The Boston Celtics summer league squad cruised to another victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers by a final score of 100-80. The Cs led wire to wire, breaking away from their Atlantic division opponents in the third quarter.
In the summer league, organizations put much more value into individual performances rather than team outcomes, acting as a showcase for younger players attempting to make a name for themselves.
The team has been anchored by second-year players Payton Pritchard and Aaron Nesmith, who are both too good for summer league competition. They have proven themselves to be capable NBA rotational players and will be treated as such in the upcoming season.
3 Boston Celtics stood out from the rest on Saturday
Beyond the regular faces, the younger players have impressed many in the short four-game stint. New Boston 2-way player Sam Hauser has shown off his range, draining shots from all over the court in Vegas. Let’s look at three others who are worth mentioning
Boston Celtics’ standout #1: Bruno Fernando
Bruno Fernando was acquired earlier this month from Atlanta in a trade involving Tristan Thompson and Kris Dunn. With these summer league performances, he has earned playing time at the NBA level as a rotational big man with a high motor.
The third-year product out of Maryland hasn’t shown any range from distance but has the ability to finish over smaller opponents with ease. In this contest, he attacked 76ers center Filip Petrusev continuously, getting the better of him. He finished with nine points on five shots, 11 rebounds (four offensive), and three assists in only 16 minutes of action.
On the other end, he held Petrusev to two points and 1-of-7 from the field. One of Fernando’s greatest skills this summer league has been his ability to take his defender off the dribble from the free-throw line. His downhill attack towards the rim has been extremely effective, and something the Boston Celtics may need from the center position sometime this year.
Bruno has shown the Celtics enough on both sides of the ball for the team to be intrigued, leading towards a future roster spot.