Boston Celtics: 3 players to keep an eye on in Summer League

Despite almost all of their key moves this summer involving veterans, the Boston Celtics remain one of the younger cores in the NBA, which means the summer league won’t just be two-way players.

Notable youngins like Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith, and Payton Pritchard will be participating in the NBA’s summer league with the hopes of proving to Ime Udoka that they are worth all the minutes he can give them.

I’ve already covered what I want to see from those three rookies in particular, but there are some other names I want to discuss as we approach the beginning of the 2021-22 season.

The Boston Celtics have brought over their latest draft and stash players, Yam Madar and Juhann Begarin, to see what the two are made of before finalizing their roster for the upcoming season.

They’ve also picked up Sam Houser, the senior swingman out of Virginia, off the undrafted waivers.

These additions to the Cs may seem minor, and even though their Summer League production should be taken with a grain of salt, if I see what I hope, they could be in shape for some cheap but impactful young additions to their roster.

Let’s talk about Madar, Begarin, and Houser and what Boston Celtics fans should hope to see in this year’s summer league.

Yam Madar is the most exciting addition for the shamrocks’ Summer League roster.

Danny Ainge selected Madar in the second round of last year’s draft with the hopes of bringing him over to the NBA once he improved parts of his game that needed to be up to par with the NBA’s standards.

Madar was seen as a two-year project but seemingly broke out last season during his play overseas. He took significant strides as a shooter, one of the biggest shortcomings in his game, while remaining a capable ball-handler and intelligent defender.

Everything about what Yam Madar could potentially provide screams quality back up at an affordable price, which the Boston Celtics desperately need.

However, before Madar comes off the bench in the regular season, the Celtics need to see a few things from him in the Summer League.

The Cs need to see that his jump shot is reliable and that he won’t get indecisive against higher-level players. His cool-headed play style needs to hold up, and he needs to prove he won’t be a total liability defensively.

All this means is that the point guard has to be a dominant force in the Summer League while proving he can play beside Pritchard, Langford, and Nesmith because those guys will become Smart, Tatum, and Brown if he can prove himself.

Since Madar has been playing professional ball for a few seasons now, I’m confident he can recapture this dominance in Summer League, and I’m even more convinced he can roll it right along into the regular season.

Second is Begarin, who I am much lower on than Madar and Houser.

Although I think Begarin was an excellent draft and stash pick, I’m not sure he’s ready to receive a guaranteed NBA contract and play meaningful minutes for the Boston Celtics off the bench.

He’s an incredibly young and athletic but raw prospect who is not remotely ready to be an NBA player.

He’s shown flashes but has yet to consistently put together those flashes for me to say they are bonafide skill sets of his. Begarin still has a lot of room to grow, but he should do that in France instead of in the C’s practice facility because, realistically, he isn’t getting any minutes.

However, there is a way Begarin can convince the Boston Celtics he’s worth the money, roster spot, and minutes.

The guard has to be by far the best defensive player in this year’s Summer League. He’s shown he can be a high-caliber defender in France, but needs to show he can keep up with quicker and more clever players.

On top of displaying his defensive prowess, Begarin must show he’s made strides as a shooter. The young Frenchman has shown he can take them and make them, but not at a consistent clip which he’ll need to do if he wants a spot on the roster as soon as this coming season.

I doubt Begarin achieves these goal, but it would be a game-changer for the Cs if he did.

Someone with his physical intangibles could wreak havoc on the defensive end for a few minutes per game, and his hastened development would mean his potential could be higher than the Celtics had first anticipated.

Lastly is Sam Houser, who should have been drafted somewhere in the second round given his abilities.

Houser was seen by most as arguably the best shooter in the class and most certainly a top-3 shooter.

His fundamentals are sound and, although his age may have been the reason his stock tanked, his experience means he’s more NBA-ready than the younger prospects.

There won’t be much room for improvement with Houser, but he will be the most equipped to impact a high-level team with his four years of experience in college. That’s presumably why the Boston Celtics picked him up.

Houser will be participating in the NBA’s Summer League, and I fully expect him to light the place up with triples. He has such a high and sound release, and he’s excellent at relocating around the perimeter.

Houser will make Langford, Madar, and Pritchard look excellent as ball-handlers, and him beside Nesmith will make teams panic in the half-court.

Although I’m confident his shooting will remain resilient, Houser needs to show that. On top of his best skill set, Houser needs to show he’s a capable driver and defender.

He was seen as a good post up and off the dribble scorer in college, and that needs to remain valid in the Summer League. On the flip side, Houser was projected to be a lousy defender due to some physical shortcomings and awareness woes.

Houser must show he’s worked on his body and defensive instincts if he wants to play NBA minutes.

I believe he’ll get a guaranteed deal from the Boston Celtics by the end of the Summer League because they need shooting badly.