3 Celtics summer league standouts fighting for the final two-way spot

Despite the fact that the Celtics haven’t had a lottery pick since they selected Jayson Tatum, their Las Vegas Summer League team has shown some moxie in winning its first two games in the desert. Still, it’s one thing to look good in summer league, and quite another to make that translate to NBA basketball, and that’s the end goal for all of these players.

Last year’s first-round pick, Hugo Gonzalez, is obviously an important player in the Boston rotation, and this year’s first-rounder, Chris Cenac Jr., will be on the roster as well. Amari Williams, who was drafted in round two last season, has already locked up one of the Celtics’ three available two-way contracts, and this year’s second-rounder, Dillon Mitchell, seems like a safe bet for one as well.

That means 12 other players on the summer league roster are likely competing for one final two-way contract that Boston can offer. Some of these guys could draw interest from other teams, but let’s work under the assumption that the Celtics will look to offer their last deal to their favorite prospect from this roster. So, who should they choose?

1.) John Tonje is a pure bucket-getter

The Celtics dumped Chris Boucher at the trade deadline to Utah to get under the tax, but a smaller piece of that deal was second-round rookie John Tonje coming back in the deal on a two-way. He shined in Maine and had a nice little showing for Boston in the season finale miracle win against the Magic.

Now, as a year two player, he’s balling out in summer league, creating his own shot, burying open looks, making plays all over the court, and filling up the stat sheet. Combo scoring guards are a bit of a lost art in the NBA, but Tonje looks like he could be a microwave scorer off the bench for years to come.

2.) Milos Uzan offers steady point guard play

A teammate of Cenac’s at Houston, Milos Uzan, has emerged as the floor general for the summer Celtics. He was an accomplished college player but was thought to be too small to succeed at the next level. But we’ve seen a shift in that belief lately with guys like Jalen Brunson and Payton Pritchard.

I’m not saying Uzan is that, but he’s very comfortable with the ball in his hands, and he has come off the bench in both summer games and completely taken the reins of the offense, leading two comeback wins where he’s been a +41 in 67 minutes. He’s got a secure handle, passing chops, and a nice jumper, with solid defensive awareness. He could be an end-of-bench guard for years to come.

3.) Tucker DeVries could be the next Sam Hauser

The only other player who has really shown some promise is Tucker DeVries, who only appeared in the second game. A big win sharp-shooter, he showed off his perfect form, burying 3-7 threes and scoring 11 points in just 18 minutes. He’s a good passer and a solid rebounder and defender, but his bread is buttered with his movement shooting.

There’s always room for another sniper in the NBA, and if Boston is thinking about moving Sam Hauser any time soon, DeVries would be a great project to get in the door and try to develop into an insurance policy.

All three of these players have made a solid case and, at times, have appeared more than worthy of a two-way spot. But ultimately, unless they use the 15th roster spot on one of these guys, it's looking like a three-way battle for the final two-way. This is how things stand as of now, but we've got at least three more games in the desert, plus the rest of the offseason and training camp to see how this plays out.

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