Breaking Down the Celtics Summer League Roster

Here’s a look at who will be playing for the Celtics Summer League team this year

The Boston Celtics are expected to begin Summer League play on July 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers. After an anticipated wait, they have finally announced their roster. While most of the team is compiled of their draft picks over the past couple of years, they also have four undrafted rookies on the team – three were with Maine last season.

There isn’t a lot of room on Boston’s NBA roster, so there shouldn’t be any surprise additions to the team after these games in July. Still, the Celtics have one of the most intriguing teams this summer, and should have a very successful month.

The Celtics front office will be looking at players to see how NBA-ready they feel their newly drafted rookies are, and the development their second-year players have made. There should be a lot of familiar faces on the court and a lot of position battles between these young players that could decide who will be in the rotation at the start of the year.

Terry Rozier: Technically Rozier comes into Summer League play with the second most NBA minutes on the team, but, in reality, he has seen more valuable minutes than James Young. That should lead him to do very well in his second Summer League season.

Rozier is coming off a rookie season in which he was up-and-down from the D-League and NBA, and didn’t become a regular part of the rotation until the end of the season. Although, he stepped up when called upon in the playoffs, after an Avery Bradley injury, and averaged 4.8 points and 3.4 rebounds during the postseason.

Rozier has never been a great outside shooter – 22.2 percent from three as a rookie, 30.6 percent as a sophomore at Louisville. Improving on that part of his game will help him see more significant minutes in the NBA. Continuing to be a solid defender and rebounder will also instill a lot of confidence in Boston as the young guard is expected to have a bigger role next season with the departure of Evan Turner.

R.J. Hunter: He struggled as a rookie, to say the least. He only appeared in 36 games with the Celtics and couldn’t stand out in any certain area, which forced Brad Stevens to keeping him on the bench. In fact, the one area he was brought in to help with, three-point shooting, he flopped in.

He shot a brutal 30.2 percent from three, and was 1-of-5 in the playoffs when his role expanded due to an injured team. To make matters worse, he only shot 29.6 percent from deep in the D-League last season, but still attempted 6.8 threes per contest in his eight games.

Hope is not lost for the second-year shooting guard. He’ll see heavy minutes in Summer League to prove he’s still a reliable three-point shooter. That and not playing as timid will help his case, although it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be able to crack the rotation after the Celtics selected Jaylen Brown.

Jordan Mickey: Last year’s second round pick only appeared in 16 games for Boston, playing in 57 minutes. He didn’t see any significant time as a rookie in the NBA, but he did make a name for himself in the D-League.

In 23 games, Mickey averaged a double-double (17.4 points, 10.3 rebounds) and led the league with 4.4 blocks per contest. He was arguably the most dominating big man down there last year, as his offensive game – 53.1 field-goal percentage – is farther along than Boston was expecting.

With the Celtics lack of rim protection last season, minutes are there for Jordan Mickey next season, especially if Jared Sullinger and Jonas Jerebko aren’t brought back. He’ll have his chance to prove he can play center effectively – the Celtics weakest position – and dominating Summer like he did to the D-League will force Brad Stevens to give him at least a little playing time.

James Young: Not many players, let alone first round picks, play in three Summer Leagues. It’s not something to be proud of, rather a little embarrassed about. Young is coming off two rough seasons to start his NBA career as his outside shot has been atrocious – shot under 26 percent from three both seasons.

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Young might come off the bench, in which case would certainly mean the end to his tenure with the Celtics. He comes in with the most NBA and Summer League experience, therefore he’ll need to flash his scoring ability and an outside shot to give Boston a little hope that there’s still potential there.

Either way, it’s only a matter of time before James Young is no longer on the roster. I wouldn’t expect the Celtics to give him too many minutes in July. They’ll likely use them on their incoming rookies.

Marcus Thornton: Boston actually drafted another guard in the second round behind Jordan Mickey – Marcus Thornton. He ended up playing overseas last season after putting together four solid seasons at William & Marry.

Thornton likely will be stored in Maine if he doesn’t opt to go overseas again, but he’ll likely get a decent amount of minutes this summer. For one, he’s an excellent scorer, which will keep him on the court. He averaged 20 points per game as a senior, and around 18.8 the two previous seasons in college.

Thornton also shot over 40 percent in three of his four collegiate seasons, highlighting his all-around play on the offensive end. He needs to tighten up his defense to make an impression on Boston, however, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him have a big game or two where he’s unstoppable on offense.

Jaylen Brown: With the departure of Evan Turner, Jaylen Brown becomes the main backup at small forward. That’s an unusual role for a Celtic rookie over the past couple of seasons, but he’ll have a chance right away to show what he’s able to do.

Obviously all eyes will be on the third overall pick, including Brad Stevens and the rest of the coaching staff. Expect them to put Brown in a lot of different situations on defense and play him from shooting guard to power forward, to get a feel for each position. He’ll likely always be guarding the opposing team’s best wing player, barring them being a point guard.

It seems certain that he’s a lock to make the rotation next season, but we’ll still be waiting to see how his jump shot looks, and if he can make any highlight dunks. The offense should run through Brown, and he’ll be the key player on defense. In a way, he’s the Celtics LeBron James this July.

Guerschon Yabusele: “He’s like a big dancing bear out there.” Well, okay. That’s how Celtics’ Summer League coach Micah Schrewsberry described Yabusele after practice. If his foot work is as good as advertised, then it’s definitely believable considering his massive build and good movement for a power forward.

It’s unknown whether Yabusele will still be stashed overseas for another season or not. It likely depends on how the Celtics off-season goes, but, either way, this is his first chance to make a live impression on the Celtics coaching staff.

