Jan 31, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics guard E

After a successful first round of summer league, the Celtics will now be traveling to Las Vegas. But before we look ahead, lets look back at some of the standouts and also see how our new rookies did in their first NBA action.

The Celtics went 4-1 this week down in Orlando, and a large part of that was from the contributions of Dionte Christmas, E’Twaun Moore, Jared Sullinger, and Kris Joseph.

To start out, Dionte Christmas was the biggest surprise to me. I didn’t know who he was before the summer league began, but he really impressed me with what he can do.

Yesterday alone, Christmas had 21 points, 19 of them came in the first half. Throughout the whole week he had been consistent scoring 10 points four out of five games. He not only can score, but he can rebound and do all the intangibles. In his first game Christmas grabbed 10 rebounds, all of them were defensive. He plays great defense, brings a lot of energy, and he doesn’t play out of control.

If the Celtics can’t find space on the roster for him, there is no way another team won’t pick him up. Originally, Christmas was only suppose to play for Boston in Orlando, but it seems like they invited him to Las Vegas. This guy definitely has talent, and I hope to see the Celtics reach out and invite him to training camp.

E’Twaun Moore was a pleasant surprise this week. I knew that he had the skills and tools to score in this league, but I didn’t expect him to light up the summer league.

The Celtics played him at point guard, and he did a superb job at that position. Personally I would have liked to see him play at shooting guard, but the change in position didn’t alter his game in any way.

One thing that wasn’t well known about Moore was his defense. He played exceptionally well against Brandon Knight and it was almost becoming personal as both players seemed to play really tight against each other.

I think this will be the year Moore breaks out. If he gains the trust of Doc Rivers, then we will be seeing him in games this season.

Jared Sullinger brought a lot more to Orlando than I had expected. Leading up to the draft all I heard was his back issues and how that could hinder him, but in the summer league at least, his back was no problem at all.

Sullinger scored 20 points in his first game, and most of his production came from within 10 feet of the basket. He backed down his man in the paint, and never got out muscled on either side of court.

What really stood out to me was his rebounding. In 4 games, Sullinger grabbed 33 rebounds, and these games only had 10 minute quarters. That was the most impressive stat line coming from him. I don’t care as much about his scoring, as long as he rebounds. The Celtics have been out rebounded game after game and year after year. If Sullinger can just do small things like grabbing boards especially on the offensive glass, he’ll be an extremely valuable player even if he doesn’t score 10-15 points a night.

Lastly, Kris Joseph proved that he should have been drafted much higher. Joseph played like a veteran, with some polished moves when heading to the basket. He also knocked down outside shots, and when he got to the rim, he took it in strong.

Defensively, he was always active. When he wasn’t getting steals or deflections, he just played great defense that made his man take highly contested shots. He showed me a lot this week, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he does in Las Vegas.

At first I thought Joseph might have to spend a year or two in the D-League, but after this week, I think he could be ready to play in NBA games.

Las Vegas

The Celtics play their first game in Las Vegas on Monday versus the Atlanta Hawks at 4pm on NBATV.

Remaining Schedule

Tuesday versus Chicago @ 10pm

Thursday versus Sacramento @ 6:30pm

Saturday versus Milwaukee @ 10:30pm

Sunday versus LA Clippers @ 6pm

Mar 17, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Kris Joseph (32) drives the ball against the Kansas State Wildcats during the first half in the third round of the 2012 NCAA men

After watching the first two games of the summer league, I have been surprised in more ways than one. Before I even get into the individual talent that has been showcased so far, I am really impressed with how this team looks. Now you may be asking, what do you mean? In my 5 years of watching the summer league, I have never seen a group quite like this one.

Most of the players on this team could have a legitimate shot at making the roster. Usually you have about 2 or 3 standouts, but every player on this team has contributed and quite frankly they all have the skills to play in the NBA.

Dionte Christmas and Jonathan Gibson have impressed me the most. In Game 2, Gibson literally won the game for the Celtics. He finished with 17 points to lead all scorers, and he only played 14 minutes in the game. He consistently knocked down the outside shot, and once he got hot, no one was stopping him. Gibson also brings a lot of energy on the defensive end, but at times plays too aggressive. I’m not sure if he’ll make the team, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else picks him up.

