Just In: Boston Confirmed 4 takeaways from Summer League as 19 year old Small forward, Power forward looks like a steal

 

Boston Celtics forward Jordan Walsh during an NBA Summer League basketball game against the Miami Heat

on Saturday, July 8, 2023, at the Cox Pavilion in the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las

Vegas Review-Journal via AP)AP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Celtics ended Summer League with a 2-3 record overall in Las Vegas this past weekend, likely kicking off a quieter time

in Boston’s offseason after some big changes by Brad Stevens since a disappointing end to the 2023 season.

Boston officially added Jordan Walsh to a 15-man contract and added Jay Scrubb on a two-way contract in the past two

weeks. However, there are many other lessons learned from the past few week in Las Vegas as it pertains to the roster that

Stevens is trying to push the finishing touches on for this fall.

Let’s take a closer look at four of those takeaways from the past week:

JD Davidson is still a ways away: The 2022 second-round pick is still just 20 years old so the team is going to give him

an extra year of development before making any grand assessments. With that said, Davidson did not make tangible on-

court gains during his second year of Summer League. His turnover rate was way up and shooting efficiency took a step back

and that’s not the recipe you want to see for point guard who already has a questionable jumpshot. The pace he can play with

is enticing but it’s hard to see him putting together enough of a complete package at this point to make a 15-man roster

anytime soon.

Jay Scrubb could be helpful in a pinch: Boston officially signed the 6-foot-5 to a two-way deal over the weekend as he
stood out as the best backcourt prospect on Boston’s roster in Vegas. This will be his final year of two-way eligibility in the
NBA but he looks like he has the offensive skillet that can help Boston in a pinch this year as a lefty who can get to the rim
and hit 3s consistently. Scrubb averaged 14 points despite only playing 20 minutes per game so he looks like a wildcard
option off the bench during a night when Boston’s wing rotation is shorthanded. Scrubb essentially did what he’s supposed
to do as a fourth year player in Summer League but his willingness to take a two-way deal made him an appealing candidate
to make this roster.

Jordan Walsh may be closer than anticipated: The second-round pick has earned plenty of accolades from scouts

around the league this week, even earning a top-5 ranking from SB Nation for his play among rookies in Summer League. He

knocked down 40.7 percent of his 3s over five games with a healthy volume number (5.4) so that type of production could

quickly propel him into a 10th or 11th man for this team rather than a Maine developmental project. Walsh is far from a sure

thing from being a factor on this year’s roster but he could be pushing for rotation minutes if Brad Stevens fails to add more depth at the wing spot via the trade market or free agency.

Justin Champagnie looks like a cut candidate: His deal is non-guaranteed until midseason but there are a number of

incentive days that are upcoming including $50,000 on August 1st and another $350,000 on opening night. If Brad Stevens

is serious about adding more help to the roster as he declared last week, it’s hard to see Champagnie surviving beyond

training camp. The Celtics could keep him to compete for a roster spot or a two-way but he doesn’t necessarily have a skillset

that would translate well for Boston on the wing given the complexion of the roster.

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