Just showing what he’s capable of is the biggest thing. If he’s as swift in the paint as Schrewsberry is describing then that’ll be a huge addition to his game that revolves around his three-point shot. There’s a good chance the Celtics will look to replace Kelly Olynyk with Guerschon Yabusele soon, so can he show enough to instill confidence in the Celtics? It’s just a couple of games, but they’re important.

Demetrius Jackson: There’s a chance Jackson will see a little playing time off the bench as a rookie. With Evan Turner gone, Jackson could step into what was Rozier’s small role last season and act as an offensive catalyst off the bench. The first step to even making the roster though is performing well in July.

Jackson will be backing up Rozier, giving him the perfect chance to show how he can be lightning in a bottle for Boston. Playing under control while attacking the basket, and making smart basketball plays, will go a long way when deciding how the Celtics will use him as a rookie.

Boston knows he can score, however, is he a reliable enough outside shooter to play shooting guard? Can he man the point in the NBA, or is he merely a scorer you put in for small stretches at a time. There’s a lot of questions surrounding Jackson, but at least he’ll have a chance to prove himself.

Ben Bentil: He’s a very intriguing player for the Celtics. Bentil could come into play as a rookie since he’s a reliable pick-and-roll player. Being able to consistently hit from mid-range is a lacking attribute of the Celtics front court. Still, the Celtics might not have enough open minutes for Bentil as a rookie, especially if Jordan Mickey puts together an impressive off-season.

Bentil could make that a tough decision by playing well though. While a lot of people are waiting to see how Yabusele plays, Bentil has a chance to turn some heads himself. He’ll likely be a bigger threat on offense, and owns more potential to become a rim protector.

There are questions surrounding Bentil’s rebounding and defense. He’ll be coming off the bench, therefore he’ll have less time to prove what he can do. Making a couple of big plays will speak loudly towards scouts, but so will stuffing the stat sheet.

Abdel Nader: Will he ever see minutes with the Celtics? Maybe, maybe not. But he’s on their D-League team next season. With James Young and Marcus Thornton also on the bench, Nader might not see as much time as he would like this summer.

The Celtics will want to see if James Young has anything left to offer, or if they should give up on him, and Thornton’s scoring ability makes him an intriguing prospect. Nothing stands out when looking at Nader. Therefore, being a solid all-around player who works hard is all you can expect from him.

He’ll have his chance, but I wouldn’t expect big minutes or amazing numbers from Nader.

Malcolm Miller: I think there is a chance Malcolm Miller can latch onto an NBA team at some point in his career. Maybe he’ll be back with the Maine Red Claws again, but he has a chance to make an impact in Summer League play, granted he sees enough minutes off the bench.

What Miller showed in the D-League last season – 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds per game – is the type of production he can give an NBA team. He put up similar numbers during his four seasons at Holy Cross, and should continue to be a solid D-League player if he doesn’t choose to go overseas.

Being a solid rotational player in the D-League doesn’t get you noticed though. Miller has to continue to develop his productive three-point shot (39.8 percent) and become great in one area. Whether it’s as a scorer or on the glass, Miller can’t be a jack of all trades but a master of none if he wants to get a shot in the NBA. It might be hard for him to see minutes even in Summer League, but he showed potential in Maine last season.

Corey Walden: Another member of the Main Red Claws last season, Corey Walden went undrafted a year ago after three productive seasons at Eastern Kentucky. He contributed a very impressive 18.6 points, four rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.1 steals per game as a junior. While not as productive in the D-League last season, he still was able to post 12.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, four assists and 1.2 steals per game.

He does a little of everything, however, like most D-League players, he isn’t able to hone in on one skill. He’s a solid scorer and playmaker, although if he can become a ball hawk and create turnovers like he did at Eastern Kentucky there might be a spot for him on an NBA roster.

It’s really tough to gauge how many minutes he’ll see with the deep roster the Celtics have. Boston knows they have a decent player in Walden, who could make it to the NBA one day. Focusing on being an elite defender could be his calling card though, and that’s what teams will be looking for.

JayVaughn Pinkston: He went undrafted in 2015 but was picked up by the Brooklyn Nets Summer League team last year. Sadly, he tore his ACL and missed the rest of Summer League, but eventually signed with the Maine Red Claws. Pinkston didn’t get a chance to play as he was signed in late March, but this will be his first shot to prove he can play in the NBA.

He put together a decent career at Villanova, however, wasn’t anything spectacular. His numbers declined as a senior, going down to 9.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. The Celtics are definitely not as deep in their front court, therefore minutes should be there for Pinkston during Summer League play.

He is a little undersized at only 6’7″ but he’ll still likely get his chance. He’s the second oldest player on the team, and his window for a chance in the NBA is closing. I’d expect Pinkston back in Maine next fall, but maybe he can open another team’s eye.

Mouphtaou Yarou: He wins the award for hardest name to spell, and he might see valuable minutes in Summer League this year. Yarou is tied with Bentil for being the tallest player on the squad, and he’s been able to showcase that height in Europe over the past three season.

In fact, Yarou averaged a double-double (10.1 points, 10.4 rebounds) last season in France’s LNB Pro A league. Although, he doesn’t provide the defense a lot of teams are looking for in big men.

Next: Looking Ahead to the 2017 Draft

This will be his first Summer League action of his career, and at 26-years-old it might be his last. He’s the only player on their roster that wasn’t part of their organization beforehand, therefore he has the most to prove. There’s a chance he can impress a team if he plays similar to how he does in France, but he likely isn’t looking for a D-League roster spot. At least he’ll be able to get his name out there for a month.