BRIGHTON — During the 2023 Summer League, Jay Scrubb earned a spot with the Boston Celtics. His play put him on the map, and the Celtics rewarded him with a two-way contract. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL during training camp, leading to his release. But one year later, he’s back in Boston and ready for another chance.
Bobby Manning of CLNS Media reported that the Celtics would be signing Scrubb to an Exhibit 10 contract for the preseason and training camp. Though he’ll more than likely spend most of his season in Maine, being back with the Celtics gives him another chance to revive his NBA career.
And at practice on Thursday, he shed some light on what went into his return.
Jay Scrubb always wanted to be a Celtic
Scrubb spoke with the media for the first time since signing with the team, and he said that he was in contact with the Celtics throughout his recovery process.
“I've been in touch with the Celtics over the course of my rehab,” Scrubb said. “They've been checking up on me. Seeing how I've been doing. They made it welcoming to come back, and I'm here.”
While Scrubb wasn’t going to be an integral part of Boston’s team last season, it was still a tough blow to see him go down before the year started. He showed a ton of promise during Summer League and had a chance to earn the 15th roster spot (which was eventually occupied by Neemias Queta).
However, despite going down, Scrubb said he always knew he wanted to be in Boston.
“We've been in communication ever since I got injured,” Scrubb said. “So, I pretty much knew this is where I wanted to be at, and I voiced it with them that I wanted to be here. And they took good care of me through my rehab process. So, I felt like this would be the best place for me to come back.”
And while Scrubb wasn’t a part of the Celtics team that brought home Banner 18, he can feel the winning energy in the air at practice.
“It's amazing,” said Scrubb. “You can feel the championship environment. Guys working. Guys coming in and competing every day, from the younger guys to the older guys.”
Thursday was Scrubb’s first practice since officially re-joining the team, and though they are going to take things slow with him, he’s happy to be back out there.
“We're just taking it day by day right now,” said Scrubb. “Seeing how my body feels and how my body reacts to being out there. Today was my first day of official practice. So, we're just taking it one step at a time.”