Dionte Christmas has been a pleasant surprise. In his first game he had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. For a 6’5″ shooting guard, thats not seen that often. Christmas hustles, runs the floor extremely well, can slash to the basket, and hit the perimeter jump shot. Seeing that the Celtics may be in need of a backup shooting guard or point guard, either Christmas or Gibson could be a cheap pickup if the Celtics can’t find a decent veteran in free agency.

Celtics Draft Picks Show Confidence

Mar 9, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange center Fab Melo (51) shoots a free throw against the Cincinnati Bearcats during the first half of the semifinals of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Sullinger, Melo, and Joseph all possess something that I haven’t seen from some rookies we’ve acquired in the previous seasons. They all have confidence, and they look very comfortable on the court. I know it’s only summer league, but sometimes rookies tend to play out of control because they are trying to prove that they can play. That hasn’t been the case this year. While they have made mistakes, they were just the typical rookie errors.

Out of the three, Sullinger and Joseph have impressed me the most. Sullinger in his first game scored 20 points and had 6 rebounds, and Joseph has played consistently throughout the first two games of the summer league. I had heard that Joseph was a good prospect, but I was really surprised at how polished his game is. He’s got good, strong moves to the basket, and he has a nice 15 to 20 foot jump shot. Hopefully, Paul Pierce is willing to teach him, because I think if taught right, Joseph could be a great backup small forward.

Today the Celtics take on the the Indiana Pacers at 11am and the game can be seen on NBATV. So far, in the first two games, there have been a few surprises. Who is the next player to have an impressive showing in game 3?

Mar 31, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jared Sullinger (0) shoots during the second half in the semifinals of the 2012 NCAA men

The NBA’s version of summer camp has officially begun today, and thanks to NBATV we can get our first look at the new rookies joining the Celtics for next season. Along with the draft picks from this year, JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore will also be making their first appearance in the NBA summer league.

Other players on this year’s roster are Sean Williams, Jamar Smith, Jonathan Gibson, Dionte Christmas, Craig Brackins, Larry Owens, and UMASS small forward Stephane Lasme.

Throughout today’s game versus the Oklahoma City Thunder summer league team, I’ll be keeping my eye on Sullinger. I can’t wait to see what he can bring, and I also want to see if his back problems will hinder him in any way.

Usually, summer league games don’t show the full picture on what we can expect from a certain player, but we will get some sort of an idea on how our rookies may perform for the Celtics next year. This is also an opportunity for guys who aren’t on the roster to at least have a shot at fighting for a position. Two years ago, Stephane Lasme almost made the cut, but instead was sent to the D-League to play for the Maine Red Claws.

A few players to keep your eye one are Stephane Lasme, E’Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson, and Kris Joseph. If the Celtics don’t sign Moore, at the end of the summer league in Las Vegas, he will become a free agent. Moore is a capable player, and I think he’ll make the roster. To be fair, he was never given the chance to show what he can do on the court, so I highly doubt Boston lets him walk.

Apr 26 2012; Boston, MA USA; Boston Celtics forward JaJuan Johnson (12) drives the ball to the basket against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second half at the TD Banknorth Garden. The Celtics defeated the Bucks 87-74. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

JaJuan Johnson had somewhat of a rocky season, and hopefully playing in the summer league, he will gain the confidence he needs heading into training camp. Johnson had a few good moments, but like his Purdue teammate, he didn’t get much playing time. I think playing in games this summer could be very beneficial to both Moore and Johnson.

Lastly, Kris Joseph is one player that I’m very anxious to see play. Since draft night, we’ve all been focused on Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo, and forgot about Syracuse’s lead scorer last season. Joseph has the tools to be successful in this league and I think he could be one of the standouts during these summer league games.

The next few weeks should be good. The summer league was always the thing that would help quench the thirst for NBA Basketball during the summer. With the lockout last season, I have never looked forward to a summer league more than I have this year.