'm hopeful I can get the same type of good news next month (Thank you for sharing that one!).  The second, baseball being so much a part of my day-to-day, I enjoy reading anything original and from the heart, written by an avid fan or participant.

With regards to baseball, I've always gone by the Jim Bouton, Ball Four! ending quote, "You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time."  I think that seems to fit in with Dick Flavin's outlook, even if it was written by an ex-Yankee.

Now, on the 5 takeaways...

I guess they're 5 fairly safe statements to make, but I think #4 is a matter of perspective.  In my own view, and similar to your point on potential roster moves, I think it could be said that Avery Bradley seems redundant.

My thinking/guessing is that Rozier was drafted as the potential best fit point if Smart were to move to two-guard, which seems to be Smart's better place on the roster.  Bradley could be our most attractive trade piece, and could well be packaged in pursuit of the small forward or center we need.

As for points about Hunter and Mickey, I'm more convinced they could have been two of the more savvy picks in this year's draft, after seeing some brief summer play.  The real test is still a few months off, of course.

Regards

NYCelt,

Of course you'll get the same type of news! You've got a lot of psychic energy coming your way.

Flavin has worn glasses throughout his life. So, when he first became a fan at age 7, his hero was Dominic DiMaggio, who was a great Red Sox outfielder wearing glasses. Later in life, through Flavin's involvement with the Sox, the two became the best of friends.

When I first became a fan at the age of 7 in the same year (1946), my hero was Bobby Doerr (due to the name similarity); and it was through Flavin that I first met Bob many years later, and Bob and I became fast friends.

So Flav and I we share the experience of having lifelong idols who became personal friends of the first order. Dominic's been gone for several years; but Bob—the oldest living baseball Hall of Famer at age 97—is still mentally alert in an Oregon nursing home. And I'm about to have the honor of sending Bob and his son, Don, autographed copies of Flav's book. What that all boils down to is that life is such a fantastic thing that should be appreciated every minute of every day.

Sam

dboss,

You bailed me out with the very last word on your post. I had the pistol raised to my forehead until you suggested that at least one Celtics player (in this case Evan Turner) could e a good candidate to replace the attributes of Avery Bradley if he were traded.

In all seriousness, your post emphasizes how important it is to recognize that any trade can have ramifications that go well beyond the details of the trade.

Sam