Amile Jefferson is the man in charge of the Boston Celtics’ Summer League squad’s run in Las Vegas. Jefferson, a full-time assistant in Boston, is stepping into the head coaching role for the first time this July.
“I found out from Joe [Mazzulla] a little bit close to the end of the season,” Jefferson told the media at Thursday’s Celtics practice at UNLV. “He came up to me, he told me pretty matter of fact. It was exciting. It's an honor. I really appreciate our coaching staff. Everybody trusting me. And for me, it's a really good growth opportunity. Super excited about it. I think we have a great group, and we've had three really good days of practice. It's been awesome.”
Seven years prior, he was on the floor in Vegas as part of the Minnesota Timberwolves summer roster. Jefferson averaged 16.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game across five appearances for the Wolves.
It was his third run at the summer circuit, after spending the previous two with the Orlando Magic.
“Yeah, the biggest thing is to be where your feet are. Be in the moment, have fun, and I keep talking about it, but have a growth mindset. Summer League is really condensed and compressed, so you just [need to] hit the ground running Day 1. You don't really have time to ease your way into it. You don't really have time to think about all you got to do tomorrow. And that's how I approach it.”
Coaching Summer League is unlike anything else in basketball
Summer League is more unique than most head coaching opportunities in basketball. All of these teams have quickly been thrown together over a matter of weeks, and are made up of players who are mostly trying to prove that they’re capable of playing at the next level.
Instead of gameplaning for a season-long campaign, full of adjustments and maximizing trends, Jefferson is tasked with helping everyone on the roster make the most of this opportunity.
“We know what Summer League is,” Jefferson pointed out. “Some guys are fighting for their future, and it's my job to help them. To help them see their future. All these guys are pros. All these guys are high-level, high-character guys, and [we're] just trying to get the most out of that in a short period of time.”
Jefferson and the Celtics will have their first crack at doing so on Friday night when they take on the Toronto Raptors at 9 p.m. ET.
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